Dow Chemicals: Describe the decision making styles of the CEO.

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Mr. William Stavropoulos is the President and CEO of Dow Chemical

Corporation. Dow is the fifth largest chemical company in the world, with annual sales of more than $20 billion. You may or may not recognize the name Dow but you are certain to recognize some its well-known products such as Saran Wrap, Ziplock plastic bags, Spray 'n Wash Stain Stick and Glass Plus Multi-surface Cleaner. Mr. Stavropoulos

started his career with Dow in 1967 when he was hired as a research chemist. He became

director of marketing for the Dow U.S.A. Plastics Department in 1979, commercial vice-

president for Dow Latin America in 1980 and became president and CEO of Dow

Chemical Corporation in 1993. Over the years, Mr. Stavropoulos has been a vital part of

bringing Dow into the homes of consumers.

In 1999, Dow Chemical Corporation began to take a critical look at their business lines.

In order to achieve their goals of being the most productive, best value growth chemical company in the world, Mr. Stavropoulos saw the need to restructure Dow. Not only the product lines and what the company focus was to be but he also knew he needed to change the culture within the company to accept the needed changes. He did so by using the autocratic decision making style and gradually flowing into collective style throughout the restructuring process. He wanted the company to become more competitive, have more consistent earnings and to start investing in the long-term.

Mr. Stavropoulos took control of the restructuring process and made many important decisions by using the autocratic style of decision making. In order to become more competitive, they needed to set standards for each of the companies. After setting standards, they needed to increase productivity, which meant weeding out the companies that were...