1. A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week –
Gen George S. Patton Jr.
Management Functions in
Action
2015
MODULE TUTOR – DAVID WALLACE
Course Title – Management – B7MG018
Number of words - 5912
MODULE TUTOR – DAVID WALLACE
Course Title – Management – B7MG018
Number of words - 5912

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A goodplan,violentlyexecutednow,isbetterthanaperfectplannextweek –Gen George S.Patton
Jr................................................................................................................................................. 0
Introduction.................................................................................................................................3
Planning......................................................................................................................................4
Organising................................................................................................................................. 10
Leading...................................................................................................................................... 14
Control ...................................................................................................................................... 17
Summary................................................................................................................................... 21
Recommendations..................................................................................................................... 22
Conclusion and Minutes............................................................................................................. 23
References................................................................................................................................. 24
Interview................................................................................................................................... 25
Organizational Structure......................................................................................................... 25
Questionnaire............................................................................................................................ 26
Introduction 1:........................................................................................................................ 26
Planning 2: ............................................................................................................................. 28
Organizing 3: .......................................................................................................................... 33
Leading 4:............................................................................................................................... 37
Controlling 5:.......................................................................................................................... 43
Closing question:.................................................................................................................... 45

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Figure 1 Organisational Strategies ................................................................................................. 4
Figure 2 Reason for Planning ....................................................................................................... 5
Figure 3 Traditional Goal Setting for Employees ............................................................................. 6
Figure 4 Characteristics of a learning organization ........................................................................ 12
Figure 5 Continuum of Leader Behavior ....................................................................................... 15
Figure 6 Control flow is Specify, Allocate/Trust, Measure, Verify and React. ................................... 18
Figure 7 Types of Management Control........................................................................................ 20

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Introduction
The group has carry out researchonthe role of managerwithinanorganisation.Inductive method
withcombinationof primaryandsecondaryresearchinformof interview was used. Aftercarrying
out secondaryresearchonthe fourmanagerial rolesnamely,planning,leading,organisingand
controlling,the rolesweredividedamongstthe fourgroupmembers.Afterthe secondaryresearch
each memberof the groupformulatedquestionstoconductaninterview andthe organisation was
selected.The groupdecidedtoconductthe interview withthe CEOof Ward Solutions.Twomember
of the groupcarriedout thistask witha seniorlevel manager.
The interviewwasconductedwitha CEOof an IrishbasedInformationsecuritybusiness inDublin.
Keyaimsof the reportwere to findouthow managementtheorycomparestomanagement
practice.
Manager’sprofile
Pat LarkinCEO of Ward Solutionshasover17 years’experience inthe ITindustry,the last10 of
whichhave beeninvolvedincommercialITmanagement. WardSolutionswasfoundedin1998 by
Pat Larkin,Paul Ward and Paul Hogan. Prior to Patscommercial involvement,Patwasanofficerin
the IrishDefence Forcesservinginbothaline role andthensubsequentlyasITOperationsManager
of the Defence ForcesCommunicationandInformationServicesCorps. Thiswasthe drivingfactorto
the creationof Ward SolutionPatisco-founderand CEOof the Ward Solutionsbusiness.
Main tasks
As CEO Patis responsible foroverseeingthe operationsof the companyandcollaborateswiththe
board to define andarticulate the company’svisionanddevelopstrategiesforachievingsame.
The Key Functions of Management
In orderto accomplishtheirgoalsandobjectivesbuildsthe foundationsformanagementconcept.
There are keymanagementfunctionsbrokenintofourdifferentareasandtheyrepresent:
 Planning
 Organizing
 Leading
 Controlling

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Planning
The function planningistoformulate planstoachieve abalance of needsordemandswiththe
available resources.The process of planningcan identifiesthe goalsorobjectiveswithinan
organisationto achieved, withthistheycan formulatesstrategies thatcreatesthe means tothe
desiredrequirementstoimplement,direct,andmonitorall stepsinthe correct sequence.
There is3 typesof Strategy whichare;
 Cost leadership
 Differentiation
 Cost focus
Ward Solutionsuse aDifferentiationStrategy. The reasonwhytheychoose thisisthisprovidesthem
withthe whytheydo not wantto playinthe cost strategyisyoucan getcommunize.
Main sourcesof information
Figure 1 Organisational Strategies
Ward Solutionshasfourfunctionswithinthe business;
 Sales
 Administration
 Technology
 Operations
Responsibilityisdelegatedtothe headof each function.Eachfunctionthenreportsonconsensusof
objective,achievementandgrowth. CEOacts as a peerat eachfunctionlevel.
Nextlevel is middle management,comprise of;
 SalesDepartment
 Legal and RiskDepartment
 HR Department
 Operationsdepartment
a) Practicesleads
b) SecurityConsultants
c) Integrationconsultant
d) Applicationconsultant

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“According to Koontzand O' Donnell,"Planning is an intellectual process,consciousdetermination of
courseof action,thebasing of decision on purpose,factsand considered estimates."(ASSAR,n.d.)
Figure 2 Reason for Planning
Part of the planningprocess,Pat mentionsthatyoumustrecognize thatmiddle managementand
employeescancontribute tothe companyplans.There isa clearoverall visionandstandardsforthe
companybut we take inputinternallyfromthe businessatall levelsastohow to achieve that vision.
Theywant to growthe businessandwiththisyouhave to listentothe businessastheyare your
eyesandears.Theyalso take planningexternallybybase liningthemselvesfromindependentexpect
and consultancyorganizationsmeasurementof how theyare performingvsourpeers.
Planningisgoodbutneedtobe flexibilityenoughtochange.WardSolutionsunderstandthisand
stickingtothe original planinan everchangingdemandscanparalysesthe businessleadingtothe
questioniswhatshould Idonow?
CEO takes a quote from GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON, JR
"A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week”.
(Patton, n.d.)
From hisexperience youcanspend alot of time planningtryingtogetthe perfectplantogether.
There are those whomare perfectlycontenttocontinue downthe avenueandanalysiseverything.
The danger istheycan findthemselvesfallingbehind.FromPat’sexperience,it’salways,what isthe
bestinstinct?We basedourdecisiononwhatworkedinthe past,what yourassessmentof the
market,assessmentof the customer,the demand,where youfeel profitoropportunityisandhow
youachieve it.
Pat saysthat part of yourplanningisbrokeninto2 part chairingand listening,butatsome pointyou
justneedto take that stepandmake that decision.

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Keythingisare youbringingthe backingof the businesssupportwithyou?Doyouhave the support
of youcustomers,partnersandemployeesas withoutthemagoodplanisnot worthanything?This
isall part of the consideration.The goalsmustbe achievableotherwisethere nopointindoingit.
Identifying the organization’s current mission, goalsandstrategies
 Doingan external analysis
 Doingan internal analysis
 Formulatingstrategies
 Implementingstrategies
 Evaluatingresults
Pat tellsusthat yestheydouse all 6 stage of planningbutitisn’tformulatedintoarigidplan.It’snot
somethingtheywouldperformall the time butnaturally peoplefollow thesetosome extent.
Ward Solutionsdidn’talwaysuse these methodsbutfoundwitheducationandexperience usingthis
methodsallowedthemtohave a betterunderstandof theirmarketandcompetitionsbyutilizing
theirstrengthandminimizingtheirweaknesses.Theyuse the stepsbutnotinorder.
In sayingthis,WardSolutionsare not100% followingthe stagesandthe reasonissimple itisnot
alwaysnecessary.Insayingthistheyunderstandthathavingplansinplace canprovide themwith
the strengthto growtheirbusinessandwiththattheyhave documentedtheirplansfor2017-2020.
The company iscontinuouslyimprovingontheirplanningtoalignthemselvesinastrong position
withintheirindustry.
Figure 3 Traditional Goal Setting for Employees
Historically
Ward Solutionsgoal settingwasverymuchrevenue andsalesfocuswhichmeantthattheyhada
target andthe executedtohitthattarget.

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Balance Score Card
Ward Solutionshasnowadoptedabalance score card and managementsystem.The frameworkis
base on whichallowthemtosetdownmission,goal,value andobjectives.Thismethodhasallow
themto considerotheraspectof the business,suchasemployeesatisfaction,staff retention,
personal developmentall the keyelementthatthe businessneedstodeliveronwhateverthe top
line numbersare.ThissystemhasallowedWardSolutionstoconsiderall aspectof the businessnot
justrevenue orprofitnumber.
“Drs. RobertKaplan;“he balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and management system that is
used extensively in business and industry, government, and non-profit organizations worldwide to
align businessactivitiesto the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external
communications,and monitororganizationperformanceagainststrategicgoals.” (The Instituteway,
2015)
Thishas allowthemtohave bettervisibilitytotheirobjectivesfromeachlayerof the businessand
betterunderstandingof anyroad blockalongthe wayof achievingtheirKPIsall the while you
measure,adjust,report,refine,executedandrevisewithindividualperformance.Itiscontinuingly
assessedandyoucan settargets to achieve KPIvsagendas.Thiscanbe monitormonthly,and
everyone will knowwhere theyare withinthissystemandempowerindividualsandbecome adriver
for employee satisfaction.
 Customers:Whoare the firmsCustomers
 Markets: Where doesthe firmcompete geographically?
 Concernsforsurvival,growthandprofitability:Isthe firmcommittedtogrowthandfinancial
stability?
 Philosophy:Whatare the firm’sbeliefs,valuesandethical priorities?
 Concernfor publicimage:Howresponsive isthe firmtosocietal andenvironmental issues?
 Productor services:Whatare the firm’smajorproductsor services?
 Technology:Isthe firmtechnologycurrent?
 Self-Concept:Whatare the majorcompetitive advantage andcore competencies?
 Concernfor employees:Are employeesavaluable assetof the firm?

