The mayor of Chicago appointed a new general superintendent of the Chicago Park District in 1993 and charged him with transforming the enormous organization (550 parks, 250 field houses, 90 pools, nine golf courses, two conservatories, Soldier Field [Chicago Bears], 31 miles of lakefront, 3,000 to 6,000 employees, 30 million visitors a year, independent taxation authority) from the moribund, patronage-bound, and nearly bankrupt bureaucracy it had become into something that would serve the two million citizens it was designed to serve. The A case highlights the situation as of 1993, when Forrest Claypool took over as general superintendent, and leaves the student with the challenge of framing an action plan for change. See also the B (UVA-OB-0619), C (UVA-OB-0620), and D (UVA-OB-0621) cases. Note that two of the chief protagonists in this series, the COO and the CFO, provide a diversity perspective: The former is a woman and the latter is an African American, although neither category is explicitly mentioned. A teaching note is available to registered faculty, along with a video supplement to enhance student learning.
