WGUD081 – VERSION 5/QBM3 TASK 1:
INNOVATIVE AND STRATEGIC THINKING
WGU D081 – VERSION 5 / QBM3 – TASK 1
TASK 1 SUBMISSION
A1. Organizational Factors Affecting Decision-Making
1. Company Culture
, The fishing boat manufacturer’s culture is centered on innovation, continuous learning, customer focus,
and environmental sustainability. These values are embedded in the founders’ guiding principles and
reinforced in the company’s mission statement.
This culture directly affects decision-making by encouraging employees to explore new ideas, collaborate
with customers, and prioritize environmentally responsible choices. For example, the company’s decision to
invite fishers from India to test foldable boat prototypes demonstrates how its innovative and customer-
focused culture drives product development. The willingness to use customer input as a foundation for
design improvements reinforces the company’s commitment to learning and sustainability.
2. Organizational Structure
The company operates within a decentralized organizational structure, where decision-making authority is
distributed across all employees rather than concentrated with senior leadership. Employees have
unrestricted access to the founders, and decisions with company-wide impact require collective discussion
and voting.
This structure fosters creativity and inclusiveness, but it can also slow down the decision-making process.
Because most decisions require discussion, input, and consensus, the company may face delays in
responding to changes in market conditions or emerging opportunities. This could cause the organization to
lag behind competitors or miss optimal timing for entering new markets such as India.
3. Mission and Vision Statements
The company’s mission and vision statements emphasize customer-driven innovation, sustainable
operations, and growth through continuous improvement. These statements guide the strategic direction
by ensuring that decisions align with long-term priorities: designing eco-friendly boats, integrating customer
feedback, and exploring new markets.
Because the mission and vision are well-aligned, they do not conflict with one another and therefore provide
clear guidance. This allows the company to confidently pursue goals such as exploring environmentally
friendly waterproofing materials, developing new boat designs, and expanding into emerging international
markets like India.
A2. Competing Values Framework (CVF)
The Competing Values Framework categorizes organizational cultures into four quadrants: Create,
Collaborate, Control, and Compete.
The fishing boat manufacturer most closely aligns with the Create culture, which emphasizes innovation,
flexibility, risk-taking, and creativity. Evidence includes:
INNOVATIVE AND STRATEGIC THINKING
WGU D081 – VERSION 5 / QBM3 – TASK 1
TASK 1 SUBMISSION
A1. Organizational Factors Affecting Decision-Making
1. Company Culture
, The fishing boat manufacturer’s culture is centered on innovation, continuous learning, customer focus,
and environmental sustainability. These values are embedded in the founders’ guiding principles and
reinforced in the company’s mission statement.
This culture directly affects decision-making by encouraging employees to explore new ideas, collaborate
with customers, and prioritize environmentally responsible choices. For example, the company’s decision to
invite fishers from India to test foldable boat prototypes demonstrates how its innovative and customer-
focused culture drives product development. The willingness to use customer input as a foundation for
design improvements reinforces the company’s commitment to learning and sustainability.
2. Organizational Structure
The company operates within a decentralized organizational structure, where decision-making authority is
distributed across all employees rather than concentrated with senior leadership. Employees have
unrestricted access to the founders, and decisions with company-wide impact require collective discussion
and voting.
This structure fosters creativity and inclusiveness, but it can also slow down the decision-making process.
Because most decisions require discussion, input, and consensus, the company may face delays in
responding to changes in market conditions or emerging opportunities. This could cause the organization to
lag behind competitors or miss optimal timing for entering new markets such as India.
3. Mission and Vision Statements
The company’s mission and vision statements emphasize customer-driven innovation, sustainable
operations, and growth through continuous improvement. These statements guide the strategic direction
by ensuring that decisions align with long-term priorities: designing eco-friendly boats, integrating customer
feedback, and exploring new markets.
Because the mission and vision are well-aligned, they do not conflict with one another and therefore provide
clear guidance. This allows the company to confidently pursue goals such as exploring environmentally
friendly waterproofing materials, developing new boat designs, and expanding into emerging international
markets like India.
A2. Competing Values Framework (CVF)
The Competing Values Framework categorizes organizational cultures into four quadrants: Create,
Collaborate, Control, and Compete.
The fishing boat manufacturer most closely aligns with the Create culture, which emphasizes innovation,
flexibility, risk-taking, and creativity. Evidence includes:
