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Silvio Schindler in India

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Executive Summary In 1997 Swiss-based elevator and escalator manufacturer Schindler Holding, Ltd. decided to expand its operations to India. As the technology leader in elevators, Schindler was confident that the Indian market provided significant opportunities for growth. The venture in India would be different from Schindler 's other subsidiaries in several ways. Rather than focusing on Schindler 's success with custom equipment, the India operations would focus on standardized products. In addition, Schindler planned to outsource all of the manufacturing of components to local Indian suppliers with a few critical components being supplied by its European subsidiaries. Schindler chose Silvio Napoli, a Harvard-educated MBA, as …show more content…

This was a shift in strategy that is a characteristic of a second-order change. The other change, the outsourcing of manufacturing and logistics, was also a second-order change. In the elevator industry, it was a radical concept to have no in-house manufacturing, no centralized assembly, and no logistics infrastructure. Schindler India would be relying heavily on local suppliers, similar to Mercedes ' expansion into India, to deliver a quality product in a timely manner. This was a major strategic change from the way Schindler operated in Europe. Question #2 What images of change do you see in this case? Silvio Napoli is illustrated in the case as being a director. Napoli had a clear, concise plan with incremental goals, and he was going to lead the way for his organization. Napoli took it upon himself to direct Schindler India in a way that would produce the desired changes and results. Co-workers described Napoli as "driving very hard," "impulsive," "impatient," "over-communicative," and "wanting everything done yesterday." Napoli realized the importance of hiring a group of people with a common set of values; values he described as integrity, assiduousness to work, and drive. Napoli spoke of looking for people with "the right attitude and energy, not just (looking for) elevator people". When employees deviated from the company 's plan and Napoli 's vision, he was quick to

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