Reflections on a Successful Downsizing Project Within a For-Profit Global Organization in Dubai, UAE: To Downsize the Right Way

GFC the Organization

This reflective case history is about a global food company (hence forward GFC) that recently went through downsizing in one of its Dubai sites, a transformational organizational change. GFC is a private, family-owned business that is more than 100 years old. The company is a multibillion dollar global business that produces some of the “world’s best-loved diverse products”. It employs around 100,000 “talented associates” (that is what employees are referred to) in over 80 countries around the world. GFC has almost $35 billion a year in net sales.

Espoused GFC values center around five organizational principles: Quality, responsibility, mutuality, efficiency, and freedom. For the quality principle, GFC is dedicated to the highest levels of quality in the workplace. The company’s belief in the uncompromising standard of quality work has resulted in quality brands and reputation, as well as quality value of products. For the responsibility principle, the company has an expectation that all associates at all company levels to take direct responsibility for results, and to exercise initiative and judgment in an ethical way. For the mutuality principle, GFC operates with the belief that the degree to which mutual benefits are created should be a benchmark for measuring success in the company. GFC executives believe that mutual benefits enable the company to act as a good corporate citizen, to minimize impact on the environment, and to use natural resources wisely. For the efficiency principle, it is the ability to organize all company assets. It is a principle that GFC follows for maximum productivity. Efficiency at GFC demands constant and open communication at both the individual and organizational levels. And finally, for the freedom principle, at GFC freedom starts with the creation of profit, and as such the company does not need to borrow money from anyone or sell stocks. This principle allows GFC leaders to be free to operate the business in the best way they see fit. These five guiding principles are key to the GFC culture and guide the business across geographies, cultures, and communities. And that is why GFC has repeatedly ranked on Fortune’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work For, and that is why the associates are so attached to their business.