Soldier Field The Chicago Bears Chicago, Illinois

Case Description

Soldier Field was constructed in Chicago with funds raised from donations during the 1920s to honor returning soldiers from World War I. Since its completion, it has been operated by the Chicago Parks Department. Many of the employees at the Field obtained their jobs through patronage (i.e., political appointments made as a reward for participation in efforts to elect candidates for political offices), and major decisions affecting the Field are made by city officials who also obtained their positions through patronage. Consequently, hiring is sometimes based on criteria other than technical competence.

For many years, the quality of the turf was less than satisfactory. As the number of events held at the Field increased in order to generate more revenue for the City, turf quality decreased even more. Finally, in 1990, the decision was made to address this problem by reconstructing the playing field.

In early August, just two weeks before the first scheduled Chicago Bears football game, the new sod was still laying atop the sand with essentially no roots. In desperation, the parks commissioner called Dr. Jim Watson of the Toro Company for advice. Dr. Watson's recommendation was implemented immediately. Additional workers were brought in from other divisions within the Parks Department and, under the watchful eyes of concerned city officials, the installation was performed with remarkable efficiency. At the first and succeeding games during the 1991 season, the field held up well and, for all practical purposes, the crisis was over.

In the spring of 1992, the Field manager attempted to implement the remaining recommendation received from Dr. Watson. The climate had changed, however, and the focus of city officials was elsewhere. When pressed, they simply responded that, since the playing field had held up well in 1991, it ought to do just as well (or, perhaps, even better) in 1992. Besides, there were other problems that demanded their attention and resources were too limited to be used for something that wasn't critical.

By early 1993, the decline in turf quality was becoming evident to those regularly involved in its maintenance.

Assignment:

One group will be assigned the responsibility for making a presentation containing the following elements:

A brief synopsis of the case description
A detailed analysis of the facts presented in the case description
A list of the issues emerging from the analysis
A broadly stated strategy for addressing the issues
A detailed action plan for implementing this strategy
This group should also prepare a report using the format that follows and submit hard copies along with appropriate attachments to on the date shown in the course schedule.

Download *Format* for Preparing Your Case Report