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Ward Solutionshastheir missionstatements
1. Mission
a) A statementof anorganisationspurpose
2. Capabilities
b) An organisations skillsandabilitiesindoingthe workactivitiesneededinitsbusiness
3. Core Competencies
a) The major value-creatingabilitiesof anorganisation
Vision
“Ward Solutionsvision is to continueto be a completeinformation security solutionsand services
providerto ourcustomersin the Irish,Northern Irish and Great Britain markets,optimizing our
customers’Information Securitywhilstreducing their costsand complexity forcompliance.
Mission statement
Ward Solutionsmission is to continueto be the bestat whatwedo and to bethe largest dedicated
completeInformation SecuritySolution and Servicesproviderto our customersin Ireland,Northern
Ireland and Great Britain.”
“Larkin,P. (n.d.).Ward SolutionsVision.”
Our Values
“Our businessand oursuccessis built upon delivering to the higheststandardsand living by the
following 4 valuesas partof ourcore ethos: (Larkin,n.d.)
Excellence – we will alwaysstriveforcustomerservice excellence to existing and prospective
customersand technicalexcellence for all of oursolutionsand services.We will also strive forinternal
excellence ensuring a safeand enjoyableplaceto work for ourstaff,whilstmaximumourefficiency
and innovation: (Larkin,n.d.)
Integrity – wewill alwaysstrive to do the rightthing forourcustomers,ourstaff,ourcompany and
ourpartners: (Larkin,n.d.)
Value– we will alwaysstrive to add valueto ourclients and our businessin everything wedo: (Larkin,
n.d.)
Efficiency – we will alwaysstriveto do everything efficiently – to specification,to time, to budget:
(Larkin,n.d.)”
Ward Solutionswasguidedby2 things – IT had a recessionbackin 2002’. They survive thatand
learntsignificantlessonaboutovercommitments,runningawell-executedbusinessforthe good
timesandthe bad times.WardSolutionsstructure the businesstoensure nodebtandwitha healthy
balance forgrowth andwere available tohitanopportunityif itwasavailable.
Unlike otherbusinesswhomwere cuttingcost,reducingstaffingWardSolutionswasaboutto grow
and expandduringthe recessiontoopeninganoffice inBelfastwithoutrelyingonloans.Withthe
expansion theywereable togrow25% year onyear and whathelpisthat the marketrequirement
for informationsecuritygrew.The 2008’ recessionhadlittle ornoimpactto theircore businessas
withthe industrymovingtowardthe eastforinvestmentandwithanincrease intechnologybeing
deployed,riskandfraudwason an up duringthe recessionwhichfurtherdrove the security
requirements.

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Ward Solutionsoldculture iswhattheycalledthe mumandpa stage,theywentfrom€1-5 million
organisationandare now headingtoward€10mil. Only.004% make it past the €10 to €100mil
barrier,so theyhave putplanningstructure inplace totry and getpast thisthresholdbythe endof
our currentbusinessplan2015-2017.
Ward Solutionsare onthe processof continuous improvement.Theyhave the structure and
management,the facilities,mission,values,andobjectivesinplace.Now it’sjustaboutfine tuning
and tweakingeverypartof the businesstoachieve thatgrowth.WardSolutionswanttobringthe
teamto the baseline atthe respectedlevelstoensure the readinessastheymove the businessinto
a 100+ employee organisationTheyfeelwiththe rightstructure andplanningtheyshouldbe able to
hitthiswithinthe next18-24 months.
Pat mention thatuntil June 2014 there wasno marketingplan.Mostbusinesswasconducted
throughthe salesteam.Asof June a Salesdirectorwashire andwithhisbackgroundin marketing,
he has broughton a 3rd marketinggrouptogroup the brand name.The marketinggroupconducta
monthlynewsletterandmanagesWardSolutionssocial mediasuchasLinkedIn,Twitterand
Facebookas well asTV and newspapers.Theyhave alsoinclude venue managementforgatherings
and interviewformagazines.Theyalsoreviewcontentfrompartnerandshare withinthe social
medialinkstogainan audience.Theywillbe workingonacampaignto target the UK marketin the
next2 years.

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Organising
Thispart coversand examinesthe secondfunctionof the managementthatcreatesorganizational
structure and design.Properlychosenstructure anddesignallowcompanytoaccomplishgoalsand
realize effectivelyestablishedplan,whatneedstobe done how and bywhomit will be done and
executed.
Following Tiernan description: ‘Organizing continues the next logical step in the management
process. It involves dividing tasks into sub-tasks and allocating resources to achieve such tasks and
finally coordinating employees. In addition organizing involves establishing managerial authority’
(Tiernan, 2001). Organizational includes the division of labour, spans of control, hierarchy and
departmentalization.Structuraloperation includesformalization,decision making,responsibility and
authority (Tiernan, 2001).
Ward Solutionscompanycurrentlyemployees60employeesandhas3 officeslocatedinRepublicof
IrelandandNorthernIreland.AscompanyCEO Pat states,the companyismainlyfocusedon
differentiationstrategy:we wantdifferentiation,we wanttobe distantfromourcompetition,and
we want to be seenasunique inthe market.Youhave to delivervalue outof thisandrecognise for
beingunique ordistant.If youcan provide thisyoucanget reasonable return.
Ward Solutionsorganisational structure anddesignfollowsthe differentiationapproach.Ward
Solutionshascompetitive advantageasthe onlyone onthe marketofferingfull securityrange:
securityconsultancy,securityintegrationandapplicationdevelopment.
On the level of dividingthe jobtasksbetweengroupsandtheiractivitycoordinationtowards
organizational goalsWardsSolutionsoperatesviafunctional structure withchainof command
comingdownwardfromthe top.Structure mainfunctionisas follows:
 Sales
 Technology
 Operation
 Finance/legal/HR.
Each of the functionshave aleadmanager,whodelegatestaskstomiddle managersleading
followingdepartments:
 Legal and Risk Department
 HR Department
 SalesDepartment
 Operationsdepartmentconsistingof followingteams:
 SecurityConsultants
 Integrationconsultant
 Applicationconsultant

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Such designfocusedonspecialisationallowscompanytogainsome costsavingadvantages.
Departmentsare groupedaroundspecifictasksmainly,where employeesare specialisedinactual
field.AscompanyCEO,Patadmitshoweverthatthe structure isflexible andcanbe redesigned
accordinglytocurrent requirementsdue toseveral ITservicesoffered.
Pat mentionthat“if youlookat the solutionswe deliverforsome of ourcustomers,youcan see,we
employmultiple people frommultiplefunction.The managementstructure forthatistypicallythe
PMO (projectmanagementoffice)soyouneedsomeone ataprojectlevel andaccountlevel
coordinatingthe overall mobilisationof multipleresourcesfromdifferentdiversionforaprojector
service.”
Pat alsoacknowledges thatcompanystructure will become more complex,due togrowthandthe
planto enterthe Britishmarketsoon.The salesandoperationsdepartmentsare already,andinthe
nearfuture will be brokeninternallyintosmallersubteamsfocusedonspecificproductorcustomer,
resultinginthe lastmentionedcase indesigningprojectteamsoperatingtemporary.
Followingthe CEOstatementcompany’sorganisationwill shiftintocombinationof severaldifferent
teammodels.
Another challenge alsowill be geographic factor:
Functional Departmentalizationwill probablyshifttohybridbecause Geographichasn’tbeena
factor until nowas ithas onlybeenone geographyuptill the pastyear.Geographicwill becomea
factor inthe salesteamsfirstand thenfollow intothe deliveryandoperationfunctionafterjustby
necessityyouwanttohave salespeople locatedinNI,mainlandGBas well asengineersand
consultants.
As companygetslarger,youwill see itstartto breakout intoproductfunctionas inservice line as
part of the evolution.Thisisthenbecome acombinationof departmentalization.
Such combinationshouldactuallybe verybeneficial tominimalize knowndisadvantage of functional
structure,derivingfromhighlyspecialisedonone fieldtype of employeeswhoare focusedonown
establishedtargetstobe met,internal proceduresandpoliciestofollow relatedjusttotheirfieldof
expertise.
It resultsinnarrowedunderstandingof companygoalsoverall.The solutionof the issue isfirstof all
enforcingconstantinformationexchangeviacompanycommunicationchannelsandpromotion of
sharingbestpracticesand decisionmakingmodel,whichshouldremindall teamsthatall the
departmentsexistinordertoserve one companytherefore cooperationiscrucial.
Projectteamgatheringspecialistsfromdifferentdepartmenttherefore increasesthe understanding
of othersunitsprioritiesandcooperationonce the one side knowsWHYthe other side hasdifferent
pointof view.Membersof projectteamcan bringtheirexperience backtotheirprimaryteamsand
share the informationwiththe restof colleaguesaswell asprovide constructivefeedbacktotheir
leadersaboutcurrentissuesrelatedtocoordinationof jobdesignoverall.

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Ward Solutionsseemsnottoface severe issuesrelatedtothismatter.Still,itshouldbe easyto
control regardingthe small numberof employeesandmanagementsimple structure brokeninto
three levels.
Pat highlightsinthe interviewthe meaningof constantlearning.He usesthe termof listening
understoodasgatheringfeedbackfromemployeesthroughthe leadersandmiddle management
and drawingrightconclusionsfromthe internal reportsandexaminationof competitorstrategies.
The learningattitude isvisible injobdesign.Employeesare taughttowork as team, theyneedto
meettargetsnotonlyas individualsbutasa whole team.
Figure 4 Characteristics of a learning organization
Each team has teamleadersitingamonghisteammates.The choice of the lowestmanagement
level titlesismeaningfulasitrefersdirectly tocompanyculture implementedintostructure.The low
levermanagementtitle referstoleadingnotsupervisingrole.Itgivesthe notionof open
communicationbasedontrustand encouragingpeople tobe creative andtoshare ideas.
InterviewedCEOconfirmsthatideas,opinionsandfeedbackfromall employeesregardlessof their
role are alwayswelcome.
Thisis keyfroma businessperspectivetorealise the shareholdervalue.Butyouhave to recognise
that peersviewfromanexecutivelevel yourdirectreportdownata middle managementleveland
your employeesall have ideatocontribute tothat.But everybodymustbuy-intothe overall strategy
of the organisation.
The title chosenforemployees:team-mateshelpthe organisationtofightalreadymentioned
disadvantagesof functional structure.
The implementationof hybridprojectteammodel isalsoperfectsolutionforkeepingthe employees
for a longerperiodandenable themtodeveloptheircareer.Itisgoodwayto offerkindof internship
and gainadditional skillsandknowledge.The companyalsogivesexternaleducational possibilities
viaincentive plancoveringstudyfees.
“All of above can increase job satisfaction as routine can be minimalized via opportunities.”

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Ward Solutionsseemsalsotohave effectivespanof control givingemployeesthe chance toprovide
theirownopinionandtomake theirowndecisionstosome extent.
‘Effectivespansof controlare thosewhereemployeescan begiven a degree of freedom, while at the
sametime having someformof guidance from a supervisor should assistance be required’ (Tiernan,
2001).
As regardsto formalisationwhichreferstothe degree towhichrulesandproceduresshape the jobs
and taskscompleted byemployees,Pat confirmsinthe interviewthatWardSolutionsisformal.
There are commonlysharedrules,policiesandprocedures.Viaclearandupto date communication
employeeshandlingseveral differenttasksshouldbe able torecognise the primarynature of
companyoverall goalsandadjusttheirownapproachdictatedbyspecificdepartmentculture.
At the same time the managersand,leadersare alwaysapproachable therefore employeescan
alwaysdiscussthe newideawhichmightbringgreaterbenefitof all stake holders.
Pat alsodeclaresthatthe companyhas a Mechanic and at the same time learningoriented
structure.FlexiblyforWardSolutionsiscrucial therefore elementsof Organicstructure are
implemented,forinstance the fixeddutiesevolvetoadaptable dutiesinsome casesaswe couldsee
insome mentionedexamples.
Companyusesbothformalizedand informalcommunicationchannelsandpromotesleadership
basedon referenttype powergainedviagoodcommunicationandexpertiseskills.The legitimate
and rewardfactorsalwaysplayrole howevergoodteamleadercanbe recognisedaspart of reward
already.
Main decisionsare alwayscentralizedbyauthoritybutthe minorrulesthatare relatedtospecific
teamscan be modifiedhowevertheyneedtobe officiallyreported.

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Leading
“When managers motivate employees, direct the activities of others, select the most effective
communication channel,orresolveconflictsamong members,they are leading” (Robbins S. P., 2013)
Robbin and Decenzo also said that “Leaders are persons with managerial and personal power who
can influenceothersto performactionsbeyond thosethatcould bedictated by thosepersons’ formal
(position) authority alone". (Robbins S. P., 2005)
In the viewof the CEO, whenleadinganorganization,everyonewithinthe organizationwill have an
input,thoughthere are limitationsandbottle necks.Anenablingenvironmentshouldbe createdto
fostera layerof enabledmanagementandenabledinitiative withinthe team.
Pat goeson to explainthatinformaldoorsare alwaysopen,anyone canwalkinas thisisan
articulatedpolicyof the organization. Patrecognise thatthoughsome peopledon’twanttospeakup
infront of a groupwhichisusuallythe firstlimitation,peoplewithanideacantake it to theirline
manager.
He goes on to state that "there are reporting lines there for normal operations but if you have an
idea or suggestion,question or a challenge you can take it in this door here even though there could
be two or three layers of management between them and us".
Pat alsoexplainedthatthere are suggestionforms,employeesare alwaysencouragedtouse the
formsto make suggestionsforpeoplewhodonotwantto speakup. He explained thatpeople
submittingthese formsanonymouslyhave notbeenfacilitatedatthistime,notlike the organisation
doesnotparticularlywantit.
Pat restatedthat"I have alwayssaiditat staff meetingsmydoorisopenfora reasonwhichisif you
have an ideabringitin". People getfeedbackonideasthattheyputforwardandare encouragedto
developthe ideaif it’sagreatone and there are rewardsystemsinplace to for anyemployee whose
ideaisvaluable tothe organisation.
Pat explainedthattokeephisorganisationmotivatedtoachievesetgoalsandtarget,a combination
of intrinsicallyorextrinsicallymethodsisused.Ashe statedhe hasa bonusrewardsystemfor
individualswhoaccomplishedareallycritical importantobjectives,butthose objectivesshouldnot
be set toohighfor people toachieve themsotheydon’tturnoutto be a demotivatingfactors,
insteadof a motivatingfactor.Inleading,employeeshave tobe made to understandthatif
objectivessetbythe organisationare notmet,the dangeristhat youare standingstill andwill be
overtakenbycompetitors.
Accordingto Pat, the "ideaisif youwant to stayand be part of the businessandwe are making
moneythenthere are opportunitiesforpromotion,bonus,payrises,training andpersonal
development.If we are notmakingmoneythose opportunitiesdonotexist". Patbelievesthat
leadersshouldhave employeesinthe engagedsegmentasinMaslow’sneedshierarchy.Hisview is
that beingcommittedisacceptable butengagedisthe desiredneed.

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He thinksthatwhenemployeesare engaged,itshowsthattheyare committedinwhatthe
organisationisdoingandthat iswhere he wantshisemployeestobe.
Pat feelsthatfailuresinownermanagedbusinessisbasedonthe factthat we spendtoomuch time
workinginthe businessandnotonthe business."Notspendingenoughtime workingonthe
business,formulatingthe strategy,thinkingof the biggerpicture andmakingsure thatotherpeople
inthe businessare deliveringonthatandthat is downtoleadership".
Pat feelsthatone of the failuresof ownermanagedbusinessisveryeasytopickupthe toolsand
forgetaboutthe business strategyandthistohim isnot doingthe businessanygood.Tohim, proper
managementstructure hastobe putin place that allowstime togrow the organisation.
Figure 5 Continuum of Leader Behavior
The three leadershipstyles,autocraticstyle,democraticstyle andLaissez-Faire styleaccordingto Pat
are notsuitable.Inhisview,aleadercannotbringpeople alongwithhiminanautocraticstyle and
one cannot run a businessusingdemocraticstyle (votes).Inhiswords,"Bestiscombinationof all
three.Someone atsome pointhasto make a decision. Reviewthe processflow andfindsolutions".
Pat believethatdelegatingfunctionsinateam, choosingwhotodelegate those functionstoand
monitoringthe delegatedfunctionsdependson,if the functionareasare clearlydefinedasthiswill
make delegatedfunctionsveryobvious.Inhiswords,"Sowe delegate torelevantdepartmentand
the managerdelegateswithinthe team.Difficultyariseswhenthe decisionsare crossfunctional.
Decisionismade onabilityandexistingworkload.Monitoringisscore basedcards.Move the object
up or downthe prioritylist".

17. Page | 16
In the CEO’sview,the keytodevelopingandretainingagoodteamisselectinggoodpeopleinthe
firstplace and if people leave,thatcreatesopportunitiesfornew people tocome inwithnew ideas
whichfurtherbooststhe company.He feelsaleadershouldbe able tohave a careerpath forhis
team,inhiswords,“If youhire a personwhowants tobe technical forthe restof theirlife thenthey
have to see progression,soyouhave tofollow the righttrendsinthe marketandensure thatthe
personisup to date withcurrentskill sets”,sohe providestrainingandcrossskillingtrainingforhis
employees.
Pat’sviewonthe characteristicsof a goodleaderisthatall characteristicsare importantinany
business,buthonestyandintegrityisthe core value of hisbusinessandnature of trustwith
customersiskey.He feelsthatself-confidence isoutwardlydrivenbyself-doubt,notcontentwith
whattheyhave and fearof failure.He feelsthatsomethingcanalwaysbe improvedonaslongas
there isself-confidence.

