Fuller E Callaway Company, Essay Example

Introduction

The Fuller E Callaway Foundation was founded in December by the late Fuller E. Callaway as a relief association and got its charter from the Superior Court of Troup County, Georgia in 1917 (Henry, 1979). Fuller E. Callaway served as the president until 1928 February when he passed away. During his time as the president, Callaway engaged in various charitable works for the association. Callaway and his family members constantly contributed to the foundation to enhance its performance. Upon his demise, Callaway requested that the members of his family who remained behind operate the association.

The primary objective of the Relief association was to ensure that the lives of people working at the mills were made better. During the leadership of Fuller Callaway, he ensured that he offered them in perfect working conditions. For instance, he erected goo and comfortable housing, set up schools, hospitals, and playgrounds. Whitley (1989) observes that the Mill further hired nurses and set up medical clinics to help cater for the health conditions of the workforce. In addition, he set up a system where the workers could even purchase the cows and make weekly payments at interest-free rates. He also ensured that individuals that had funerals got money for their expenses.

Some people referred to Callaway’s style of leadership as Philanthropist, though he preferred being referred to as a business man. His attempt to offer to give top wages to the workers and ensuring that the workman was happy and contented yielded manifold results (Friedman, 2014). The main mandate of Callaway Foundation is to support charitable, educational, and religious efforts for non-profits organizations.

Nine decades down the line, the Fuller E Callaway Foundation d made significant contributions in regards to charitable, religious, and education purposes worth over $45.6 million (Lomotey, 2013). A good part of this amount has been used on the projects around LaGrange. The main focus of the foundation at the moment stands out to be the operation of the Calaway home and garden, the hills and the Dales estate to help in the education of the interested public. The foundation equally funds three major scholarship programs. The programs are namely the George E. Sims, Jr., the Hatton Lovejoy Scholarship Plan, West Georgia Health System, and the Hatton Lovejoy Graduate Studies Fund Program.

The Callaway Foundation commenced with contributions that totaled to less than $1.5 million. The foundation has raised contributions for religious, charitable, and educational purposes such as hospitals, schools, colleges, churches, recreation, and libraries among others. The total worth of this came to $328,264,766. The company’s assets were equally valued at $186,517,310. Considering the above chronological history and performance of the Fuller E Callaway Foundation, it is evident that the organization’s leadership is effective and uses the best approaches in ensuring that the goals are met (Lomotey, 2013). The company’s public relations is equally good, and ensure that is reputation among its publics is good.

How the company is considered a leader

An organization’s leadership influences its performance. Being a non-profit organization, the company’s main aim is to better the lives of other people within the social panorama.

The Fuller E Callaway Foundation has had effective leadership since its commencement in1917. The late Fuller E Callaway’s number one objective was ensuring that the employees had a perfect and comfortable working environment. The type of leadership upon which the company was pioneered seems to have given it the best direction it has today.  Fuller E Callaway adopted the Transformational leadership style, which ensured that the employees were fully engaged in the organization’s affair. He was a charismatic leader and believed that the comfort of employees would retaliate into better company performance. A transformational leader engages in activities that reflect his great visions for the staff members. The leader attempts to motivate employees through enthusiasm and ensures that they get on board and engage fully in the company’s performance. For instance, in the case of Fuller E Callaway, he made every effort to ensure that the employees had all the resources at their disposal. He offered good housing, medical facilities, and playgrounds to ensure that the employees had maximum levels of comfort.

One of the factors that have significantly contributed to the company’s success is the leadership motivation in place. The leaders of NGOs often face some challenges both at a personal level and the organizational levels. One of the challenges is that they work for longer hours with limited resources and are equally uncertain of the economic and political conditions (Zametkin, 1948). Compared to the for-profit organizations, the nature of the challenges that the nonprofit organizations such as Fuller E Callaway have faced are quite demanding and distinct from the ones faced by the for-profit organizations. The leaders in nonprofit organizations tend to suffer isolation and equally face support both from the public and other private individuals. Moreover, they experience a deficit in leadership and lack sufficiently talented individuals. Leadership is defined as a process of influencing a group of people towards attaining certain goals. In the context of nonprofit organizations, the leadership entails mobilizing the available individuals towards achieving certain goals and objectives using the available resources (Roberts, 2013).

