Remnants, Inc., with headquarters in St. Louis, manufactures designer clothing. The company markets and services its products by region, with each functioning as a profit center. Each region has a manager, an accounting department, a human resources department, and several area offices to market and service the products. Each area office has sales, service, and administrative departments whose managers report to an area manager.
The New York area office departed from the standard organizational structure by establishing a branch office to market and service the firm’s products in Boston. A branch manager who reports directly to the New York area manager heads the local office.
The Boston branch manager is encouraging the New York area manager to consider a new information system to handle the local branch’s growing information needs. The New York area manager and the eastern region manager want to establish a project team with employees from the region, area, and branch office. The team will assess the information needs at the Boston branch office and develop system recommendations. The following employees have been appointed to the project team, with Keith Nash as chairperson:
Eastern Region Office
Kurt Johnson, Budget Supervisor
Sally Brown, Training Director
New York Area Office
Keith Nash, Administrative Director
Boston Branch
Heidi Meyer, Branch and Sales Manager
Bobby Roos, Assistant Branch and Service Manager
Joe Gonzalez, Sales person
Juana Martinez, Service person
a. Project team members contribute their skills to help accomplish a given objective. Characteristics of group members can influence the functioning and effectiveness of a project team. Identify some of these characteristics.
b. Due to the team’s composition, what sources of conflict can you see arising among its members? Do you think the group will succeed in its objective to develop an information system for the Boston branch office? Why or why not?
c. What contribution would a person who holds a position as budget supervisor make in a project team such as this one?