you the situation is simply out of control. I was spread too thin, putting out fires left and right. A manager was accused of sexual harassment, which embroiled us in a difficult legal situation. Ultimately, it was a cross cultural misunderstanding. Then there were customer issues-missed and unfulfilled deliveries. The list just goes on and on." "It was always a struggle to get buy-in for new initiatives, and I frequently met fierce resistance if I tried to make changes. An annual retreat was one step in the right direction. this seemed to help. A session during the retreat was geared toward cultural sensitivity. Clearly, this wasn't enough-the same issues and old ways of working resurfaced shortly after. Listen, James, if think this job has ruined my reputation here, and I have no choice but to leave. If I were you, I would think twice before taking this on." Over the past two years, operating margin and net profit margin for the global sales and marketing team had declined precipitously along with market share. group morale also dropped, with employee satisfaction declining by nearly half. In order to better understand the group's weaknesses and the challenges they faced; He asked the three leaders, "Can the team do better? What's stopping them from doing better?” Brown, began by blaming the group's recent failures on the market. "When we raised our prices to compensate, our volumes decreased," Lars, vehemently disagreed, "It's our brand! The recent changes to our brand have done nothing but confuse customers "And once this past year, planned volumes from St. Vincent and Grenada failed to come in, causing performance to suffer again, not to mention the relationships with our other partners." "We also have the issue of compensation-the structure recently changed. 80% of our salaries are fixed, and the remaining twenty percent is variable." Thus, when prices went up, But Dean's advice still made Wilde question his ability to succeed in the role. How could he make sure that he would not end up in Dean's shoes? James Wilde arrived home after a 16-hour meeting. He was grappling with whether to accept the global sales and marketing team manager position. Wilde trying to understand the group's challenges. Wilde was only 33 when he was offered this high-profile position to lead a diverse 68-person team whose members hailed from Central America, the Caribbean and the USA. The team's recent performance had seen a quick decline, resulting in the previously well-regarded manager departing the company in a state of disrepute. Employee satisfaction also plunged by more than half its peak nearly two years prior. Should Wilde accept the position, he would be expected to reverse the performance lag in less than two years, achieving substantial sales growth and increasing market share. However, should he fail to resurrect the team in the allotted timeframe, his status as a high potential would be jeopardized. Wilde knew that his window of opportunity for a promotion was about to open again. A friend notified Wilde that a position of Caribbean, Central American and USA General Manager for Sales and Marketing would soon be available. The team, been failing. The previous manager, known for his wealth of experience and a "high potential" at TT Technologies, was leaving the company. Wilde was encouraged to apply for this new and challenging role. He had a proven track record of success, but he wondered if taking this role was too much of a risk; could he chances losing his position on the list of high potentials? Perhaps even more nerve- wracking, the executives wanted quick results in less than two years, growing sales substantially and increasing TT Technologies market share. “Everyone thought the previous manager was a great leader,” He tried team-building activities and cultural awareness exercises, as well as a lot of new ideas, and he still failed. "True, you are younger, and you will need to delicately manage older workers from the Eastern Caribbean and Asia. But this group needs fresh ideas, and you have the potential to be successful." Wilde had worked well with a culturally diverse team on the penetrations into USA and Europe. He recalled how he became closer with the Euboean and Indian nationals on his team than with his fellow Caymanians by making a concerted effort to reach out to them. Wilde gained insight into the region-specific challenges faced by his colleagues in different markets. Still, the job remained a huge risk. If he took the job, it would be do or die: succeed, and his star would continue to rise even faster, but fail, and years of hard work and careful planning would be negated. He decided to solicit the advice of his potential predecessor, John Dean. Wilde shared his concerns with him: "While I am thrilled to have this opportunity, I am worried about where things stand," Wilde said. Dean responded: “Listen, I am going to be completely honest with

