Building Competencies and Capabilities
AXON’s competencies are mostly adequate to achieve its goal of international expansion. All of the products that the company makes are used around the world in police and security work, and significant adjustments are unlikely to be necessary. Some expansion of its production capabilities to match the increased need will be necessary, but AXON can likely reach this goal without a substantial investment. However, it will have to establish a presence in those other nations and establish partnerships with various organizations. To that end, the company needs to improve its international presence and make whatever adaptations are necessary to match local needs. Once AXON acquires these capabilities, it should be able to implement the first aspect of its strategy excellently. However, these abilities are not enough to reach the entirety of the goal described in the previous section.
AXON’s current competencies and capabilities are not adequate for it to reach its second objective. Its strategy involves moving into new markets, which already have established and well-known competitors, and achieving parity or an advantage there. The company will be a new entrant with little experience in the field, though it will have an advantage due to its current established reputation in the field of security. Currently, AXON does not have competitive products in its new fields. In the future, it will have to develop additional design and manufacturing resources to bring its products up to a competitive level. Regardless, success is not guaranteed, and the second aspect of the venture is risky when compared to the first. To succeed in its endeavor, AXON will have to ensure that its new resources are of excellent quality.
Staffing the Organization
The company’s top management appears to be proficient in a diverse array of skills and adequate to the task of further expansion. Its CEO has led AXON since its foundation in 1993, its president is a former Marine with numerous accolades, and the other leading staff also have extensive experience in their fields (“Our Leadership”). No deficiencies are apparent from a cursory inspection, and identification of any underlying issues would be beyond the scope of this paper due to the analysis depth required. No additional top management hiring will be necessary to realize AXON’s business strategy, though some of the departments will have to be expanded substantially. As such, the management of the staff at the other organizational levels warrants a separate discussion, both in terms of new hires and the retention of current workers.
The success of AXON’s current product lines indicates that the company likely does not have severe issues with employee attrition. With that said, the effects of such a phenomenon would likely be delayed because the business has well-established products and public relationships. As it is challenging to access detailed and accurate information on the company’s hires and departures, its management will have to address the issue internally if it is present. Concerning new workers, the company will have to hire staff for its new products and international sales. For the first task, it will need a diverse array of specialized engineers, designers, production workers, programmers, and other workers. For the second, it will likely have to create foreign branches and staff them fully with managers, sales workers, accountants, marketing analysts, as well as other critical roles.
Work Cited
“Our Leadership.” AXON.