????除了羅德爾的管理風(fēng)格，有些人也質(zhì)疑她著手建立的管理團(tuán)隊。7月份，她把《Men's Health》的編輯兼《Women's Health》編務(wù)總監(jiān)戴夫?辛克森科提升至《Organic Gardening》和《Prevention》的編務(wù)總監(jiān)（即這兩份雜志的編輯向他匯報）兼總經(jīng)理?！禦unner's World》的編輯戴維?威利也被提升為總經(jīng)理。

????Rodale的賓州總部和紐約辦公室的氣氛也迥然不同。和其他出版公司不同，Rodale是一只腳踩在美國田園小鎮(zhèn)上，另一只腳則踩在五光十色、飛速前行的傳媒之都?！凹~約整個8樓的管理人員都被清除了，”一位前紐約雇員稱，“Emmaus的人們需要到紐約實地看看，到底是個什么情況?！?/p>

????新的管理團(tuán)隊相信已看到公司向好跡象?！凹偃鏡odale是一家上市公司，我會告訴我的經(jīng)紀(jì)人，把我所有的錢都用來買這只股票，”辛克森科滿是熱情地談到。他說，在羅德爾的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)下，Rodale已變得更加透明和高效。公司圖書業(yè)務(wù)的總體盈利能力得到大幅提升。擁有62年歷史的健康雜志《Prevention》改版后更貼近盈利的《Men's Health》。他還說，像2003年《South Beach Diet》暢銷不衰的好日子并沒有過去。

????與此同時，羅德爾將這些變革與行業(yè)困境聯(lián)系起來。她在一份書面聲明中稱，“兩年前當(dāng)我成為首席執(zhí)行官時，很顯然當(dāng)時我們需要更多地關(guān)注客戶。”這些長期變革與公司人事震蕩關(guān)系不大，影響更大的公司方向的調(diào)整?！拔覍F(tuán)隊進(jìn)行了評估，給了他們與我共同選擇新方向的機會。當(dāng)我提出新的愿景時，我們確實看到有人或主動或被動地離開，但當(dāng)公司選定了一條不同的道路時，這樣的變化是可以料見的，”她補充說。

????分析師們可不這么認(rèn)為。“[Rodale]一直做得不錯，但2009年以來有很多問題，”Media Industry Newsletter的主編史蒂夫?科恩表示，他跟蹤Rodale已有25年?？贫髡J(rèn)為，Rodale的震蕩源于大多數(shù)出版商都面臨的財務(wù)壓力。他說，2009年以來Rodale已采取了這樣或那樣的減員，把幾個總編的權(quán)力進(jìn)行了整合。但影響到的可能不只是權(quán)力?！白尙斃麃喿鍪紫瘓?zhí)行官事實上是為了節(jié)省成本，因為我相信他們不用付她七位數(shù)。我想他們現(xiàn)在正在錙銖必較?！?/p>

????傳媒研究公司Kantar Media的2011年底數(shù)據(jù)顯示，Rodale的廣告收入較2010年下降，并略低于行業(yè)均值。Rodale的“全國等量版面”（national equivalent pages）——這是反映一家刊物所有版面刊登的平面媒體廣告量的一個重要行業(yè)指標(biāo)——總體下降約7%，而行業(yè)均值僅下跌了3.1%。

????羅德爾在1月13日關(guān)于梅爾考德辭職的內(nèi)部備忘錄上寫道，“雖然與另謀前程的人們道別令人傷感，但由此公司內(nèi)部能提供更多發(fā)展和晉升的機會，無疑是令人欣喜的?！?012年未來幾個月Rodale的新書能否大紅大紫，將證明這些出走的高管究竟是目光短淺，還是有先見之明。

????Besides Rodale's management style, some questioned the leadership team she began building. In July, she promoted Dave Zinczenko, editor of Men's Health and editorial director of Women's Health, to the status of an editorial director overseeing Organic Gardening and Prevention (whose editors now report to him) as well as a general manager. David Willey, editor of Runner's World, was also made a general manager.

????There were also sharp differences in atmosphere between the company's Pennsylvania headquarters and its New York City outpost. Unlike other publishers, Rodale has one foot in an idyllic, small American town and the other in a glitzy, fast-moving media capital. "The entire eighth floor executive wing in New York is decimated," says a former New York City staffer. "The Emmaus folks need to take a field trip to New York to see how everything really looks."

????Current management sees the beginnings of a turnaround. "If Rodale were a publicly traded company, I'd be telling my broker to plow everything I have into it," says Zinczenko enthusiastically. The company, he argues, has become more transparent and efficient under Rodale's leadership. It has made strides in improving the profitability of its book business overall. And the 62-year-old health mag Prevention is now modeled more closely on the profitable Men's Health. The days of mega-hits like 2003's South Beach Diet are not behind the company, Zinczenko says.

????Rodale, meanwhile, pegs the changes to the turmoil in media. "When I became CEO two years ago, it was clear that we needed to shift our focus more to our customers," she said in a prepared statement. The long-term changes, Rodale argues, have less to do with tumult inside the company than a change in direction. "I took my time evaluating the team and giving people the opportunity to get on board with my new direction. We did see departures, both voluntary and involuntary, as I introduced the new vision, but this kind of change is to be expected when a company sets a different course," she added.

????Analysts aren't so sure. "[Rodale] always did nicely but since 2009 has had a lot of problems," observed Steve Cohn, who is Editor-in-chief of Media Industry Newsletter and has followed the company for 25 years. Cohn sees in Rodale's turmoil the financial strains plaguing most publishers. The company, he says, has been downsizing in one way or another since 2009 and consolidating power with a few top editors. But more than control may be at stake. "Putting Maria at CEO was a real cost-saver because I bet they don't have to pay her seven-figures. I think they're now counting their nickels and dimes."

????According to 2011 year-end numbers from Kantar Media, a media research firm, Rodale's advertising revenues were down from 2010 and also slightly underperformed the industry. The firm's national equivalent pages — a key industry measurement of all the print ads that run in all the editions of a publication — were down about 7% overall. By comparison, the industry average was down 3.1%.

????In a January 13 internal memo about Meyercord's resignation, Rodale wrote, "While it is sad to say goodbye to people who move on to other opportunities, the ability to provide opportunities for growth and advancement from within is very rewarding." The success of Rodale's titles in the next few months of 2012 will prove whether this staffing shakeup was ill-conceived or prescient.