Sample Solution

Marimekko is now in a place of wide-spread success after their downfall during Finland’s recession. Paakkanen reworked this company from the ground up and now finds herself at the head of a successful company. The company has created value through their attention to detail along with ability to recognize incremental opportunities. For example, “Paakkanen boosted the role of the individual designers by giving them profit responsibility on their designs, […] emphasizing the profitability of their designs” (Mitchell 5). Clear roles and value is created when a unit connects practices, processes, and systems with growth objectives. She has done trainings with the designers in the past, maintaining her control over her workers and the company. Marimekko exhibits qualities of a control quadrant company since they have clear roles, they work in a timely fashion, and they have one head manager, Paakkanen (CVA 11). Paakkanen runs the company with the mentality of a red quadrant since she is the coordinator the fabric companies Marimekko works with, she monitors the entire company, and she is the organizer among the designers. Everyone in the company is a diligent worker, since Paakkanen made it clear, “[…] there was one condition: the designs had to be profitable” (Mitchell 6). This gave the designers a sense of accountability, which pushed them to have a best-in-class focus. Also, the company has regained their consistency of brand image under Paakkanen’s management style. The company is always improving upon their innovation of designs or the products they produce. Paakkanen also utilizes systems and stable project management, “In managing designers, we have to make the controls to ensure that they are well briefed