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Control
Control isa managerial functionssimplertoplanning,organizing andleading.Itis a function that
ensure the businesshastomeeta minimized standardandsetsgoalsof any organization forthe
desiredachievement.
A modernconceptsof control isan overseeing actionwhereasearlierconceptof control wasused to
detectif an error hadoccur. SettingControl withinamanagementteamistherefore requiredandit
setthe meansforstandards,measuringactual performance withinthe businessinordertotake
corrective action whenrequired.
“Identifying weaknesses and errors by controlling feedback, and conforming activities to plans,
policies and instructions. Fayol's management process went further than Taylor's basic hierarchical
model by allowing command functions to operate efficiently and effectively through co-ordination
and control methods. For Fayol, the managing director overlooked a living organism that requires
liaison officers and joint committees.” (Fayol, 1916)
“Principle of efficiency of controls
The more control approaches and techniques detect and illuminate the causes of potential or
actual deviations from plans with the minimum of costs or other unsought consequences, the more
efficient these controls will be.“ (Koontz, 1964)
There isa close linkbetween planningandcontrolling.Planning foranorganisationistoestablish
theirobjectives inorderto achieve theirgoals. Controllingmeasuresanddirectsthe actual
performance versusthe establishgoalsof that organisation. Therefore, goalsandobjectives usual
referred astwinsof management structure.The managerial function of performance isto make sure
that organisationobjectivesandthe goals setoutis attainwithinthe scope of the business.

19. Page | 18
Figure 6 Control flow is Specify, Allocate/Trust, Measure, Verify and React.
Control withinWardSolutionisverymucha trust andreact type of model usedwiththe staff in
conjunctionwiththe Balance Score Cardmeasuringsystem.The general flow of the projectisset
and controlledby “Specify,Allocate/Trust,Measure,Verify and React”.
So forexample,WardSolutionssetaprojecttothe salesteamto deliveroverthe course of a year
and thisprojectisofficiallyreviewedmonthlybymanagementusingBalance Score Card.
Specify:
The goal isset forsalesteamto deliveraproduct(orsales) overa certaintime period.Here the trust
islaidout inso far as the salesteamare expectedtodeliverthe agreedproject.Thistrustisearned
because the staff employedare deemedcapable of deliveringthe project.The projectleadis
selectedandresourcesthenallocatedtoachieve the requiredresults.
Allocate/Trust:
Certainresourcesare assignedtothe project.Thiscouldinvolve one individual,teamof individuals
and/orteam of individualsfromvariousdepartments.Resourcescouldalsoinvolve,budget,extra
trainingof staff,newsoftware,more floorspace etc.Staff whoare assignedare deemedtobe
responsible andproactive,therebyensuringthatconcernsare raisedwithinthe projectteamsooner
rather thanlater.Each employee cansee the Balance Score Cardand self-evaluate.The managersor
teamleaders’doorsare alwaysopentoencourage discussionbetweenemployeeandmanagement.

20. Page | 19
Measure
Ongoingassessmentof the projecttakesplace withinthe teameitherona dailybasisorweekly.
Initiallythe meetingsare more frequentbutasthe projectbecomesmore embeddedandknownthe
meetingare lessfrequent.There are monthlymanagerial meetingswhichare setaside todiscussthe
progressof the projectand itsgrowth.These meetingsinvolveopenfloordiscussionbetweensenior
management,projectleadsandrelevantmajorcontributorstothe project.The Balance Score Cardis
usedto determine inwhichdirectionthe projectisgoing.
Verify
If the resultandanalysisfromthe monthlymeetingare withinacceptable variance thenthe project
isleftto continue asitis goinginthe right direction.There isnoneedtofurthertweakthe processas
it iswithinacceptable control.If howeverthe resultsare waybehindoraheadof the set control
standardand goinginan unexpectednegativeorpositive directionthenmaybe the goalswere set
incorrectlyorsalesteamare notdeliveringorexceedingon expectedgoals.If thishappensthenthe
Balance Score Card comesintooperationtodetermine wherethe issue is.
React
Actiondependsonthe resultof the Balance Score Card and managerial discussion.Systemic
corrective actionneedsunderstanding(projectcomplexity,projectmanagernoteffective,employee
issue etc.) andcorrection.Systemiccorrectionisactedonimmediatelyasitcouldaffectthe outcome
of the projectandaffectthe company’sreputationandprofessional reputationbothinternal and
external.Determinewhatthe issuesare andact immediately.

21. Page | 20
In general,WardSolutionsuse FeedForwardControl.Employeesknow whatneedstobe achieved
to deliveraproject.WardSolutionsunderstandtheyhave todeliverforthe customeralsotheyhave
to deliverforthe business.There isanexpectationandthere inoverall metricgoal andemployees
are presentlymeasuredmonthlybutinthe nextfew yearsthere ishope thatthere will be
continuousongoingorreal time measurement.HoweverWardSolutionsrequiretoolstomeasure
real time and these have beenidentifiedandwillbe putinplace.The expectationistohave these
toolsinplace withinthe nexttwoyears.Soat the momentitis primarilyafeedforwardcontrol loop
withanalysisandconcurrentcontrol throughoutthe projectwithactive feedbackcontrol.Figure 6
showsthe general stepsemployedbyWardSolutionstocontrol situationsandprojectswithinthe
organisation.
Figure 7 Types of Management Control

22. Page | 21
Summary
Ward Solutionsince 2015 hasmovedtheirstrategicplanintoa new model whichiscloselymodel to
a traditional concept.Theyhave putinplace some more modern planningwhichincludesabalance
score card to track performance andcompanyKpi’stoalignthe businesswithabestpractice.Asthis
isa newconceptto the business,itisinthe periodadjustingandaligningdifferentareasof the
businesstoinsure abuyin fromPats’team.The formulaisinplace to move the businesstothe next
level andaslongas the businessdonotlose sightof the goalsandcontinue alongthe bestpractice
withintheirbalance score card,theyhave a strongchance to workwithintheirbusinesstobecome a
role model forotherbusinessmanagementsystem.
Ward has previouslyusedalotof the traditional model fromauthors
1. Henri Fayol,
2. FrederickW.Taylor,
3. Max Weber,
4. Maslow’sTheory,
5. McGregor’s Theory,
6. Herzberg’sTheory,
7. McClelland’sTheory.
Theyhave beensuccessful butwithgrowthwithinthe businessandexpansionplansasthe driving
factor,Ward Solutionshas torestructure the businesstoadoptthe traditional conceptwithamixed
of modernmodel suchasthe balance score card.
Ward Solutionshasanunderstandingof traditionalmodel butfoundthatbymixingandadjusting
betweenmodernandtraditional methodsiskeytotheirsuccess.Thistakesinconsiderationto
employeesandbusinessobjectives whichsuitsPatLarkinmanagementstyle.Asthisisstill earlydays
withinWardSolutions, Patbelievesthatthere willbe more adjustmentstofollow toensure thathe
isable to completelyembedthe bestpractice forhisteamandcustomeralike.

23. Page | 22
Recommendations.
WithWard Solutionscurrentplantoexpandtothe UK market,theywill be usinga3rd
party
marketinggroupto helptheirgrowth.The planisto expandthisthroughcampaignoverthe next2
years.
As Ward isusinga 3rd
party marketingcompany,the control isnotfullyintheirhands.Asitstands
the Salesdirectorhastakingthat role as a (side role) andwiththisitwill meanthatsome of histime
isspentreviewingcontentandmarketingmaterial.Thiscancause issue ata laterstage as the focus
of the salesdirectorwithanexpandingteammayhave animpacton the material goingoutand may
alsomissout on opportunitiesorgapsinthe market.
We wouldrecommendthatasthe companygrows,theymay be worthinvestingindevelopingina
dedicatedmarketingteamtoensure theirfocusissolelyinthisareasratherthanhave a splitina
role.
AnotherrecommendationsisforWardSolutiontoinstil withthe middle managementteamto
ensure readinesstoensure thatthe balance score card is workingatit optimal capacityis rollingout
a Prince 2.
“According to industry “OGC, Best ManagementPractice”It an organisation delivered success
againsta rangeof businessrequirements.Fromprojectimplementation using Prince2 methodsit
can establish an effectiveongoing servicemanagementwithin an organisation.
Successfulprogrammescan supportthecompany to run multipleprojectand provideguidancefor
thosedealing with risks thatweavethemselvesthrough almostallbusinessoperation.“(Best-
management-practice).
“Managerswho areanxiousand confused when confronted with corporatechallengescan find that
a piece of sound advicefroma colleaguecan instil a sense of calm and clarity thatleads to more
thoughtfuland strategicbusinessdecision.In turn,offering adviceto otheris consideran important
markof a leader” (Harvard BusinessSchool2015)
Secondary research showthat "Entrepreneurialleadersmustrelentlessly—butnotrecklessly—pursue
opportunity.They mustlookbeyond theresourcescurrently controlled to harnessthe power,
resources,and reach of their organizationsand networks". (L.MApplegateand J.BHarreld 2009)

