Based in Alabama, Quadra Drilling Systems sells drilling equipment around the world. Its factories in Brazil, China, the Czech Republic, India, and South Africa run multiple shifts to keep up with strong demand in developing nations.
Quadra is very profitable, but environmental groups have expressed concern about its negative impact on climate change. As executives developed a response, they realized that achieving more sustainable resource use could make the company more efficient and create a more favorable business environment for the long term.
The executives decided to form a group called the Quadra Green Team, made up of representatives in each of its locations. Each facility’s managers chose three employees—one each from engineering, production, and finance—with leadership skills, English-language ability, and knowledge about environmental sustainability.
To save money as well as fuel, the Green Team operates as a virtual team. Its members connect by videoconferencing once a month. Between meetings, they share thoughts via email and Google Docs.
In the initial phases, all the Green Team members were enthusiastic. But over time, several members became concerned that the team didn’t have a firm plan to establish measurable goals within a specific timeline. One meeting ended up being devoted to the team debating whether to establish an action plan or refine the ideas already submitted.
Frustrated, the South African representatives took one idea to their facility’s management for approval and began to implement it without telling the rest of the team.
Shortly thereafter, the representatives in India and the Czech Republic were openly complaining that meetings were always scheduled at times convenient for the employees in the U.S. headquarters. The Chinese team members agreed. The debate about whether headquarters should always schedule meetings lasted for 45 minutes, after which no one was in any mood to discuss sustainability.
Two of the Alabama team representatives took their frustration to their managers. The executive team investigated and decided the team needed to be unified behind a common goal. They directed the team to present three resource-saving ideas by the end of the year, and they offered incentives to promote teamwork. The team members are each allocated 100 points a month. Whenever one team member appreciates another’s actions, he or she gives that person points. All team members’ point scores are viewable by the whole team. At the end of the year, the points earned by each employee will be exchanged for cash rewards in the local currency. The executives hope the program will motivate greater cooperation.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. What went wrong in the formation of the Green Team?
What should Quadra have done differently?
2. What conditions contribute to this team’s cohesiveness?
What reduces cohesiveness?
3. What do you think of the points plan? How should Quadra’s executives help the Green Team manage its conflict?