Case Study 2: The Role of Vision at Mentor Graphics
Leading Change BUSI 335
1. How would you describe the way vision was used at Mentor Graphics?
For a business or organization to succeed, it is imperative it has a clear and concise vision. Since
the founding of Mentor Graphics in 1981 to the early 1990s, Mentor Graphics changed it vision
multiple times until it finally was able to develop a vision that was congruent with the
fundamental business goals and objective of the company to better enable the company to make
more effective decisions.
The vision “Build Something That People Will Buy” sounds more like a guide for a product
search. “Beat Daisy” vision is more motivational (much like a cheer at a high school ball game)
focusing on increasing revenue at any cost to beat the competitor Daisy Systems. The "Six
Boxes" idea that Langeler had was a motto for the company's top position in the market. “10 X
Imperative” was too abstract and elusive and customers did not understand it. “Changing the
Way, the World Designs together” had nothing to do with the business at all.
Unclear statements fail to provide a clear description of the organization's activities or the
demographic it serves (Palmer et al., 2022 p. 178). The visions had a lack of specificity and were
employed mostly as a means of guidance or inspiration, rather than being directly relevant to the
core services offered by Mentor Graphics.
2. Did it strengthen or weaken the company? How? And Why?
Throughout the decade, the company's strength and vulnerability fluctuated in response to the
shifting vision. Mentor Graphics beginning vision weakened the business by not clearly
providing purpose or direction and with the lack of communication the company spent countless
hours interviewing and researching for a product that would sell, which lead to the competitor
Daisy Systems outperforming Mentor Graphics. The company next vision “Beat Daisy” was a
little more successful increasing revenue but still yet did not strengthen the company did not
grow and the products declined in quality. The vagueness and ambiguity of the corporate cycle
of irrelevant visions weakened the company, until it finally realized that the visions were
detracting from what the company wanted to achieve leading to final vision “Our current short-,
medium-, and long-term vision is to build things people will buy” reflecting the original vision
(Palmer et al., 2022 p. 203).
3. Of the reasons discussed in this chapter concerning why visions fail, which are applicable
to Mentor Graphics?
According to our textbook there are many reasons that visions fail, it could be the vision is too
complex or vague, it may not be relevant to the business or unrealistic (Palmer et al., 2022 p.
192). Mentor Graphics had difficulty establishing a productive vision, their many visions were
too vague, irrelevant, blurred, inadequate and lacking in clear communication. Vision is a shared
mental picture of a better future, complete with justifications for why people should cooperate to
make that future a reality. (Slintak & Dvorsky, 2019 p. 19).
4. What is your assessment of the vision content and the process through which it was
introduced in the Mentor Graphics context? What lessons emerge from your assessment?
According To Boal and Hoojiberg effective visions are to have two attributes: cognitive to
articulate the anticipated results and delineate the strategies that will be employed to get them
and affective that appeal to values and beliefs serves as a foundation for the motivation and
commitment necessary for successful implementation (Palmer et al., 2022 p. 184). Mentor
Graphics visions were abstract and not articulated in clear manner, lacking communication and
context creating ambiguous visions that left the employees and customers asking questions. The
visions were not relevant to the company or its customers. An effective vision should be
explained in no more than five minutes. It should also identify the company’s identity and
direction the company is going while giving a snapshot of the company's future. The vision must
be relevant, and purpose driven, challenging but also based on values while remaining focused
and flexible (Palmer et al., 2022 p. 184). If the vision is not well conveyed, there is a low
likelihood that it will be successfully implemented, and it will not have the effect on the
organization that its executives are seeking (Haque et al., 2016 p. 986).
5. Based on what happened at Mentor Graphics, what are the implications for the three
debates discussed in this chapter: whether a vision drives change or emerges during
change; whether vision helps or hinders change; and whether vision is an attribute of
heroic leaders or heroic organizations?
According to our text vision can either drive change or the vision can emerge during changes in a
company (Palmer et al., 2022 p. 195). Mentor graphics was unable to articulate a clear vision
and each new modification to its vision always emerged during the company’s changes.
Vision can either help or hinder change, in the case of Mentor Graphics there are mixed results,
to Build Something was search for the right product that they found but it cost them time and
money which led to the Beat Daisy. Beat Daisy led to the increase in revenue but at the cost of
product quality, and coordination problems inside the company.
The notion that visions is a quality associated with heroic leaders is not one that Mentor Graphics
really endorses. Langeler did not create a vision of the future that was distinct, engaging, or
challenging to achieve for the company.
6. Of the six change images outlined in 6.1, which images of visions can be applied to this
case study? What lessons emerge from this?
Mentor Graphics leadership I believe is defined by caretaker, each time a vision changed it was
allowing outside forces dictate the changes. From the first vision – “Build Something That
People Will Buy” was research led to the product created. “Beat Daisy”, was because Daisy
Systems outcompeted Mentor Graphics and there was need to survive. “10X Imperative”
reflected the effort that other businesses were putting forth toward quality with six-sigma and
other products that were very similar.
King Solomon knew he lacked wisdom to lead and judge over God’s people so asked God to
give him understanding of the heart to distinguish the difference between good and bad (1 Kings
3:9, KJV 2023). As leaders we should seek God’s and ask for wisdom so that we may
effectively lead. A crucial ability for leaders to possess is the ability to articulate a shared
vision for their organization. It is possible for a straightforward and audacious inspirational
vision to feel almost magical in its effects: it unites individuals from all levels of the organization
in the pursuit of a common objective and serves as a focal point for the development of tactics to
reach a better future (Palmer et al., 2022 p. 183).
References:
Haque, M., TitiAmayah, A., & Liu, L. (2016). The role of vision in organizational readiness for
change and growth.Leadership & Organization Development Journal,37(7), 983-
999.Hhttps://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-01-2015-0003
King James Bible. (2023). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/
(Original work published 1769)
Palmer, I., Dunford, R. W., & Buchanan, D. A. (2022).HManaging organizational change, a
multiple perspectives approach. McGraw Hill, (14).
https://prod.reader-ui.prod.mheducation.com/epub/sn_3fab/data-uuid-
e5f024760d854318b85e8d99324a97a0#data-uuid-
7ba4bfaed703478dbdecbe131b45270f Links to an external site.
Slintak, K., & Dvorsky, J. (2019). The Purpose of Firms and its Influence on Formulating Their
Missions and Visions.Montenegrin Journal of Economics,15(2), 15-29.
https://doi.org/10.14254/1800-5845/2019.15-2.2