24. Page | 23
Conclusion and Minutes
We formedagroup of five people andwe dividedamongourselvesthe five core tasks
Leading,Organising,Control, PlanningandPosterdevelopment.The teammetmostlyon
Wednesdaysafterlecturesforashort time to update eachotheron the progressof our secondary
research.Initial we hadteethingproblemswithregardstogettingall membersof ourteamtogether
and thisgreatlyimpactedourteamgoal of havingourprimaryand secondaryresearchcompleted
twoweeksaheadof schedule. The Teamcame togetheronthe 7th
and8th
of March to designthe
questionnaire and reviewquestionstobe putforwardwithinthe scope of the project. The team
conductedskype call on12th
and 16th
of March 2015 to review finalquestions. We didseek further
clarificationonsome of the interviewquestionwas verylimited toaddressthe management
practice.
Lee and Brendanwasassignedasthe interviewers. Lee wastaskedwithcarryingoutthe interview
withthe nominatedmanagerhadproblemsgettingthe datesforthe sitdowninterview.After
eventually gettingthe interviewdone,the interview wascompletedon23rd
of March 2015 withPat
LarkinCEO of Ward Solutions.
We mettwice as a groupduringthe twoinclass workshopsthatwere allocatedbythe lecture togo
throughthe interviewnotes. FromthisLee scriptedplanningandorganisationandBrendanscripted
leadingandcontrolling.FrankwasassignedleadingandGaborwas sectionorganisation.Brianwas
assignedasthe posterdeveloper.
Brendanreviewedandeditthe documentforspellingandlanguage,once all membersof the team
had completedtheirassignedsections. Frankcompletedreferencereview andjournal article for
bestpractice. Brendancompletedthe formatof the documentandlayout.Lee reviewedthe format
and layout.Lee completedthe introduction, conclusionandrecommendations.Brianworkedonthe
secondary researchforbestmanagementpractice fromjournal andbookreference.The team
reviewedthe provisional document.The teammeton30th
of March to review recommendationand
was signedoff on 31st
of March 2015

25. Page | 24
References
Error! Reference source not found.
Error! Reference source not found.
Error! Reference source not found.
Error! Reference source not found.
Error! Reference source not found.
Error! Reference source not found.
All Diagram Figures – reference DBS Moodle – management powerpoint
http://elearning.dbs.ie/course/view.php?id=3392
ASSAR, R. (n.d.). Definitions, Meaning & Characteristics of Planning. Retrieved March 2015, from
http://www.publishyourarticles.net/knowledge-hub/business-studies/planning.html
Fayol, H. (1916). General and Industrial Management. Retrieved March 2015
Koontz, H. (1964). Principles of management. (3, Ed.) McGraw-Hill. Retrieved March 2015
Larkin, P. (n.d.). Ward Solutions Vision. Retrieved March 2015, from http://www.ward.ie/about-us/our-
vision-and-mission/
Patton, G. G. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2015, from http://www.generalpatton.com/quotes/
Robbins, S. P. (2005). Fundamentals of Management (5 ed.). Pearsons. Retrieved March 2015
Robbins, S. P. (2013). Fundamentals of Management. Retrieved March 2015
The Institute way. (2015). Balanced Score Card. Retrieved March 2015, from
http://balancedscorecard.org/Resources/About -the-Balanced-Scorecard
Tiernan, S. &. (2001). Modern Management (3rd Revised ed.). Gill & Macmillan Ltd;. Retrieved March
2015
Harvard Business School: Leading Innovation in Good Times and Bad.By Lynda M. Applegate and J.
Bruce Harreld - http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6186.html
Harvard Busioness School, 2015. Advice on Advice. [Online] Available
at: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/7622.html [Accessed March 2015].
Best-management-practice.com

26. Page | 25
Interview
Organizational Structure
Thisquestionnairewillbe usedtoproduce areport basedonthe organizational structure of a
business.The course is BusinessManagementCourse - B7MG018 assignmentin Dublinbusiness
school (DBS) David Wallace.
The businessthathasbeenselectedtoconductthe interview is WardSolutionswithPat Larkin
(ChiefExecutive Officer)
The timeline allocatedforthisinterviewis1hour. The interview willbe recordedinordertogather
notesthat mayhave beenmissed duringthe interview.Consentmustbe providedfromall parties
involved.
The purpose of the interviewistogatherinsightknowledgeonamodernorganizationmanagement
structure and to compare these traditional methods.Comparisonwill be made toapproachesand
theoriesfromauthors
1. Henri Fayol,
2. FrederickW.Taylor,
3. Max Weber,
4. Maslow’sTheory,
5. McGregor’sTheory,
6. Herzberg’sTheory,
7. McClelland’sTheory
DBS Managementgroupwill sendacopy of the questionnaire to PatLarkin of Ward Solutionson
the 18/03/2015 in orderto reviewandprepare before the actual interview.
The contentof questionnaire isgeneral queriesandwill NOTinvolve questionsintrade secrets,
finance orany othersensitiveinformation.Shouldanyquestionsare deemedsensitiveitwill be
markedout by Pat Larkin.
Ward Solutionwill receiveacopyof the final productas reference.

27. Page | 26
Questionnaire
Introduction 1:
1. Tell usabout yourself andyourrole inthe company?
Pat: PatLarkin chief executiveof Ward Solutionsinformation security business,roleisto
provideoverguidanceand leadership to thebusinessin terms of agreeing whatthe
objectives areand making sure thatwe mobilize and deliver and achievethoseobjectives.
2. What isyour company,whatis yourmissionstatementandwhatdo youwant to archive in
the future?
“Vision
Ward Solutionsvisionistocontinue tobe a complete information securitysolutionsand
servicesprovidertoour customersinthe Irish,NorthernIrishandGreatBritainmarkets,
optimizingourcustomers’InformationSecuritywhilstreducingtheircostsandcomplexity
for compliance.
Missionstatement
Ward Solutionsmissionistocontinue tobe the bestat what we do and tobe the largest
dedicatedcompleteInformationSecuritySolutionandServicesprovidertoourcustomersin
Ireland,NorthernIrelandandGreatBritain.
Our Values
Our businessandoursuccessisbuilt upondeliveringtothe higheststandardsandlivingby
the following4valuesas part of our core ethos:
Excellence –we will alwaysstrive forcustomerservice excellencetoexistingandprospective
customersandtechnical excellence forall of oursolutionsandservices.We willalsostrive
for internal excellence ensuringasafe andenjoyable place toworkforourstaff,whilst
maximumourefficiencyandinnovation
Integrity– we will alwaysstrive todothe rightthingfor our customers,ourstaff,our
companyand our partners.
Value – we will alwaysstrive toaddvalue toour clientsandourbusinessineverythingwe
do.
Efficiency– we will alwaysstrive todoeverythingefficiently –to specification,totime,to
budget.”
Pat: To be the largestcompleteinformation security provideron the island of Ireland.Want
to be a significantplayer overtime in UKin the samecapability and real termthe businessis
aboutincreasing a customer’sinformation security,reduction theriskand their cost of
dignitybusiness.Optimizing a customerinformation security to get the balancebetween an
approbatelevelof information security of their information assetsvsthatcustomerbusiness
objectives.
3. As a successful entrepreneurwhydidyouchoose the securityindustry?
Pat: background withmilitary defensesecurity.Worked in technology in this area,natural
skill and experiencefromthis area.Afterleaving army,there wasa boomin theinformation
technology in’97. Opportunitycomeup and with the experienceI havedevelop into
commercial offering and commercialmarket.Itis a boomarea and we justwantto continue
to explorethe opportunityin thismarket

28. Page | 27
4. How didyoustart your businessandwhatfundingwasavailable?
 Self-funding
 Bank loan
 Jointfunding
 Sponsored
Pat: Businesswasfunded through organiccash flow.No seed funding.Wentdirect into
consultant.Witha client base and good businessprocess,consulting turnsinto reasonably
good cash flow.Onceyou do the work,bill at the end of the month and paid within 30 days
as long asyou havegood workstreamsthis will fund the business.
Ward has been debtfree throughoutitlife with organicgrowth.Thechallengenow if we
wanted to growis there is a lead time to growth which could be accelerated by utilizing
funding.
Businesshasbeen funded through organiccash flow and growsthrough organiccash flow.

