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Ellen Moore

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Case Analysis 3

Ellen Moore

Jenna Gilson
Talal Khader
Britton Larson
Aubrey Morgan
MGT 400
2/20/12

1. Identify the problems that the focal company/person in the case face. There is an unclear hierarchical reporting structure within the project team, making it impossible for the project to continue and limits communication and knowledge transfer. The main problem that the Systems Consulting Group faces is that they need to complete their consulting project that they are behind schedule on, and need to choose a course of action quickly.

2. Identify underlying causes to the problem at hand There are many problems that are halting the progress of the project. The team is clearly suffering from lack of communication, disorganized team structure, unclear leadership and constant disagreement over the decision-making process. Business: The Korean structure appears to be hierarchical which seems to impact the understanding of relationships between consultants and clients of both the Americans and Koreans.

Management: In Korea, respect for position and status influences how a project is executed. It is evident that power authority is undefined. Jack and Ellen don’t have a specific role, so there is an overlapping of power. As a result, subordinates are often confused and find it a bit hard to follow the lead of their superiors. There seems to be a lack of trust between Ellen and Jack ever since she interrupted him during the market research report meeting.

Culture: The cultural aspect also plays a major part of the problem. Women in Korea are often excluded from team bonding events - mainly dinners. Jack and the subordinates sometimes ignore Ellen’s views. The reason behind this is that women in Korea are considered inferior to men. Also at the beginning the Korean company asked Andrew to take the position with the notion that it would be very hard for a women to take the position but Andrew could not take the offer so Ellen took it instead.

Communication: Korean consultants seldom ask questions or express their thoughts toward an idea because in general, Koreans regard saying “no” as poor etiquette. This can make it difficult for Ellec to get Korean consultants’ true thoughts regarding the progress of the project. Communication between the two cultures is hindered by language differences in addition to Ellen’s reliance on a translator which clearly affects the power dynamic between her and her peers.

Human Resources: Jack has no experience with SI or consulting. Instead of asking questions, he assigns instructions. Also, both consulting teams lack the proper training necessary for preparing expatriates or employees at the MNC. Ellen is being sent to work overseas after she has been with the company for only three months and the Korean team has never been trained by their firm to work with foreigners. In addition, it seems as though senior management is rather ethnocentric. Each manager feels that their respective ways of doing business is superior to the others’ and neither is willing to compromise. Andrew thinks the problems arise from the inexperienced Koreans while Mr. Song argues that Ellen is the one with the problems.

3. Possible courses of action/solutions

a. Bring in some more experienced American consultants on the job to help finish it on time.

Pros: They have experience and would probably be willing to listen to Ellen more, however they could save Jack Kim’s “face” by letting him remain in the position he was given on the project. It would not really be putting the blame on anybody in particular on the SI project team. However, in the case it did say that Andrew would probably be the one held accountable for a tardy completion date.

Cons: It would be more costly to increase the staff on the engagement. It would also cause the 4 Korean consultants to feel like they failed.

b. Continue to let them go on and finish behind schedule

Pros: The inexperienced consultants, including Jack Kim would all learn from their mistakes on this project and hopefully be able to continue to work They would realize their own deficiencies in project management and would be more humble to learn from those that have experience.

Cons: The company would most likely lose the client’s business for future engagements and could even lose money for not completing the project by the agreed-upon contract time.

c. Send Ellen back home and reassign both her and Jack. Andrew would relocate to South Korea and take over team management.

Pros: This will solve the problem of the unclear hierarchical reporting structure with the project team. By sending Ellen home, it will become possible for the project to continue and help communication and knowledge transfer.

Cons: This does not address the schedule realignment issues and will not help get the project done on time. Also, the JV relationship will not be upheld.

d. Assign Ellen as the single manager of the team while Jack is reassigned as a special consultant.

Pros: According to Korean culture, it would make Andrew look like a strong manager because he was willing to speak up against the problems Jack Kim is causing. In the case it stated “A leader was expected to express disappointment in the individual’s efforts in front of all team members”. It also would help the extremely hierarchical culture to have one leader to look to. It seems that they are having difficulty deciding if they should listen to Ellen or Jack. Lastly, Ellen seemed to do great when Jack had left temporarily, this way she could continue with that success she had in July when she was completely in charge.

Cons: If the Korean manager and director, Mr. Park and Mr. Song, did not agree with Andrew, it could drive a wedge between KSI and WSI. It could cause future problems that would prohibit the smooth integration and merge of these two large corporations.

4. Recommendations

Assign Ellen as the single manager of the team while Jack is reassigned as a special consultant. When Jack was gone on the trip to the U.S. the consultants listened to Ellen and things seemed to be going smoothly. As soon as Jack got back he was offended by this and disrupted the process. So it seems as though Jack is the problem, not Ellen. He is holding the project and consultants back. He also has no experience in the consulting process like Ellen does.

By compromising the importance of cultural differences and task relevance, it seems clear that there needs to be defined power for both Ellen and Jack. Finishing the work needs to be set as a priority. Under this structure, Ellen and Jack can consult and discuss with each other before talking with subordinates – so the power is clear for everyone.

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