Michelin Group: Embracing Culture While Adapting to Change

By Robert Siegel, Jocelyn Hornblower
2019 | Case No. SM315 | Length 18 pgs.
SM-315 Michelin Group is told from the perspective of Florent Menegaux, COO of Michelin, and other senior leaders at the company. Michelin had recently undergone a company wide reorganization, and Menegaux was tasked with how to maintain the company’s relevance and competitiveness in a changing global marketplace, particularly as customer needs and expectations around service were becoming more specific and demanding. Given that Michelin was a large French company with a long operating history, Menegaux and others pondered what would the best approach be to implementing changes throughout the company to adapt to a more digital and customer-centric business landscape while still preserving and embracing the company’s rich culture and proud history. One necessary element was the need to hire more “entrepreneurial” talent from outside the company (as opposed to the company’s tendency to promote from within) in order to pursue several initiatives outside, but still related to, the core tire business.

Learning Objective

Students will think through the ability of a large, established organization to be “nimble”, risk-tolerant, and implement significant change throughout the company without losing the invaluable asset of its deep-rooted culture and traditions. Students will also think through the pros and cons of organic growth versus a partnership/acquisition growth strategy. The subject of talent and specific skillsets needed for certain initiatives, and how to recruit and train those people, is also covered.
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