1. Both the video and the case written to accompany it consistently use the terms team or teamwork. In Chapter 10, we use four criteria to characterize a team as a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, common performance goals, and an approach for which they hold themselves mutually responsible.
This chapter, however, focuses on groups rather than teams and characterizes a formal group as "formed by an organization to do its work." Would group be a better term than team for characterizing the relevant activities at Cold Stone Creamery? If so, why? If not, why not? [Hint: Which of the four criteria for a team specified in Chapter 10 seems least applicable to the nature and function of a customer "team" at Cold Stone?
2. In what ways might Cold Stone's Top Customer Team function as a formal group? As a command group? A task group? An affinity group? In what ways might it make use of the various forms of group problem solving-brainstorming, the nominal group technique, and the Delphi technique?
3. Cold Stone has been opening foreign outlets since 2007, when it launched its first store in Japan, and now boasts more than 1,500 locations in 16 countries.† "Internationally," says Lee Knowlton, "we do the same thing" when it comes to designing operations around teamwork. At the same time, he admits that
it's not easy opening up any business overseas. There's all kinds of challenges. So having a team that's really working together, committing to fighting through these barriers, is key.
What are some of these "challenges" or "barriers"? In what ways will the company's top foreign business customers differ from its top U.S. business customers? What kinds of modifications are probably necessary in the company's approach to the "customer pyramid"?
4. In January 2012, a group of more than 120 franchisees in Florida sued Cold Stone over the company's use of revenue received from vendor rebates and gift card sales. In particular, the franchisees wanted to know how much of this revenue was spent on brand marketing.‡ Why do you suppose this dispute arose? Which members of our proposed Top Customer Team are most closely involved in activities leading up to the dispute? Which Team members will probably be most closely involved in resolving it?