Case Study Question A Diversified and Global Team:

James Wilde at TT Technologies James Wilde arrived home after a $16-$hour meeting. He was

grappling with whether to accept the global sales and marketing team manager position. Wilde

spent the entire day with the senior leadership of the team trying to understand the group's

challenges. However, the meeting had raised more questions than answers. Already a rising star

within his company, Wilde was only $33$ when he was offered this high$-$profile position to lead a

diverse $68-$person team whose members hailed from Central America, the Caribbean and the USA.

The team's recent performance had seen a quick decline, resulting in the previously well$-$regarded

manager departing the company in a state of disrepute. Employee satisfaction also plunged by

more than half its peak nearly two years prior. Should Wilde accept the position, he would be

expected to reverse the performance lag in less than two years, achieving substantial sales growth

and increasing market share. However, should he fail to resurrect the team in the allotted

timeframe, his status as a high$-$potential would be jeopardized. Wilde hoped that meetings with

both the senior executives and the outgoing manager would help him decide whether or not to take

the position. The meetings thus far had been exhausting, but revealing. Wilde had a greater

understanding of the team, but still had one more week to make up his mind. The following day,

he would begin his tour of the Eastern Caribbean, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago to meet the rest

of the team. He wondered if a week was enough time to assess the situation, but he pushed this

question to the back of his mind and started packing. James Wilde Wilde began his career as an

electrical engineer with KPS in Cayman, where he worked on industrial projects in sales, business

development, and project management. Eventually, he became the project manager for a $$20-$

million contract. Four years later, he moved to TT Technologies and joined an exclusive list of

"high potentials" whose progress was re$-$evaluated every two years. He had the potential to be

promoted every $18$ to $24$ months and learn a variety of roles within the company. This visibility

within the firm would provide him with a fast$-$track route to an executive role. Even though he was

constantly being evaluated by senior executives, being on the list meant plenty of opportunities.

The first four years of Wilde's TT Technologies career in Cayman included assignments in

procurement, planning, and frontline sales, plus time as a sales team leader. He was also promoted

to country manager for Cayman and served on a Global Competence Development Committee in

addition to his regular responsibilities. This role allowed him to visit sales teams around the world

and observe their methods, motivations and challenges. When he moved to Dubai for a new

assignment in business development, Wilde kept his existing position on the Global Competence

Development Committee. Again, he cycled through various roles, rotating between staff and line

functions. In his business development role, he led TT Technologies's penetrations into USA and

Europe, where he worked with a culturally diverse team for the first time. A Tip and Advice After

almost four years in various business development roles in Dubai, Wilde knew that his window of

opportunity for a promotion was about to open again. A friend, who was senior within TT

Technologies, notified Wilde that a position of Caribbean, Central American and USA General

Manager for Sales and Marketing would soon be available. The team, Wilde was told had been

failing. The previous manager, known for his wealth of experience and also a "high potential" at

TT Technologies, was leaving the company. Wilde was encouraged by his friend to apply for this

new and challenging role. After he was selected, he began to consider his options. He had a proven

track record of success, but he wondered if taking this role was too much of a risk; could he chance