Robin Hood case analysis

1. Case: Robin Hood
Ayushi Agrawal (2012IPM024)
Pankhuri Soni (2012PM074)
HRM@nia

2. Summary
• Robin Hood’s revolt against the Sheriff began as a
personal crusade. First year of revolt; built a large
body of men with grievances, made a disciplined
fighting force housed in Sherwood forest. Fame
spread as the band grew; discipline slackened and
food was scarce. Revenues were running short as
the rich were avoiding the forest.
• MISSION: “Rob from the rich and give it to the
poor.”
• OBJECTIVE: “To overthrow the rule of the Sheriff
and bring King Richard back to power.”

3. The Organizational Structure
Robin Hood
Will Scarlet Little John Scarlock Much,
the Miller’s Son
Intelligence
and scouting
Discipline
and archery
Finances Food Supplies

4. Organizational Roles
Robin Hood Supreme Decision Making
Authority
Will Scarlet:
Shadow the Sheriff and
his men, also collected
information on the
travel plans of rich
merchants and abbots
Little John:
Disciplinarian, In charge of
the men’s archery training
Scarlock:
Took care of the finances,
Converting loot into cash.
Much:
Provisioning the ever
increasing band of
Merry men

5. SWOT ANALYSIS
•Rich travelers taking
alternate routes
•Sheriff’s forces becoming
stronger and organized
•Large numbers- Easier for
Sheriff’s attack
•Possibility of infiltration by
spies due to large numbers
•Fixed transit tax
•Expansion of operational
area
•Kill the Sheriff
•Immediate downsizing of
the manpower
•Training to grow food
•Join hands with Barons
•Increasing size of the band
(Food and supply
depleting)
•Sheriff and Prince John
together were powerful
•Revenues declining
•Lack of Discipline
•Manpower
•Scalar Chain: well defined
Authority
•Division of Work
•Strong leader in Robin
•Highly skilled in archery
•Strong team of managers
•Support from villagers
Strengths Weakness
ThreatsOpportunities

6. The problems
1. Align the personal goals of the merry men with
the goals of the organisation and design a strategy
to attain the goal of bringing back King Richard
2. Necessary preparations had not been made to
accommodate the now over abundant members
of the organization. Discipline was an issue.
3. Declining revenues weren’t able to fulfil the
needs of the organisation.

7. Alternatives available
1. Bring back King Richard: Join hands with the
barons vs. Killing the Sheriff
2. Abundance of members: Proper structuring
of the band vs. proper recruitment strategy
3. Increase revenues: Transit tax vs. Expansion
of territory.

8. Analyzing
Alternatives

9. 1. Bring back King Richard
A. Join hands with the barons:
Several barons had set out to collect ransom that would
release King Richard from his jail in Austria. Robin had
been discreetly asked to join in return of future amnesty.
The various pros and cons are:
Pros:
• Sheriff will be overthrown and his threat will be minimal
• It would provide Robin Hood with amnesty and a resolution
to the campaign against the Sheriff.
• King Richard will be able to answer to the peasant’s needs
and concerns
Cons:
• The Barons or King Richard himself might not live up to their
words
• If the plan proves unsuccessful, King John will unleash his
vicious and volatile side to ensure Robin Hood’s demise
AnalyzingAlternatives

10. B. Killing the Sheriff:
The sheriff had the support of Prince John.
Chances of capturing or killing him were remote.
However, if not killed, it was unlikely that he
would be removed from the office as he had
powerful friends at court. Killing him has the
following pros and cons:
Pros:
• Satisfy personal thirst for revenge
Cons:
• Would not lead to accomplishment of the
ultimate goal.
AnalyzingAlternatives

11. AnalyzingAlternatives
A. Proper structuring of the band
In order to meet the decreasing level of discipline and
vigilance Robin hood needs to put their recruitment
process in order. A better way to do this is
by recruiting supervisors and laying down HR policies
for recruitment.
Pros:
• Ease of disciplining the huge band of merry men
• Increased vigilance
Cons:
• Might lead to delay in the decision making process
2. Abundance of members:

12. 2. Abundance of members:
B. Proper recruitment strategy
There could no longer be an open door to any
and all who wish to join.
Pros:
• Skilled human force
• Reduction in training costs and usage of various
resources.
Cons:
• Might lead to decrease in force
• Might take up too much time.
• Main objective might take a backseat.
AnalyzingAlternatives

13. 3. Increase Revenues:
A. Transit tax:
Pros:
• Funds would increase in the financial structure
of the organisation.
Cons:
• Idea resisted by his lieutenants.
• Against their motto- “ Rob from the rich and give
to the poor.”
• May lose the support of the poor and
townspeople who were a source of information.
AnalyzingAlternatives

14. B. Expansion of territory:
Pros:
• The group has outgrown the Sherwood Forest.
It can no longer provide sanctuary for group of
their size. Expansion would lead to new
sources of revenue.
Cons:
• It will dilute Robin’s control and supervision
over the group.
• The group will come into the notice of the
sheriff and Prince John.
AnalyzingAlternatives

15. Recommendations

16. 1. Policy Revisions:
• The band’s mission should be clearly stated. Was the
band initially created to fight against the sheriff’s
administration or to help the poor by stealing from
the rich? Or are these two points interconnected?
2. Franchising the organization to other
parts of England
• This would address most of the issues faced by
Robin's organization.
• They could continue to grow in size and increase
revenues without depleting the resources of
Sherwood Forest.
• If each of the new bands were smaller in size, the
training could be more intense and discipline could
be implemented again within the ranks of the
organization.
Recommendations

17. 3. A program needs to be implemented for
member acceptance
• This will help control the growth of the organization,
ensure only people who have skills to offer will be
accepted, and protect the organization from being
infiltrated by Prince John's spies.
4. Killing the sheriff does not earn King
Richard's release from his prison in
Austria
• We can only assume that Prince John will appoint a new
sheriff with equal power and similar agenda as that of his
predecessor.
• To kill the sheriff would only shift focus away from
solving the current issues facing the organization.
Recommendations

18. 5. Restructuring the Organization:
• Currently the organisation is not organised
according to the size they’re dealing with. He is
assisted by four people for the functions and is
certainly under employed.
• It is evident that managing such a huge
organisation is getting difficult for him and there
may be certain functions that are neglected due to
less supervisors and managers.
• Robin Hood needs to change the organisational
structure. This will result in decentralisation of the
control to some extent.
Recommendations

19. New Organizational Structure
Level 3
Level 2
Level 1
Vigilance
Supervisor
Training
Supervisor
CashierRecruitment
Supervisor
Shelter
Supervisor
Food
Supervisor

20. 6. He should bond and increase his
relationship with the farmers
7. He should try to get people from prince’s
court on his payroll, acting as spies
8. There could be a reference system where
a current member in good standing
recommends the applicant.
Recommendations