1984)suggests these Heraclean managers (the term derives from the Greek hero Heracles , better known as Hercules )fall into two types.
a)skilled seasoned veterans, who see a challenge and know exactly what they are doing (Lee Iacoccas work in turning around Chrysler in the USA is given as an example);
b) those who do not know enough about the business to believe if can t work here and turn it around by ignoring the normal rules (the turnaround of Unied Airlines by Ed Carlson is quoted to exemplify this).
The organizational life-cycle approach is useful but largely descriptive. In order to analyse why these things happen. Some explanation is required of the dynamics within the organization. One way of understanding these is provided by Greiner (1972),who has also put forward a stage model of is growth evolutionary He argues that the underlying in each is evolutionary growth which eventually creates a situation of revolutionary crisis, when the organizations existing ways of doing things are no longer efficient and effective. If managers can establish ways of overcoming each crisis there will be a platform for further growth. Failure to deal with a particular crisis will result in decline or demise .Greiners stages of growth and the crises involved are illustrated in Figure 5.5 A rapidly growing organization will have a steep line of growth and relatively short periods between crises. Slow growth will produce a flatter line. and consequently longer periods between crises.
As an organization passes through the various stages of birth, growth ,maturity and decline, the leadership/management style may need to change. One of the ways of explaining this process is to use Greiner s Life Cycle model.
Greiner identifies five phases of growth. Each evolutionary period is characterized by the dominant management/leadership style used to achieve growth, while each revolutionary period is characterized by the problems that must be solver growth can continue.