Question

Review the discussions below and reply your thoughts on each discussion:

Discussion 1

I believe there are many reasons why the knowledge-doing gap has become so common within organizations.

For one, I feel that many are faced with obstacles that require some thinking outside the box. Sometimes, you may have to take some steps outside the normal regimen to figure new approaches to solving a problem, and some can be either uncomfortable with this approach or simply unaware of where and how to start. How the organization is structured plays a major role in this gap. If there are no "think-tanks" or time/place is not allotted for employees to interact among one another (i.e. comfortable break rooms, adequate downtime for meetings, etc.) it can be quite difficult for individuals to put their skills and ideas to good use. I feel that people must relay thoughts and ideas among one another to build upon certain strategies, or even come up with new approaches to tackle an issue all-together, as they say, two minds are better than one. The way training is set-up in the organization is also a major factor.

Obviously, individuals share the same problem. I liked Covey's idea of Independent-will and thought implementing this into your everyday life can definitely make you more effective in professional and personal aspects. " It is the ability to act, rather than be acted upon..", (Covey, p.156). You must have the power to try something that may be obscure to you at first, and while it may be uncomfortable or demeaning to your intelligence if you fail, you must keep in mind that you will learn through this experience. Having managers who support those who are able to attempt the complex issues with their best effort and will, are those who will see the best out of their employees.

Discussion:2

The company has numerous strengths that help to maintain and reinforce its position in the marketplace. I have analyzed the opportunities for the company last week, and this week I will be treating the strengths.

High performance in new markets: Vitamin Shoppe has built different strategies, which have helped the company succeed every time it entered a new market. Every single expansion that the company made have generated new revenues. A good example of those strategies is when the company decided to ship from its new coast distribution center in Arizona to China. By doing so, Vitamin Shoppe becomes one of the quickest suppliers of vitamins, minerals, and supplements from the United States to China.

Strong dealer community: it helps build a culture between the distributor and dealers. Through this strategy, dealers help promotes the company’s product and also through the right training it helps increase the sales. The training will help give the customers receive the maximum benefits from the product and the company will increase the sales and reinforce the loyalty relationship with the customer.

Strong Free Cash Flow: it is well known that Vitamin Shoppe has strong free cash flow, which could be very beneficial when it comes to expand or invest in new products.

Successful track record: Vitamin Shoppe have been using technology as the best tool to keep track of materials and supplements based on the demand of the market. This track record also helped build a reliable supply chain.

Respond immediately based on the demand and of the market conditions. Vitamin Shoppe has been able to create products based on the demand of its customers. People from other countries have been requesting the company’s products and for this reason, Vitamin Shoppe opened two additional franchise outlets in Panama and Guatemala in order to satisfy the new market demand. This is a good strategy that will help the company expand and increase the sales

Answer 1

Decision making is quite challenging task. People fail to take a sound decision due to lack of competence , knowledge gap or judgemental shortcuts. A good decision maker must have out of box thinking as well as strategic approach to take right decision even in odd or complex problem .

A person should develop his own style or perspective to take appropriate decision in the walk of life. Even , one can develop his innermost perspective by taking consideration of some great books like stephen covey, jeffery archer , W T Washington , Abraham Lincoln etc.