Decision Criteria and Alternative Solutions:

The flaws inherent in the prevalent mode of governance by Napoleon gave rise to many
complications which needed to be addressed. In this light there are multiple alternative plans
of action that can be recognised for the organisation depicted in ‘Animal Farm’. Enlisted
below are the very same alternatives classified by the criteria they are based on.
1) Leadership Model – The authoritarian leadership in the present organisation model of
Animal farm created certain problems where there was unequal division of labour,
giving rise to a leadership model where the ‘employee orientation’ was missing. An
alternative to the same would be switching to a democratic set up where a charismatic
leader like ‘Snowball’ heads the organisation, inculcating a strong human resource
framework into the organisation. The shift from the incumbent style to this style of
leadership includes the con of possibility of a sudden lackadaisical attitude which was
not there in the authoritarian system since the strict imposition there ensured deadlines
being met. On the other hand, the major advantage of this system would be the
camaraderie and healthy working conditions that would extract innovativeness that
lacked earlier.
2) Marketing Model – The marketing model adopted by the animals currently is a B2B
i.e. Business to Business model where the trade is between various farm business. An
alternative would be to also adopt a B2C i.e. Business to Consumer model where the
organisation enters into retail to directly supply to the consumers. The abundant
production can be utilised to earn more profits by parallelly running this system. One
burden that this system would incorporate is the need for increase in the sales force.
3) Working Hours and conditions – Labour at the animal farm was done from ‘dusk till
dawn’. This overburdening although helped to achieve the tasks earlier but had a huge
impact on the efficiency and innovativeness. An alternative to the same would be
reduction of the working hours so keep the animal workers ‘satisfied’ with their job in
order to keep them motivated. Moreover, since the organisation lacked any animal
resource management team, it can be incorporated to maintain a healthy functioning
of the organisation by addressing the management of labour in the organisation.
4) Diversity in the higher executive positions – Since, all the higher executive positions
in the animal farm are occupied by pigs, it creates a risk of resentment among the
other labouring animals, hence being a potential threat to the functioning of
organisation. The pro of bringing diversity into the higher executive positions, is not
only bringing a feeling of mutual respect but a better understanding of the
organisation which has a plethora of different animals working under it. It is
imperative under the ethics of business as well. The only con of the same is that since
the pigs have been running the whole administration, they have a better understanding
and experience of the executive functioning. The inexperience of other animals in
managerial positions may be an impediment to the growth for some time.
Recommended Solution, Implementation and Justification:
The Animal Farm, deviating from its vision of ‘Animalism’, is on the verge of becoming a
failing organisation. To counter the same, a set of solutions should be implemented to tackle
the problems at hand. The first step towards solving these problems would be a change in the
leadership structure. A democratic leadership structure following the Situational Leadership
theory of Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard should be adopted to ensure a healthy working of
the organisation so that the leader does not only direct but also support the backbone i.e. the
employees of the organisation. This is a four-step model where directing, coaching,
supporting and delegating is done to ensure a healthy workforce. It would work in the present
set up because the authoritarian form of leadership has consistently imposed a feeling of fear
which when done away with would bring back the efficiency which was being died out by
lack of motivation as the leader itself was not charismatic.
The next step would be to implement some organisational changes that would ensure smooth
functioning of the farm. A board of directors should be formed among the animals which
should be of a diverse nature so that all animals by having representation can avoid conflicts
and build upon their reputation in the market. This is highly essential as the pigs’ autonomous
control has created a tense atmosphere for other animals where it has started to build up
feelings of resentment in the them against the top executive body of the organisation.
Moreover, an ‘Animal Resource Management’ team should be introduced