The initial company president seemed to possess an innate leadership trait. The ability to interact with subjects and make them be part of organizational decision making is mostly possessed by individuals that are born leaders. In the context of such leadership, Fuller E Callaway and the other family members that came into leadership have followed in the same steps hence improving the performance and capability of each. Arguably, leaders that possess innate managerial abilities are capable of mobilizing people and ensuring that they achieve great and extraordinary results. Transformational leadership equally enables ordinary individuals to come up with extraordinary results. This implies that people of average capability can be made more productive through transformational leadership. Such was the case with the Fuller E Callaway Foundation, where the leader got concerned with the comfort of the clients rather than the people to be served. Provision for extra expenses such as funeral and medical expenses only acted to motivate the employees in achieving better objectives. One of the major success factors that contributed to the establishment of Fuller E Callaway Foundation, among the top most players is the ability to communicate, inspire, and act as the catalysis towards the change (Densho, 2012). The success of the organization is therefore pegged on the ability of the leadership to inspire the employees towards attaining the required objectives. Despite the limiting factors in such organizations such as lack of sufficient funds and resources, proper leadership skills can help the organization achieve the set goals.

Among the nonprofit organizations, the Fuller E Callaway Foundation stands out among the leaders to the leadership style that has been put in place over the years. The successive leaders have emulated the leadership example set by the founder Fuller E Callaway. The company commenced with approximately $1.5 million contributions and the amount has increased significantly over the years, making an income for charitable purposes such as helping schools, churches, libraries, hospitals, and colleges among others. By 2012 September, the income was worth $328,264,766, and their assets were equally valued at $186,517,310. The above figures mainly reveal the key competencies of the leadership that were put in place (Portico, 2014).

There are some management competencies that have enabled the company to be among the topmost leaders in the market. Most of these competencies are associated with the ability of the leader to communicate the strategy and the vision of the company, motivate individuals, inspire various teams, identify various opportunities, and finally initiate transformation. The main reason for the great success of the Fuller E Callaway Foundation mainly stems from the unusual range of competencies that the leaders posses as compared to the others in similar sectors.  Relatively, leadership in such institutions requires a rare balance of management and influencing skills, combined with excellent communication and networking, and a strong emotional attachment to the company’s publics. The leaders that have high levels of emotional intelligence are always seen to be capable of motivating themselves and others. Most effective leaders as in the case of Fuller E Callaway Foundation have revealed high levels of capability to manage themselves, be socially aware, and managing a diverse range of relationships (Roberts, 2013).

Similar Companies

Apart from Fuller E Callaway Foundation, there are some organizations that offer similar services to individuals. Such organizations are charitable and seek to support people that are in need of shelter, food, education, and health. The two organizations in perspectives are Oxfam and Care International.

i) Oxfam

Oxfam refers to an international confederation constituting 17 countries that work together with various partners both at local and international levels in over 90 countries. Oxfam mainly mobilizes people against poverty. Within the global context, the company seeks to find practical and innovative ways towards ensuring that poverty is eliminated. The company ensures that the lives of many people are saved and further helps in establishing better lives for all citizens.  Oxfam operates internationally and in conjunction with other organizations, partners, and the members of the local communities (Prono, 2013).

Oxfam vision is simply to establish the world without poverty. Such world is described as one where each is valued, treated equally and the rights of each person upheld. The purpose is to help in the creation of lasting solutions to poverty. The organization believes that they are part of a global movement, and, therefore, they have the mandate to empower people and help them in the creation of a future that is just, secure, and poverty free.

For the achievement of its purpose, the company strives to utilize a combination of public education, advocacy,  campaigns, development programs, and humanitarian assistance in managing conflicts and disasters. The company has further established allies throughout the globe to help them spearheading the quest to of eliminating poverty.

The company is found in very stringent beliefs against poverty. One of the measures is to establish a poverty free world within a free and equitable world. Relatively, it is pegged to the fact that individuals have the right to a good life and security. Other major beliefs are that in poverty, people achieve very little, miss various opportunities, possess deep inequalities, have a lot of insecurities and have very little development opportunities. From the company’s perspective, the women and young girls are normally the most affected parties, and their needs must be made primary within the priority system (Prono, 2013).

In regards to funding, the organization solicits its major funding from donors and other support groups that see the need to eliminate poverty. At the same time, governments have equally intervened, and their assistance has enabled the organization to achieve great milestones. Oxfam is governed by the board of directors who possess a wide range of experiences and in-depth knowledge of social, economic, and political developments. They also have experience in organizational growth and the management of the agency. The nature of leadership ensures that the employees offer their best performance, hence bringing about the required changes. Through the enhanced leadership, the organization has been capable of soliciting sufficient funds as well organizing its members towards ensuring that the company needs are fully met.

Oxfam has had a good financial record, and its income depicts an increasing trend. For instance, in the year 2015, the company’s annual donations reached $95, Million. This is compared to the previous one in 2010 which stood at $78.2 million.Through good management, the organization has been able to achieve its goal and stay in the marketplace for a relatively long period (Watkins, 2013). The proper management structure in place has enabled the organization to achieve the very best of its goals. At the same time, the proper management system has enabled the outside publics to make significant donations in supporting the jobs. This implies that the leadership of an organization can attract the other members of the public hence contributing to the growth of the organization.

ii) Care International

Care (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere) refers to a nongovernmental organization that mainly aims at delivering emergency and relief services to individuals. The mission of this organization is to help the individuals who live in the poorest communities around the world. Just like in the case of Oxfam, Care International works to ensure that poverty is eliminated. CARE programs are aimed at addressing various issues, mainly including food security, emergency services, climate change, economic development, education, and agriculture among others (Mabry, 2012).

