Homework 1: Expatriates
1.0 Problem Statement
Argos Diesel, Europe, is encountering a common global project management problem. Enter Bert Donaldson, a charismatic, well-spoken manager who had improved the cross functional teams and fostered cohesion among Argos’ groups domestically in the US. He has been tasked to do the same thing in European soil, helping the fledgling network of companies achieve the same efficiency as the US, but he has so far failed to do so. Employee confidence in Donaldson’s vision is low, and the CEO Frank Waterhouse is starting to wonder if the best course of action is to now remove Donaldson from the project, and if not, what to do to improve him.
2.0 Results
Donaldson, by himself, can no longer be a useful asset to Argos Diesel, Europe. He should either be removed so that someone experienced with European culture can continue the program, or someone experienced with European culture should be hired to work with Donaldson and be the new frontrunner for the program.
3.0 Discussion
There are three main problems with having solely Donaldson as the person spearheading the program: * The first is his lack of preparation. His superiors (Waterhouse and Loun) never properly acquainted Donaldson with the knowledge he needs to operate successfully in a new European environment. As a result, Donaldson lacks the ability to speak anything other than English and he commits fatal cultural blunders. Seeing only through his own cultural perspective, he lacks the ability to understand how his actions paint a negative picture of him to the employees, leading to disrespect of his position. * The next problem is his failure to consult his coworkers. His self-confidence, probably motivated by the applause of his superiors, leads him to underutilize his resources. Both Ursula Lindt and Frau Schweri are aware of the employee morale and understand the culture that Donaldson is working in. However, it does not appear that Donaldson made any attempt to consult these useful teammates for feedback and suggestions. * The third is his inability to adapt. The confidence from his success in the US also results in his unwillingness to change tactics. After recognizing that the methods which were successful in the US are not successful here, he should have tried to approach the project differently. Instead of changing to fit the environment though, he sticks with his plan, probably shifting the blame to the employees as being inferior to their counterparts in the US.
The solution to the problems is feedback. All Donaldson knows is that his process is not working, but he does not know why. In order to move forward if Donaldson were to stay, Waterhouse, Lindt, and Schweri need to discuss with him the measures he needs to take to at least prevent any cultural blunders in the future. Furthermore, he needs to discuss with them the changes to how he will implement the plan in Europe, and probably the selection of a new individual to implement Donaldson’s vision.
4.0 Conclusion
It is too late to continue using Donaldson as the manager. Donaldson’s image is already tainted among the employees at Argos Europe, and picking up the pieces will be harder than introducing someone completely new but culturally experienced to the table, preferably a local who is familiar with Europe (isn’t it arrogant to assume that good managers only come from the US?). While Donaldson may be reduced to another expatriate statistic, removing him is probably the best course of action for the company as a whole.