Case Study : Managing a Global Team: Greg James at Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Case Study
Case Study: Managing a Global Team: Greg James at Sun Microsystems, Inc.
As illustrated in the article, “Managing a Global Team: Greg James at Sun Microsystems, Inc. (A)”, managing a global team is an intricate task that requires special and specific skills (Neely & Delong, 2009). Greg James, the Global Manager, at Sun Microsystems is faced with many layers of problems that have manifested with a crisis with HS Holdings. Greg uncovered more serious problems as he traveled across the globe to assess problems with HS Holdings. This predicament is illustrated by his statement to Lawry, one of the Vice Presidents at Sun Microsystems, “the issues are more complex than I realized” (Neely & Delong, p.4, 2009). He has realized that there are complex interpersonal problems that might have been overlooked, which have impacted daily operations and meeting the goal of the team. Greg, as a leader of this complex team, has to a huge task ahead of him as he needs to assess challenges and dysfunctions of the team, understand his role to resolve the issue, and find solutions to move forward.
There are many challenges this global team is facing that are similar to many other virtual global teams face. First challenge this global team is facing is inability to establish rapport and trust due to the nature of a virtual team. It is crucial for any team to build trust and relationship, but the “relationship function” of a virtual team “is even more critical than in traditional collocated teams” (Hill, 2010, p.248). This mainly happens because one of top challenges of a virtual team is the inability to read nonverbal cues (Ebrahim et al, 2009). Hill (2010) also emphasizes the importance of virtual team leaders to “read all the personal and contextual nuances in a world of electronic communications” (Hill, 2010, p.248). Another challenge this team may face is managing conflicts, especially interpersonal relationships. Again, managing interpersonal conflicts is
Case Study: Managing a Global Team: Greg James at Sun Microsystems, Inc.
As illustrated in the article, “Managing a Global Team: Greg James at Sun Microsystems, Inc. (A)”, managing a global team is an intricate task that requires special and specific skills (Neely & Delong, 2009). Greg James, the Global Manager, at Sun Microsystems is faced with many layers of problems that have manifested with a crisis with HS Holdings. Greg uncovered more serious problems as he traveled across the globe to assess problems with HS Holdings. This predicament is illustrated by his statement to Lawry, one of the Vice Presidents at Sun Microsystems, “the issues are more complex than I realized” (Neely & Delong, p.4, 2009). He has realized that there are complex interpersonal problems that might have been overlooked, which have impacted daily operations and meeting the goal of the team. Greg, as a leader of this complex team, has to a huge task ahead of him as he needs to assess challenges and dysfunctions of the team, understand his role to resolve the issue, and find solutions to move forward.
There are many challenges this global team is facing that are similar to many other virtual global teams face. First challenge this global team is facing is inability to establish rapport and trust due to the nature of a virtual team. It is crucial for any team to build trust and relationship, but the “relationship function” of a virtual team “is even more critical than in traditional collocated teams” (Hill, 2010, p.248). This mainly happens because one of top challenges of a virtual team is the inability to read nonverbal cues (Ebrahim et al, 2009). Hill (2010) also emphasizes the importance of virtual team leaders to “read all the personal and contextual nuances in a world of electronic communications” (Hill, 2010, p.248). Another challenge this team may face is managing conflicts, especially interpersonal relationships. Again, managing interpersonal conflicts is
References: Dyer, W.G., Dyer, W.G., Jr., & Dyer, J.H. (2007). Team building: Proven strategies for improving team performance, 4th edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Ebrahim, A., Shamsuddin, A. & Taha, Z. (2009). Virtual Teams: A Literature Review. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Science, 3(3), 2653-2669. Hastings, R. (December 3, 2008). Set Ground Rules for Virtual Team Communications. SHRM Online. Retrieved August 8, 2011 from http://www.shrm.org . Hill, S. (2010). Team Leadership. In P. G. Northhouse (Ed), Leadership (5th ed., p. 241-270). Los Angeles: Sage. Larson, C.F., & LaFasto, F.M.J. (1989). Teamwork: What must go right/what can go wrong, Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Parker, G.M. (1990). Team Players and teamwork. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.