29. Page | 28
Planning 2:
1. Couldyoudescribe yourrelationshiptoyoursubordinates,toyourlateral teamsandto your
ownmanagers?
Pat: Executive team- PatLarkin,3functionheadsandthe relationshipismore achairingrole.
Delegatingresponsibilitytothe functionheadsandgainingconsensusof the business
objectivesandhowtoachieve andgrow areas.Thisis a leadingandchairingrole.
Act as a peerat functionlevel bytakingonthe sales,administrationandmapsto technology
and operationsfunctions.
Nextlevel ismiddle management,comprise of
 Legal and RiskDepartment
 HR Department
 SalesDepartment
 Operationsdepartment
Practicesleads
1) SecurityConsultants
2) Integrationconsultant
3) Applicationconsultant
Brendan: Whodirects the directionofthe company?
Pat:It a listening role. If you separateyourexecutivefromyourshareholding.Asshareholders,you
wantto achieveshareholdervalue asyourfundsareat play.So this is key froma business
perspectiveto realise thatshareholdervalue.Butyou haveto recognisethatpeers view froman
executivelevel yourdirect reportdown at a middle managementleveland youremployeesall have
idea to contributeto that.
Your direct reports,middlemanagementand employeesallhaveidea and contribution.We havean
overall vision butwe take inputinternally fromthe businessatall levels as to how to achieve that
vision.Overall we wantto grow the businessand with this you haveto listen to thebusiness.We also
listen externally over thelast 3 yearswe spenta lot of time baselining ourselvesand getting
independentmeasurementof howweareperforming vsourpeers.
Go to expectand consultancy organisationsin thefield to say how otherorganisationsaredoing this,
reviewing ourselvesbaseon competitiveanalysis. Overallit’s listening and researching whatis the
bestway to do thisand making thatdecision.
The dangeris you can achieve paralysewhich is you haveall theseoption and then the question is
whatshould Ido? Atsomepoint you haveto make thatdecision.With my military background,there
is a quotefromPatten;
“A goodplanviolentlyexecuted now isbetter than a perfect plan executed next week”.
The dangeris I met too many characters,peoplewithin the businessthatjustperfectly contentto
continuedown theavenueand analysiseverything butatsomepointyou need to take thatstep it’s
neverperfect. It’salways,whatisthe best instinct?We based ourdecision on whatworked in the

30. Page | 29
past,whatyourassessmentof themarket,assessmentof thecustomer,thedemand whereyou feel
profitor opportunityisand howyou achieveit.
At somepointwhile you chairing orlistening, you need to makethatdecision.The key is are you
brining people withyou?You can makethosedecision and head off on yourown,and it can get
lonely outthere on yourown becauseyou don’thavethebusinessenginebehind you then your
committed to thatdirection withoutthebusinesssupportbehind you.You need to bring the business
with you,theremainderof the partners,executive,middlemanagementand theindividual
employeesaswell asyou customers.This is all partof the consideration.Thegoalsmustbe
achievableotherwisethere no pointin doing it.
2. What type of strategyhave you beenpursuing(Michael porter).
 Cost leadership
 Differentiation
 Cost focus
Pat: Differentiation – in the sensethat,the dangerwith cost is you get communisevery quickly.In
ourcase, we wantdifferentiation,wewantto bedistantfromour competition,and wewantto be
seen asuniquein the market.You haveto deliver value outof this and recognisefor being uniqueor
distant.If you can providethis you can get reasonablereturn.
3. Do youknowthe six stagesof planning?
 Identifyingthe organization’scurrentmission,goalsandstrategies
- The firststepis to create a businesscontinuityroadmapthatidentifieswhere
youare nowand where youwantto be inthe future.A statementof an
organization’spurpose
 Doingan external analysisPEST/SWOT
- Astute companyleadersneedtoidentifyriskstocritical systems –bothIT and
business –and establishjusthow muchriskthe companyispreparedtoaccept
 Doingan internal analysisSWOT/PEST
- By cataloguingandratingthe threatsto a company'ssurvivability,the
organizationdemystifiesthem, makingthemapproachable andresolvable.
 Formulatingthe strategies
- Corporate Strategy

31. Page | 30
 Implementingstrategies
- How doyou evaluate andimplementnew strategies?
 Evaluatingresults
- How doyou evaluate results?Continuousorendof project?
What are the planningmodelswithinyourbusinessanddotheyfollow the above six
stages.Do theydiverge fromthe above andif sowhere andwhy?
Pat: We woulduse all 6 stages,the questionisif it’sformulatedintoaregicide process,doyousit
downand saytoday we’re goingtoplanthe businessandwalkthroughthese 6steps.I think
naturallypeople followthem.
In earlystage youmay missa stepwhere we didinternal analysiswe didn’trate ourselvesto
competitionbutthroughexperience andeducation,we learntthroughexternal analysiswe foundif
we thoughan offerwe thoughwasgood butthenfindthat our competitionhasabetter,fasterand
cheaperofferthenwe were able toreprise ourselves onourstrengthsandweakness.
Thisis a continuousprocesswe settimessoforexample we execute a3 yearplan.We sitdown
formally,documentthe businessplanbasedon2017 -2020 andwalkthroughthat processand what
youdo thenis continuouslyformyourprocess.
4. How didyoumanage the recessionandwhatare your plansforthe future businessof the
company?
Pat: We were guided by 2 things – IT had a recession backin 02’. We survivethat and learnt
significantlesson aboutovercommitments,running a well-executed businessforthegood times
and the bad times.From ourexperienceduring thattime meantthatwe werewell structurewith
no debt and meantwehad cash in the balancesheetforgrowth and if there wasan opportunity
in the marketplaceunlikeour competitorwe wereable to investduring the recession.
We opened ourBelfast officeduring the recession and if we relayed on funding frombanksthere
wasno way we would haveachieved this.We were also fortunatethatwhilethere wasa
recession there wasa continued growth in the information security market, so weexperience a
continued growthof 25% yearon year.

32. Page | 31
There wasa combination howwewereable to ride out therecession,competition were dying off
and the marketexpanded.Therewasa marketrequirementdueto increase risk and fraud asa
result of the recession and companiesun-investing during thistime.
With the industry moving toward theeastforinvestmentand with an increase in technology
being deployed,theincrease risk drovethe industry toward informationsecurity.Aswedidn’t
havedebt,we were ableto invest into our industry to increase growth.
5. How doyou setgoalsand developplansforteamsandindividuals?
 Real Goals
- Those goalsan organizationactuallypursuesasshownbywhatthe
organization’smembersare doing
 Traditional Goals
- Goalsset bytop managersflow downthroughthe organizationandbecome
sub-goalsforeachorganizational area
 Means End chain
- An integratednetworkof goalsinwhichhigherlevel goalsare linkedtolower-
level goals,whichserveasthe meansfortheiraccomplishment
 ManagementbyObjective.
- A processof settingmutuallyagreed-upongoalsandusingthose goalsto
evaluateemployeeperformance
Pat: We haveadopted a balancescore card and managementsystemwhich when you lay down
youroverall missions,goals,valueand objectives.You then increasingly workthrough the
processof the planning processthat’sdescribed above.
Similarly you workthrough a processof metrication of that,so if you say wewantto grow then
you gotto articulate growth“What,Where,When and how.Increasingly you gotto put that
down into specific, measurablenumbersorobjectivesthatit’seither a yes/no orby 25%, 50% or
thatfigure is 100k. This balancescore card hashelp us ashistorically the planning wasvery much
revenueand sales focus.

33. Page | 32
We would havepreviously set thetarget and executed it butdidn’tmetricized other aspectof the
business,such asemployeesatisfaction, staff retention, personaldevelopmentallthekey
element thatthe businessneedsto deliver on whateverthetop line numbersare.So this balance
score card is a much morerounded systemwhereyou getto considerall aspectof the business
notjustrevenueor profitnumber.
This can help for the like of reducing staff retention by 10%, we will employ an ENPSemployee
net promoterscoreof 85% etc.
The balancescore is adoptforourselvesit’s been around 10-12 yearsmay be a carnageormelon
framework,to describethis method it’sa rounded metrication of a business,thatyou measure,
adjust,report,refine,executed and revisewith individualview of performanceand itis
continuingly assessed and wecan set targetto achieveKPIour agendasand beableto monitor
monthly,and everyoneshould beableto know wherethatare within this system.
6. How are you developingyourbusinessandculture?
Pat: The culture is we havenowbroken outof whatwe call themumand pa stage,wehavegone
from1mil, 5mil we are heading toward 10mil. Only .004% makeit pastthe10 to 100mil barrier,
so in planning termswe areputting the structurein place to try and getpastthis threshold by the
end of ourcurrent businessplan 2015-2017.
We are on theprocessof continuousimprovementso wehavethe structureand managementin
place, wehavethe facilities, mission,values,and objectivesin place.We now need to tuneand
Tweakevery partof the businessto achieve thatgrowth.Weneed to bring everyonein the team
to the baselineat the respected levels as weneed to ensurethe readinessaswe movethe
businessinto the 100+ organisation which wewill hit on in the next18 monthsthatwe are
optimizefor thatnextscale point.
7. Do youhave any marketinginplace to developthe businessasyouhave mentionyoulike to
expandintothe UK?
Pat responseis thatuntil June2014 there wasno marketing plan.Most businesswasconducted
through thesalesteam. Asof Junea Sales director washire and with his background in
marketing,hehasbroughton a 3rd marketing group to group thebrand name.Themarketing
group conducta monthly newsletterand managesWard Solutionssocialmedia such as LinkedIn,
Twitter and Facebookaswell as TV and newspapers.They havealso includevenuemanagement
forgatheringsand interviewformagazines. They also review contentfrompartnerand share
within thesocial media links to gain an audience.They will be working on a campaign to target
the UKmarketin the next2 years

34. Page | 33
Organizing 3:
Can youplease identifywhichfunctional structures doesthe organisationtake?
1. What isthe designof the organisation?
 Formalization
- How standardizedanorganization’sjobsare andthe extenttowhichemployee
behaviorisguidedbyrulesandprocedures
 Centralization
- The degree towhichdecisionmakingtakesplace atupperlevelsof the
organization
 Decentralization
- The degree towhichlower-level managersprovide inputoractuallymake
decisions
 Mechanistic
- A bureaucraticorganization;astructure that’shighinspecialization,
formalization,andcentralization
 Organic
- A structure that’slow inspecialization,formalization,andcentralization
Pat: 2 shareholdershold two distantpartsof thebusiness.Thesales, administration and the
technology and operations.Thattranslateinto an executiveteamof 4 wherethere’s4
functionalstructure.Sales,technology,operation,finance/legal/HR and underneath that
middle managementthatfurtherbreaksthatdown moregranularpartof thebusinesslike
security consultancy, securedevelopment,secureintegration projectmanagement,HRand
finance,sales and legal and then they breakinto teams.
The challengeis pulling all thesearea into a working silo.