you the situation is simply out of control. I was spread too thin, putting out fires left and right. A manager was accused of sexual harassment, which embroiled us in a difficult legal situation. Ultimately, it was a cross cultural misunderstanding. Then there were customer issues-missed and unfulfilled deliveries. The list just goes on and on." "It was always a struggle to get buy-in for new initiatives, and I frequently met fierce resistance if I tried to make changes. An annual retreat was one step in the right direction. this seemed to help. A session during the retreat was geared toward cultural sensitivity. Clearly, this wasn't enough-the same issues and old ways of working resurfaced shortly after. Listen, James, if think this job has ruined my reputation here, and I have no choice but to leave. If I were you, I would think twice before taking this on." Over the past two years, operating margin and net profit margin for the global sales and marketing team had declined precipitously along with market share. group morale also dropped, with employee satisfaction declining by nearly half. In order to better understand the group's weaknesses and the challenges they faced; He asked the three leaders, "Can the team do better? What's stopping them from doing better?” Brown, began by blaming the group's recent failures on the market. "When we raised our prices to compensate, our volumes decreased," Lars, vehemently disagreed, "It's our brand! The recent changes to our brand have done nothing but confuse customers "And once this past year, planned volumes from St. Vincent and Grenada failed to come in, causing performance to suffer again, not to mention the relationships with our other partners." "We also have the issue of compensation-the structure recently changed. 80% of our salaries are fixed, and the remaining twenty percent is variable." Thus, when prices went up, But Dean's advice still made Wilde question his ability to succeed in the role. How could he make sure that he would not end up in Dean's shoes? James Wilde arrived home after a 16-hour meeting. He was grappling with whether to accept the global sales and marketing team manager position. Wilde trying to understand the group's challenges. Wilde was only 33 when he was offered this high-profile position to lead a diverse 68-person team whose members hailed from Central America, the Caribbean and the USA. The team's recent performance had seen a quick decline, resulting in the previously well-regarded manager departing the company in a state of disrepute. Employee satisfaction also plunged by more than half its peak nearly two years prior. Should Wilde accept the position, he would be expected to reverse the performance lag in less than two years, achieving substantial sales growth and increasing market share. However, should he fail to resurrect the team in the allotted timeframe, his status as a high potential would be jeopardized. Wilde knew that his window of opportunity for a promotion was about to open again. A friend notified Wilde that a position of Caribbean, Central American and USA General Manager for Sales and Marketing would soon be available. The team, been failing. The previous manager, known for his wealth of experience and a "high potential" at TT Technologies, was leaving the company. Wilde was encouraged to apply for this new and challenging role. He had a proven track record of success, but he wondered if taking this role was too much of a risk; could he chances losing his position on the list of high potentials? Perhaps even more nerve- wracking, the executives wanted quick results in less than two years, growing sales substantially and increasing TT Technologies market share. “Everyone thought the previous manager was a great leader,” He tried team-building activities and cultural awareness exercises, as well as a lot of new ideas, and he still failed. "True, you are younger, and you will need to delicately manage older workers from the Eastern Caribbean and Asia. But this group needs fresh ideas, and you have the potential to be successful." Wilde had worked well with a culturally diverse team on the penetrations into USA and Europe. He recalled how he became closer with the Euboean and Indian nationals on his team than with his fellow Caymanians by making a concerted effort to reach out to them. Wilde gained insight into the region-specific challenges faced by his colleagues in different markets. Still, the job remained a huge risk. If he took the job, it would be do or die: succeed, and his star would continue to rise even faster, but fail, and years of hard work and careful planning would be negated. He decided to solicit the advice of his potential predecessor, John Dean. Wilde shared his concerns with him: "While I am thrilled to have this opportunity, I am worried about where things stand," Wilde said. Dean responded: “Listen, I am going to be completely honest with

Understanding Business

12th Edition

ISBN:9781259929434

Author:William Nickels

Publisher:William Nickels

Chapter1: Taking Risks And Making Profits Within The Dynamic Business Environment

