In the beginning, your company was run out of a small, drab building in the middle...

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In the beginning, your company was run out of a small, drab building in the middle of Ohio. With just five employees, your little "factory" produced just a single productsmall boat engines. Five years later, and against all odds, you somehow landed a lucrative government contract to supply the U.S. Army with small engines for its unmanned vehicles program. The date would prove to be a turning point, as the company would transform from a small local business into a global powerhouse. Gone are the days when the entire company was housed in a small, cramped, converted farmhouse. The entire manufacturing operation was moved to China several years ago. The R&D and engineering division operates out of a sparkling new building in Berlin, Germany. The marketing staff works out of Los Angeles, and the sales and customer service call center are based in Mumbai, India. As for the little farmhouse where you started, it is long gone and has been replaced by a glamorous modern building which is home to executive management. With facilities located all over the world and an international staff, there have been few challenges your company was not able to overcome. It was able to create low-cost, reliable engines which are a hit in developing economies. Its alternative fuels research division is among the largest in the world and is poised to introduce a hydrogen-powered engine and create an infrastructure to give consumers easy access to refueling stations. However, there remains one issue your company has struggled with for some time. It does not have to do with dealing with environmental groups, suppliers, or competitor firms. Instead, it is about communication. The company has always emphasized speed-speed in discussing issues, speed in coming to decisions, and speed in executing them. Unfortunately, all this speed requires a great amount of efficient communication within the company. Back in the day, it simply meant Jane in engineering would walk across the hall to talk to Sam in marketing. Since there are offices all over the world, it has become more difficult to make quick decisions and plans because it is hard to find a way to get people together to talk. If it is 10 A.M. in Ohio, it is 7 A.M. in Los Angeles, 11 P.M. in Beijing, 8 P.M. in Mumbai, and 4 P.M. in Berlin. How can we talk to each other quickly and efficiently? It is the question the senior management team is trying to resolve. Their task is to find or create a system that will allow timely, clear, and effective communication throughout the organization without forcing people to wake up at 3 A.M. for a videoconference. Questions: 1. In your opinion, what communication method would be ideal for an organization that has offices in many different countries? 2. Is it necessary to sacrifice speed in communication for the sake of a global presence? Why or why not? Can a company have both a global presence and an efficient, timely means of communication? Explain. 3. What three cross-cultural issues should you keep in mind as you create a new communication system? In the beginning, your company was run out of a small, drab building in the middle of Ohio. With just five employees, your little "factory" produced just a single productsmall boat engines. Five years later, and against all odds, you somehow landed a lucrative government contract to supply the U.S. Army with small engines for its unmanned vehicles program. The date would prove to be a turning point, as the company would transform from a small local business into a global powerhouse. Gone are the days when the entire company was housed in a small, cramped, converted farmhouse. The entire manufacturing operation was moved to China several years ago. The R&D and engineering division operates out of a sparkling new building in Berlin, Germany. The marketing staff works out of Los Angeles, and the sales and customer service call center are based in Mumbai, India. As for the little farmhouse where you started, it is long gone and has been replaced by a glamorous modern building which is home to executive management. With facilities located all over the world and an international staff, there have been few challenges your company was not able to overcome. It was able to create low-cost, reliable engines which are a hit in developing economies. Its alternative fuels research division is among the largest in the world and is poised to introduce a hydrogen-powered engine and create an infrastructure to give consumers easy access to refueling stations. However, there remains one issue your company has struggled with for some time. It does not have to do with dealing with environmental groups, suppliers, or competitor firms. Instead, it is about communication. The company has always emphasized speed-speed in discussing issues, speed in coming to decisions, and speed in executing them. Unfortunately, all this speed requires a great amount of efficient communication within the company. Back in the day, it simply meant Jane in engineering would walk across the hall to talk to Sam in marketing. Since there are offices all over the world, it has become more difficult to make quick decisions and plans because it is hard to find a way to get people together to talk. If it is 10 A.M. in Ohio, it is 7 A.M. in Los Angeles, 11 P.M. in Beijing, 8 P.M. in Mumbai, and 4 P.M. in Berlin. How can we talk to each other quickly and efficiently? It is the question the senior management team is trying to resolve. Their task is to find or create a system that will allow timely, clear, and effective communication throughout the organization without forcing people to wake up at 3 A.M. for a videoconference. Questions: 1. In your opinion, what communication method would be ideal for an organization that has offices in many different countries? 2. Is it necessary to sacrifice speed in communication for the sake of a global presence? Why or why not? Can a company have both a global presence and an efficient, timely means of communication? Explain. 3. What three cross-cultural issues should you keep in mind as you create a new communication system?