35. Page | 34
2. Couldyoudescribe yourorganizationlayoutfromtoptobottomand the interactionto
variousdepartments?Isit?
 Departmentalization
- How jobsare groupedtogether
 Functional Departmentalization
- Groupingactivitiesbyfunctionsperformed
 ProductDepartmentalization
- Groupingactivitiesbymajorproductareas
 CustomerDepartmentalization
- Groupingactivitiesbycustomer
 GeographicDepartmentalization
- Groupingactivitiesonthe basisof geographyorterritory
 ProcessDepartmentalization
- Groupingactivitiesonthe basisof workor customerflow
 Cross-functional Teams
- Teamsmade up of individualsfromvariousdepartmentsandthatcross
traditional departmental lines
Pat: FunctionalDepartmentalization and thiswill probably shiftto hybrid because Geographic
hasn’tbeen a factoruntilnowas it hasonly been one geography up till the pastyear.Geographic
will becomea factorin the salesteams firstand then follow into the delivery and operation
function afterjustby necessityyou wantto havesalespeople located in NI,mainland GB as well
as engineersand consultants.
Then therewill be followed by middle managementand seniormanagementso Ithinkit will
becomehybrid overtime.
As its getslargest you will see it start to break outinto productfunction asin service line as part
of the evolution.This is then becomea combination of departmentalization.
3. Has thischange over the past numberof yearsdue to the economicenvironment?
Pat: It haschangein the senseof our growth,wehaven’tchangein thesense of contraction of
the economy.Whilstwe havegrown ie. The environmentforushasbeen growth and positiveso
we havechangebased on growthand scalebutnotbased on themacro economy.

36. Page | 35
4. The are 2 typesof Organizational Structures
Traditional Organizational
 Functional Structure
- An organizational designthatgroupssimilarorrelatedoccupational specialties
together
 Divisional Structure
- An organizational structure made upof separate businessunitsordivisions
Contemporary Organizational
 Team Structure
- A structure inwhichthe entire organizationismade upof workteams
 Matrix Structure
- A structure inwhichspecialistsfromdifferentfunctionaldepartmentsare
assignedto workon projectsledbya projectmanager
 ProjectStructure
- A structure inwhichemployeescontinuouslyworkonprojects

37. Page | 36
Pat: Its hybrid again because,if you lookat the solution we deliver forsomeof ourcustomers,
employ multiple peoplefrom multiple function.Themanagementstructureforthatis typically the
PMO(projectmanagementoffice) so you need someoneata projectlevel and accountlevel
coordinating theoverallmobilisation of multiple resourcesfromdifferentdiversion fora projector
service. SO it’s a hybrid.

38. Page | 37
Leading 4:
Regardingtoyour role inthe companywhat isyour managementstyle,are youa
 The “do it the way I tell you”manager
 The “firm butfair” manager
 “People first,tasksecond”
 The “everyone hasinput”manager
 The “do it myself”manager
 The “developmental”manager- coachingor do youuse an all-inclusivemanagement
style
Pat:I’d say it’s probably,everyonehasan inputand developmentalso trying to bring,you know,one
of the limitations is of key managers,key shareholders,seniorexecutivesbecomethebottleneckyou
knowthey are instrumentalin everything thatis going on in the businessthen they are the bottle
neck.So whatweare trying to fosteris a layerof enabled managementunderneathand an enabled
initiative within the teams,so I‘d say it’s everyonehasan input and developmental.
Brendan:So if everyonehasan inputhow do you encourageeveryonewho hasan inputto speakup,
becausethey may havea good inputaswell.
Pat:We do it a coupleof ways.We havean informaldooris alwaysopen,anyonecan walkin,that’s
an articulated policy.We recognise thatsomepeopledon’twantto speakup in frontof a group
which is usually the firstlimitations. So literally anyonewith an idea can take it to their line manager
so weare not too tuckon the reporting lines.There arereporting lines therefor normaloperations
butif you havean idea orsuggestion,question ora challengeyou can takeit in this doorhere even
though therecould be two or three layers of managementbetween themand us.Weare leaving it
forthe time. So thatgivesit formforpeople to articulate it herethat they mightnot in a group,in
frontof their team or something likethat then you can play it back with appropriateconsideration as
to whetherthey wantit visible orinvisible orwhatever.
We haveforms,so there are suggestion forms,so thereis a staff briefing nextFriday we’vesolicited
forpeople who do wantto speakup,say look,if you havean idea thatis positive forthe businessso
half the formis rather than usspeakyou guysgetting up and pitching yourideas on suggestionslike,
do we need decaffeinated coffeeto why don’twechangetheserviceto do x,y and z. … allowsthe
guyswho wantto speakup to get somerecognition to speakup and we also thosewho don’twantto
do it butstill haveconcernsto
Brendan:Can they submitanonymously?
Pat:I don’tknowit’sthere, no.It’snot thatwe don’tparticularly wantit,we justhaven’tfacilitated
it.
Brendan:Iguessthat thefear forsomepeople is thatthey could be ridiculed if they havea whacky
idea.
Pat:Yeah, I mean in generalterms,I havealwayssaid it at staff meetingsmy dooris open fora
reason which is if you havean idea bring it in. Peopleget fairfeedbackwhich is, we havethought
aboutthator donethator thatis an interesting idea.

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I supposeonething thatwe kindsof do is if people haveideasand they are committed to
thoseideas then we kind of expect themto bring skin to thegame“That is a great idea,can
you develop it. Can you putit down on paper”It is easy to haveloadsof ideas,keep tossing
themout butwe haveonly so much bandwidth to getthrough and processtheideas.Where
a person really hasan idea, then they will commit it to paperand go with it. Example,two
yearsago someproposed thatweshould commoditiseoneof oursecurity awarenesstraining
offerings.
Individualwasvery committed so we said wewill give you three months,putmoney behind it
butthat meansyou need to lead it. And hedid and now we haveit in out catalogue.What
you sawthen that theenthusiasmof thatperson waswarning.So whatyou learn fromthat
is the idea needsa champion and thechampion isnormally the person who suggested it.You
enablethem butyou justdon’tsay,go develop it, typically test their enthusiasmand their
commitmentto it by saying,we’ll give you somebandwidth to bring someskin to thegame.
If an idea you really believe in then why don’tyou lead it at a technical level, why don’tyou
lead it here, why don’tyou do this thisand this and thatis an asset test to see if they have
real appetiteto deliver it. And then we turn around and say if this thing takes off,it’syour
idea we giveyou some reward for it. So wetie someobjectivebehind it, like we are selling
shedsloadsof this so theremight be someprofitshare.So I think weare really okat
incentivesfor all people acrosstheorganisation butwedon’thavean anonymoussuggestion
mechanism.So peoplehavean opportunity to bring it up through theirnormalreporting line
(line managerupwards),they can bring it to theexecutive shareholdersof theorganisation
and they also haveopportunityto bring it publicly butthey don’thaveanonymous
contribution.It’snota philosophy wejusthavenotthoughtaboutit.