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 1CE

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Transcribed Image Text:you the situation is simply out of control. I was spread too thin, putting out fires left and right. A manager was accused of sexual harassment, which embroiled us in a difficult legal situation. Ultimately, it was a cross cultural misunderstanding. Then there were customer issues-missed and unfulfilled deliveries. The list just goes on and on." "It was always a struggle to get buy-in for new initiatives, and I frequently met fierce resistance if I tried to make changes. An annual retreat was one step in the right direction. this seemed to help. A session during the retreat was geared toward cultural sensitivity. Clearly, this wasn't enough-the same issues and old ways of working resurfaced shortly after. Listen, James, if think this job has ruined my reputation here, and I have no choice but to leave. If I were you, I would think twice before taking this on." Over the past two years, operating margin and net profit margin for the global sales and marketing team had declined precipitously along with market share. group morale also dropped, with employee satisfaction declining by nearly half. In order to better understand the group's weaknesses and the challenges they faced; He asked the three leaders, "Can the team do better? What's stopping them from doing better?” Brown, began by blaming the group's recent failures on the market. "When we raised our prices to compensate, our volumes decreased," Lars, vehemently disagreed, "It's our brand! The recent changes to our brand have done nothing but confuse customers "And once this past year, planned volumes from St. Vincent and Grenada failed to come in, causing performance to suffer again, not to mention the relationships with our other partners." "We also have the issue of compensation-the structure recently changed. 80% of our salaries are fixed, and the remaining twenty percent is variable." Thus, when prices went up, But Dean's advice still made Wilde question his ability to succeed in the role. How could he make sure that he would not end up in Dean's shoes?

Transcribed Image Text:James Wilde arrived home after a 16-hour meeting. He was grappling with whether to accept the global sales and marketing team manager position. Wilde trying to understand the group's challenges. Wilde was only 33 when he was offered this high-profile position to lead a diverse 68-person team whose members hailed from Central America, the Caribbean and the USA. The team's recent performance had seen a quick decline, resulting in the previously well-regarded manager departing the company in a state of disrepute. Employee satisfaction also plunged by more than half its peak nearly two years prior. Should Wilde accept the position, he would be expected to reverse the performance lag in less than two years, achieving substantial sales growth and increasing market share. However, should he fail to resurrect the team in the allotted timeframe, his status as a high potential would be jeopardized. Wilde knew that his window of opportunity for a promotion was about to open again. A friend notified Wilde that a position of Caribbean, Central American and USA General Manager for Sales and Marketing would soon be available. The team, been failing. The previous manager, known for his wealth of experience and a "high potential" at TT Technologies, was leaving the company. Wilde was encouraged to apply for this new and challenging role. He had a proven track record of success, but he wondered if taking this role was too much of a risk; could he chances losing his position on the list of high potentials? Perhaps even more nerve- wracking, the executives wanted quick results in less than two years, growing sales substantially and increasing TT Technologies market share. “Everyone thought the previous manager was a great leader,” He tried team-building activities and cultural awareness exercises, as well as a lot of new ideas, and he still failed. "True, you are younger, and you will need to delicately manage older workers from the Eastern Caribbean and Asia. But this group needs fresh ideas, and you have the potential to be successful." Wilde had worked well with a culturally diverse team on the penetrations into USA and Europe. He recalled how he became closer with the Euboean and Indian nationals on his team than with his fellow Caymanians by making a concerted effort to reach out to them. Wilde gained insight into the region-specific challenges faced by his colleagues in different markets. Still, the job remained a huge risk. If he took the job, it would be do or die: succeed, and his star would continue to rise even faster, but fail, and years of hard work and careful planning would be negated. He decided to solicit the advice of his potential predecessor, John Dean. Wilde shared his concerns with him: "While I am thrilled to have this opportunity, I am worried about where things stand," Wilde said. Dean responded: “Listen, I am going to be completely honest with

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