The organization’s main source of funds includes a contribution from members and governments of the member states alongside other private individuals. Being an international organization, CARE has branches in various countries. Each of these regional branches is managed by a board of directors who bear the responsibility for ensuring that the company runs in an efficient manner. The leadership also oversees the manner in which the funds are spent and used in fulfilling its mandate. The executive leadership team equally includes the CEO, who holds the responsibility of ensuring day to day management of the organization. Through the effective leadership in place, the organization has been capable of making significant steps in helping people that are in need across the globe. The organization equally emphasizes on the plight of women and children, hence advocating for the support to assist them.

Through the availability of good leadership, the organization has been able to reach out to over 7 million persons, a factor that indicates the organization’s level of success.

Some people have come on board the organization as volunteers and have attempted to make significant contributions as well as participate in the programs to foster growth and proper governance.

Comparing the above organizations, it is evident that they are similar in structure and objectives. Both organizations utilize the executive leadership system, which ensures that at various levels there are leadership responsibilities. The mode of raising contributions is equally similar, with each mainly depending on the public funds. Considering the abilities of the organization to survive over the years, it is evident that the strong leadership in place has put in stringent measures that enhances levels of productivity (Zametkin, 2014). Given the nature of contributions from the public, the organization has been capable of surviving the economic times and bringing about significant impact within the social structure.

What happened to the Company

The Fuller E. foundation had the main objective of offering sponsorship to needy students, supporting churches, colleges, health institutions and ensuring the overall well-being of the population. Despite the fact that the leadership style in Fuller E foundation is different from that in the other two companies, the organization has managed to live up to its expectations and offers sponsors to the individuals from various nations. It is worth noting that the leadership styles put in place by the organizations are the major contributing factors to their success.

Conclusion

The study has clearly pointed out and illustrated the manner in which organization leadership can assist in ensuring that the objectives are achieved. Relatively, good leadership within an organization system enables it to remain relevant within the market scene, and the employees stay motivated to achieve greater output even in the face of low incomes. The nonprofit organizations often do not have guaranteed support from the public or the governments. It is therefore upon the leadership to ensure that the management system in place favors development.

The case of Fuller E. Foundation reveals the manner in which a leadership style influences management. The management of the organization was based on transformational leadership where the leader fully engaged the employees and took their needs into consideration. The employees stayed motivated, and their performance was better.

The lesson learned from this study is that leadership style has a great impact on an organization’s performance (Densho, 2012). The performance at the cotton mill in Fuller  Foundation case was highly improved when he lay emphasis on their basic needs. The approach to any given leadership as long as it motivates employees can enable them to achieve the desired outcome. The case of the other two companies, has also illustrated the importance of good leadership within an organization. The organizations are managed by the board of governors and a CEO. Such companies have also been seen to perform better and give out the best outcomes in the market.

References

Densho, F. (2012). Fuller E. Callaway Fund | GA Tech Financial Aid. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from http://www.finaid.gatech.edu/content/fuller-e-callaway-fund

Friedman, R. (2014). Fuller E Callaway Foundation | Welcome. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from http://www.callawayfoundation.org/fecf_entry.php

Henry, W. (1979). Fuller E. Callaway, Jr. a three dimension man and Callaway Foundation, inc. New York: Newcomen Society in North America.

Lomotey, K. (2013). Fuller E Callaway Biography. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from http://fullercallaway.org/

Mabry, J. (2012). International Studies of Health Care. Medical Care, 193-202.

Portico, F. (2014). A Historic Property of Fuller E. Callaway Foundation. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from http://www.hillsanddales.org/images/portico_issues/Portico_August2014_Print_Small.pdf

Prono, L. (2013). Oxfam. Encyclopedia of World Poverty.

Roberts, K. (2013). Fuller E Callaway Foundation in Lagrange, GA 30240 … Retrieved November 22, 2015, from https://www.chamberofcommerce.com/lagrange-ga/43693788-fuller-e-callaway-foundation

Watkins, K. (2013). Prelims – The Oxfam Education Report. The Oxfam Education Report, I-14.

Whitley, D. J. (1989). Fuller E. Callaway and textile mill development in LaGrange, 1895-1920. Garland Pub..

Zametkin, A. (1948). Nonprofit Profile for fuller e callaway foundation. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from http://www.guidestar.org/organizations/58-0566148/fuller-e-callaway-foundation.aspx

Zametkin, R. (2014). CARE International | CARE. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from http://www.care-international.org/