10/3/2018
Management 200.03
Global Case Analysis
Jane has been chosen to be a team leader on a project to implement a new management information system that will integrate the email operations of the company’s several divisions located in Colombia and Slovakia. Jane will be stationed at the company headquarters, in Charlotte, NC. Managing a global team is very difficult and it will take a combination of management styles in order for Jane to be successful. When trying to plan for effective team performance, both strengths and obstacles will need to be considered when determining a plan for her leadership tactics.
Power distance is referred to as, “the extent to which the powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally.” (Hofstede Insights, “Compare Countries”, 2018) According to Country Comparison, Colombia scored a 67 and Slovakia scored a 100 on the Power Distance Inequality scale which expresses the point that both global teams take the approach that power inequality is customary and is accepted by the team. Jane will have a higher concentration of power over both teams. Both teams will expect Jane to use her authority in a positive manner to create a clear and structured work environment for what is expected of them. Once Jane has proven her respect for her teams and gained their respect in return, the demand for results will be accomplished. There will be a high amount of pressure on Jane to step into the team leader position and direct the decision making in terms of what she thinks will be the best outcome overall. The pros for the increase in power distance will be easier for Jane to determine what needs to be done. The con to this is the high level of supervision necessary for both teams.
Assertiveness refers to how “society is driven by competition, achievement and success, with success being defined by the winner/ best in field – a value system that starts in school and continues throughout organizational life.” (Hofstede Insights, “Compare Countries”, 2018) A low score means, “the dominant values in society are caring for others and quality of life.” (Hofstede Insights, “Compare Countries”, 2018) According to Country Comparison, Colombia scored a 64 and Slovakia scored a 100, meaning they are an Assertive society- driven by the goal of success. The team in Colombia, is a highly competitive and goal-oriented individuals and they prefer to communicate verbally through copious amounts of information and their submitted tasks are normally ample and complex. Jane’s assertiveness style for managing teams need to have clear expectations when communicating and also by creating a competitive environment on a team to team basis and not on an individual member level it will help to increase productivity. Jane should also set up a reward system based on performance level. The pros of this is both teams can be put in a competition together in order to increase the productivity output. The cons of this is that the quality of work can decrease when the teams attempt to increase productivity.
Uncertainty Avoidance is referred to as, “the extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these.” (Hofstede Insights, “Compare Countries”, 2018) According to Country Comparison, Colombia scored an 80 on Uncertainty Avoidance, suggesting that they look for ways to avoid uncertainty in situations. This team is looking for a more rigid structure, a higher and this team is less likely to take risks. This high score shows a higher level of conservatism. Rules will be created but not necessarily followed to a tee where it will turn to in-group’s opinions on whether they think the rules should be applied and how the leader of the group decides to delegate the power of rules. According to Country Comparison, Slovakia scored a 51 on the Uncertainty Avoidance scale and shows no clear preference for how they react to uncertainty or ambiguity in situations of high risk. My recommendation for Jane for the Slovakian team would be to push the boundaries to really learn how the team functions and their response reactions to high risk situations or high stress situations. I would suggest assigning a quick paced project that requires very specific guidelines and upcoming deadlines in order to observe the success or failure of team in ambiguous situations. If the Slovakian team succeeds in this situation, keep them under this high pressure in order to create a sense of urgency to complete projects and the tasks at hand, whereas, if they fail at this task, delegate deadlines and timelines as a long-term task in order to create a work environment that is well managed with time and productivity. If a short-term problem arises, Jane should delegate this to the Colombian team that deals with uncertainty better than the Slovakian team.
Individualism is defined as, “the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members,” (Hofstede Insights, “Compare Countries”, 2018) calling attention to how people refer to self-image of “I” or “We”. In an individualistic society, members are supposed to be responsible for themselves and direct inner circle members. In a collectivist society, people associate with groups where they look after each other in return for loyalty and respect. According to Country Comparison, Colombia scored a 13, which determines the team in Colombia is highly based on collectivism, where loyalty and respect are exchanged for the care of each other. This is beneficial for Jane because she can expect for this team to be efficient when discussing and determining solutions for short term solutions and to work well together. The opinion of this group and aligning with the opinions within this group is very important for the working structure and success of the group. In this group, she can rely on them to maintain their relationships on a personal and professional level. The downside to this focus of collectivism in the Colombian team is members that are considered outsiders and they can be easily precluded from the group. According to Country Comparison, Slovakia scored 52 which is right in the middle of the scale, leading to no definitive side to take. My recommendation for Jane would be to assign this team a series of tasks and observe how they delegate and accomplish the tasks to either individual or group work. If the group goes the route of individually completing, Jane should try and refocus the group to working collectively as one while also maintaining their success as independence.
With Jane being located in US, her management style has to be analyzed in order to find combination between her own style and the global teams she is in charge of. For the power distance, the US scored a 40 suggesting that the people want to be involved in decisions made that affect them. The US scored a 91 in individualism showing that members maintain their individuality in a setting. The combination between power distance and individualism supports America’s “liberty and justice for all” hinting at the want for equality of power. Regarding assertiveness, the US scored a 62 which is presented in the, “behavior in school [and] work based on the shared values that people should “strive to be the best they can be”. As a result, Americans will tend to display and talk freely about their “successes” and achievements in life.” (Hofstede Insights, “Compare Countries”, 2018) The US score a 46 in their uncertainty avoidance, suggesting that there is a perception of both acceptance and denial for encouraging something new. Jane can develop a cohesive team by adapting her management style to fit both the Colombian team and the Slovakian team to encourage and promote success in a global setting.
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