The Goal

Julie is Alex’s wife. They have two young children together, and she is a stay-at-home mother who grew up near, but not in, Bearington. It is implied that she and Alex married early. Julie feels isolated by life in Bearington, claiming she has “no friends here” (11). Her loneliness is exacerbated by Alex’s long hours at the factory, and she has grown resentful of his job, which she clearly thinks he loves more than her. Julie eventually leaves the house and moves back in with her parents, fed up with Alex’s lack of communication and commitment to the family. Julie has a jealous streak, as evidenced by her kneejerk reaction when Alex is driven home by Stacey one night but is deeply offended by Alex’s own assumption that she is having an affair. Because of Alex’s workaholic tendencies, Julie has grown to feel that Alex does not know her. “If you think I’d leave my children just to go have a fling with some stranger, you have no understanding of who I am” (168), she tells him. Julie is unhappy with her life, feeling that it should have gone according to a neater plan. However, by the novel’s close, Julie has forgiven Alex, apologized for her own jealously and selfishness, and moved back into the house. 

Bill Peach is the UniCo division vice president and Alex’s direct superior. The reader first meets Bill when he shows up unexpectedly at the plant, driving a flashy sports car with a vanity license plate that reads “NUMBER 1” (2). Like Alex, Bill aspires to become UniCo’s CEO. Though he and Alex were once friends, they have become adversaries. “Now we’re screaming at each other” (23), Alex says, remembering better times when he and Bill sang together at an annual sales meeting. A “stocky, barrel-chested guy with thick, steely-grey hair” (3), Bill has become obsessed with the company’s bottom line, and sees Alex and his plant as hurting his reputation. “He’s a smart man” (221), Alex notes, “but he is not an innovator” (221). It is Bill who gives Alex a three-month ultimatum: improve the plant or find a new job. While Bill begins the story as Alex’s antagonist, once Alex implements Jonah’s strange ideas and turns the plant around, he is welcomed back into Bill’s good graces. Bill, who is moving up the corporate ladder, offers Alex his position and sincerely congratulates him on his success. 

Hilton is a plant manager division productivity manager for UniCo and Alex’s coworker. Alex is not a fan of Hilton or his management style, complaining that Hilton is “always promoting some new thing” (24). Hilton capitalizes on Alex’s trouble with Bill Peach, threatening to call Bill whenever Alex attempts something new at his plant. He is vehemently opposed to Alex’s new processes, sabotaging Alex at every turn and reporting him to his superiors. Hilton believes in following the company standards to the letter, and sneers at Alex’s progress, deeming it a “fairy tale” (262). Ultimately, Bill Peach and the other executives are impressed by Alex and his new ideas and promote him, leaving Hilton seething. 

Jonah is a Jewish Israeli scientist, Alex’s former professor, and Alex’s mentor throughout the novel. Though trained as a physicist, Jonah works to help companies adapt their management processes, describing his work as “the science of organizations” (29). Jonah is a quiet, thoughtful man—in many ways, he is Alex’s opposite. Where Alex is hurried and chatty, filling empty space with rambling thoughts, Jonah is methodical and reserved, preferring to let important questions or deep topics hang in the air. He teaches Alex using the Socratic method; asking leading questions until Alex discovers the answer for himself. He is a busy, in-demand person, always rushing to the airport or calling Alex from different locations around the world, but he makes a concerted effort to help Alex. 

Bob Donovan is the product manager at Alex’s plant. A “mountain of a man” (8) with “a few rough edges” (8), Alex ultimately describes Bob as a “good guy” (8). Bob, alternately called “Donovan” throughout the novel, is loyal to Alex and gruffly kind to his workers, willing to put in extra hours to get an overdue shipment through. He is initially ambivalent about Alex’s new ideas on how to increase productivity, and worries about union guidelines, but ultimately commits to the changes. In meetings, he is the brashest, most forward speaker, willing to voice what others are hesitant to say. When Alex is promoted, he offers to make Bob the new head of production for the entire division, but Bob refuses. “I want to stay here and continue what you started” (277), he tells Alex. Bob becomes the new plant manager, taking over Alex’s old job. 

Lou, the plant controller, is a “paunchy, older man” very close to retirement. Though at work he is quiet and reserved, Alex suspects that Lou’s greatest joy is going to CPA conventions to “bust loose” (44). When Alex first learns that the plant is in trouble, he tries to reassure Lou that the worst it could mean for him is early retirement. “I don’t want an early retirement!” (47), Lou declares. Lou is initially skeptical of Alex’s plans, but quickly comes around. In meetings, he encourages his colleagues to consider different perspectives. When Alex is promoted, Lou offers his services as Alex’s divisional controller, though does not expect Alex to accept. Lou sees himself as terminally and detrimentally “old fashioned” (273). However, Alex happily offers him the position. 

Stacey, the only female member of Alex’s advisory team, manages the plant’s inventory control. Alex describes her as “tall, thin, and brisk in her manner” (69). She is a deeply private person, and Alex knows very little about her personal life, but does know that she “works hard” (69). Stacey is the first to truly accept Alex’s new way of thinking, and he sees a “glimmer of understanding” (126) in her eyes at the very first meeting. Stacey is cool and collected, serving as the peacemaker in meetings and pointing out flaws in the others’ reasoning. She is deeply responsible, driving a drunken Alex home from the bar one night. When Julie sees them and flies into a rage, Stacey is the one to diffuse the situation and assure Julie that she is no threat to Julie and Alex’s marriage. After Alex’s promotion and Lou’s subsequent change in position, Lou suggests that Stacey take over his position as plant controller. Alex is doubtful that Stacey will accept, but it turns out she has been aspiring to that very position.