40. Page | 39
1. Today managersare expectedtobe leaders,doyoufindthatinyour positionyouhave to
leadas well asmanaged?
2. How doyou keepyourorganizationmotivatedtoachieve the goalsthatare set. - Intrinsically
(self-motivated) orextrinsically(motivatedbyrewards/punishment)?
PAT:Combination of both.Wedo havedirect reward forreally critical importantobjectives.
So there is a bonusrewardsforeverybodyin theorganisation and to achievethose
objectives. We havetweaked thoseobjectivesto makethemmorereliable. In somecases we
may haveset the objectivestoo high too few people achievethen it then can becomea
demotivating factorif they are unachievableformostpeople.
So I think we haveshown willingnessto tweakthoseto a more manageablecriteria to enable
moreengineers to achieve it. The interest of the incentive are tied to thestrategic business
objectivesso the balancescore card idea works.Butif the rewardsare truly financial you are
screwed so trying to bring the organisation with you istrying to convince themof the merits
of allowing them to havesomeinputinto theformulisation of thestrategiesand objectives,
etc.
There is by in fromwhatyou are trying to achieveand when a strategy is decided on it hasto
be communicated backand you haveto continuously communicateitback,it hasto be
relevantin their termsso if we are communicating a strategy of growth (one of thebiggest
concernsfromday onewaswe are going to changethissmall comfortablefriendly company
to a much biggerorganisation and culturally it is going to change) you haveto allay the
fears,haveto listen and recognisethatwe haveto retain the best elementsof the culture
and recognisethatsome of themhaveto go,so betruthful.Also you haveto informthatif
we don’tdo this then the dangeris you arestanding still and beovertaken by competitors.So
idea is if you wantto stay and be part of the businessand weare making money then there
are opportunitiesforpromotion,bonus,pay risesand training and personaldevelopment.
If we are not making money thoseopportunitiesdo notexist.Try and haveemployeesinto
the engaged segmentof Maslow’sneedshierarchy.If they arenotatleast committed than
they are not in the correct business.Committed isacceptablebutengaged isthe desired
need.Engaged = believe in whatwe are doing are committed,seebenefitfor themselves,
peers,customersand theorganisation.Thatis wherewe wantouremployees.

41. Page | 40
e
Pat:Failures with owner/managedbusinessesisprobably wespenttoo much time working in
the businessand noton the business.So doing salesor delivery and execution etc. Not
spending enough timeworking on thebusiness,formulating thestrategy,thinking of the
biggerpicture and making surethat otherpeoplein the businessare delivering on thatand
thatis down to leadership.Oneof the failuresof owner/managesbusinessisit is very easy to
pick up the tools and forgetaboutthebusinessstrategy. When you do thatyou arenotdoing
the businessany good.So wehaveputin place a managementstructurethatallowsus time
to grown theorganisation.
3. There are 7 characteristicof a goodleader?Wouldyoube able to tell me whichonesmatch
your ownand why?Canyou give me an example?
1) Drive – leadersexhibitahigheffortlevelanddesire forachievement
2) Desire tolead – strong desire toinfluence andtake responsibility
3) Honestand integrity –buildtrustandshow highconsistencybetweenwordand
deed.
4) Self-confidence–absence of self-doubt.
5) Intelligence–leadersneedtobe intelligenttogather,synthesize andinterprettobe
able to create visions,solveproblemsandmake correctdecisions

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6) Job-relevantknowledge –leadershave highdegreeof knowledgeof companyand
industryandtechnical matters.In-depthknowledge allowsleadertomake well
informeddecisions
7) Extraversion –leadersare energeticlivelypeople,theyare sociable,assertive and
rarelysilentorwithdrawn
Pat:Drive, (ambition notto stand still) Desire to lead to drive the business.Need peopleto
deliver. Honestyand Integrityis ourcore value,natureof trust with customersiskey.
Good understanding knowledgeof business butcoreexpertsin the business.Self-Confidence
– outwardly driven by self-doubt.Notcontentwith whatthey have.Fearof failure.
Something can alwaysbeimproved – how can we consistently improveon things.Need
confidenceto drive butthere is alwaysself-doubt.Looking forcontinuousimprovement.
4. What type of leadershipstylebestsuityouandwhy?
AutocraticStyle
- A leaderwhocentralizesauthority,dictatesworkmethods,makesunilateral
decisions,andlimitsemployee participation
DemocraticStyle
- A leaderwhoinvolvesemployeesindecisionmaking,delegatesauthority,
encouragesparticipationindecidingworkmethods,andusesfeedbacktocoach
employees
Laissez-Faire Style
- A leaderwhogenerallygivesemployeescompletefreedomtomake decisions
and to complete theirworkhowevertheysee fit
Pat:Noneof the aboveare suitable.Can’tbring peoplealong with you in an Autocraticstyle.
Democratic – can’trun a businesson votes.
Best is combination of all three. Someoneatsomepointhasto makea decision.
Review theprocessflow and find solutions.
5. How doyou delegate responsibilitywithinthe team?Whodoyouchoose?Thenhow do you
monitoror followup?

43. Page | 42
Pat:If you defineclear functionalareasthen delegation becomesobvious.So we delegateto
relevantdepartmentand themanagerdelegateswithin theteam. Difficulty arises when the
decisionsare cross functional.Decision is madeon ability and existing workload.Monitoring
is score based cards.Movetheobjectup or down thepriority list.
6. How doyou encourage youremployeestoparticipate incommunityteamworkand/or
social projects?
7. In yourexperience,asanentrepreneur,whatisthe keytodevelopingandretainingagood
team?
(Pleasesharewith me an exampleof how you helped coach and mentorsomeone.What
improvementdid you see in the person’sknowledgeorskills?)
Pat:Select good peoplein thefirst place. Got to havea career path for themand also
interesting work.If you hire a person who wantsto betechnical forthe rest of their life then
they haveto see progression,so you haveto follow the righttrends in the marketand ensure
thatthe person is current withskill set and providetraining and crossskilling training.
Recognition if we retain people for3 to 4 years is abovenormand if peopleleave then
opportunityfornewpeopleto come in with new ideaswhich furtherbooststhecompany.
If person leave on a positive noteto a customerthen thatcan be seen asa win situation for
bothcompanies.

44. Page | 43
Controlling 5:
1. As a manageryouhave to have control of the organization,how doyouimplementyour
control process
PAT:Controlis a trustmeasureof verifying and then react kind of model.So we haveset the
standard forthesale side and wegive that to sales team,then at end of the month wehave
formatreviewof situation.So arewe there or within acceptablevariancethen we leaveit
continueif it is going in the right direction.If weare way behind and notgoing in the right
direction then maybewedidn’tset the bar high enough.
Specify Allocate MeasureVerify and React.
2. How doesthisaffectthe organizationandtothe managementteam.
a. Wouldyouhave directcontrol overyour lowerlevel workforce orwithyour
managementteam?
Pat:Delegate, atend of monthreview.Discuss and beawareof theexceptions.
With continuousexceptionseitheroveror under – understand why.
3. Whendo youset inmotiongoal planningorWhenDoesControl Take Place?
a. FeedforwardControl
i. Control that takesplace before awork activityisdone
b. ConcurrentControl
i. Control that takesplace while aworkactivityisinprogress
c. FeedbackControl
i. Control that takesplace aftera workactivityisdone.

45. Page | 44
Pat:Feed forward control,peopleknow whatneedsto beachieved.Measuremonthly butin
the nextfewyearshopeto be continuousongoing.
4. Personal Reviews –goalssettingandevaluationafteracertaintime period.
5. What ManagementActionCanBe Taken?Anyexamples?
a. Immediate Corrective Action
b. Corrective actionthataddressesproblemsatonce to getperformance backon track
c. Basic Corrective Action
d. Corrective actionthatlooksat how and whyperformance deviatedbefore correcting
the source of deviation
PAT:All of the above.Immediateaction depending on issueathand.
Systemiccorrective action (underestimatingprojectcomplexity,no projectmanager etc.).
Dependson impactto business.
6. What type of measuresdoyou have inplace to determine actionrequiredbythe
managementoremployees?
Four commonsourcesof informationfrequentlyusedtomeasure actual performance are
a. Personal observation –walkingaround,chitchat etc.
b. statistical reports –job measuring,Goal reviewsandsetting(PRM)
c. oral reports – meetings,weekly,monthly,annually
d. writtenreportsfrommanagersandsupervisor
Pat:Focused on a b c. Statistical reporting frombalancescorecard.Oral reporting to put
moreinformation on thebalancescore card. Reportsforsomething like an issue thatis nota
oneoff.
7. How doyou manage personnel performance reviews?
a. Jobmeasuring,Goal reviewsandsetting(PRM).
b. Doesyour managersor teamleadersperformjobandgoal reviews?
Pat:Balance ScoreCard is granularto everybody in the business.Thisis the first yearthat
this hasbe applied acrossthe business.Personaldevelopmentplans.Appropriatelayerin
businessperformthereview and review it monthly reviews.Also employeecan see Balance
Score Card and self-evaluate.
8. How doesyourline manager’smeasure setgoalsfortheirteamsagainstgoalssetbythe
businessrequirements?
Pat:Using Balance ScoreCard.

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Closing question:
1. What advice wouldyougive anyone whoisthinkingof startingtheirownbusiness?
Pat:Go for it. Do research,buttake thechance.Dangeris you could talk yourself outof
starting yourown business.I.E.marketis saturated,you will find 100s of ideaswhy
something will notworkso you need to balanceresearch againstidea.QuotePatton.If the
datasaysthatthere is an opportunity thereand itbackupsyourresearch then go out and do
it.
2. If you couldchange somethingoverall these yearsinbusinesswhatwouldyouchange or
wouldyouchange anythingall?
Pat:Much more aggressiveatearly stages,working in the businessinstead of on the
business. Probably lostmany yearson this.Build team and step backand run thebusiness,
probably would havehalved thetime thatit tookus to get wherewe are today.