Strategic Analysis and Conflict Resolution for Franklin Equipment, Ltd- Case Study Review and Stakeholder Strategies

Strategic Analysis and Conflict Resolution for Franklin Equipment, Ltd- Case Study Review and Stakeholder Strategies

Evaluate the criteria FEL uses to assign managers to project teams? What efficiencies do these criteria create? What are the resulting problems?

FEL assigns its managers to project teams based on their expertise and availability. This means that a manager who has finished working on another project will automatically be assigned to a new project with no manager. This assignment criterion is efficient because it ensures that every new project has a manager who is available to commit to the project. Project managers will not be committed to other responsibilities, hence, creating efficiency in the shift between project management roles.

However, this assignment criteria results in significant issues caused by a lack of fitness for projects by managers. The project managers are not vetted based on their ability to manage a given type of project. Project dynamics can be different. Just because a manager was successful in one project does not mean that they will be successful in another. Additionally, the techniques that have been used to manage a single project team cannot be the best fit for all teams. Therefore, such an assignment strategy causes problems such as the ones being experienced by the Project Abu Dhabi team. The team members have successfully worked before, but this does not mean that this time will be the same. Therefore there is a chance that the team members’ conflict will be detrimental to the team. However, a vetting process for team members would have helped to avoid putting team members with a history of conflict on the same team.

Why is it even more important that project team members work well together on international projects such as Project Abu Dhabi?

Managing an international project comes with additional challenges to those experienced by local teams. Working on international teams creates a multicultural environment comprising employees from diverse backgrounds. For instance, the current FEL team in project Abu Dhabi will also include some residents of the host country. One of the common challenges that are experienced in a multicultural team is communication issues. Significant differences in communication norms between the diverse team members will cause problems for the team’s collaboration. It will be harder for the team to solve conflicts in a multicultural environment. Due to communication challenges, the team may experience challenges addressing issues that cause conflicts. Therefore, it is important for team members to work well on an international project such as the Abu Dhabi project so that they can navigate these challenges. A stronger team and leadership are needed to manage the special issues experienced in a cross-cultural team.

Discuss the dilemma that Jobe now faces.

Carl Jobe is the internal consultant responsible for making the Abu Dhabi teamwork. His interviews with the senior team members have revealed significant issues affecting the team’s potential for success. For instance, Elaine Bruder, the cost accountant, does not think that the project will work. Bill Rankins and Rob Perry, the operations manager and design engineer, respectively, have some personal conflicts that affect their ability to work together. These two members have deep-rooted issues that have come up in previous projects. Jobe faces the dilemma of developing a new team for the project or implementing strategies to help this team be effective. The issues in the team are significant. There is reasonable doubt on the ability of the team members to solve their issues. On the other hand, there are some strategies that can be applied to motivate the team members in doubt of the team’s success potential and help manage the conflict between team members.

What should Jobe recommend to Gatenby?

Jobe should recommend motivation and conflict management techniques to Gatenby, the project’s manager. There are signs of low morale among the team members who have been interviewed. Despite the project having not started, Bruder and Perry are already skeptical of its success. Bruder has no good reason for the project’s failure. These sentiments may be a result of poor motivation for the project. Motivation is important for project team success. Motivation is the drive that gets team members to want to work hard to achieve team goals (Zhu, Gardner, & Chen, 2018). Therefore, Gatenby should provide incentives to motivate the team members to work on the project. The incentives will motivate them to work through the challenges that they have identified as possible impediments to the project’s success. Additionally, Jobe needs to recommend strategies for managing the current conflicts within the team. Team conflict is one of the major factors that can limit team success. Conflicts affect team communication and collaboration. They can prevent important team members from effectively contributing to team success (Maltarich et al., 2018). Rankins and Bruder are both important members of the team. They need to manage their conflict so that they can collaborate to achieve the team’s success.

Discuss strategies for conflict resolution for stakeholders that you believe would be applicable to this case.

One of the strategies that can be used to manage the team conflict, in this case, is mediation. Mediation occurs when a manager intervenes to solve a conflict between team members. The manager can use reasoning and persuasion to suggest alternative solutions for the team member’s conflict (Larson & Gray, 2018). In this case, Perry and Rankins require mediation to talk through their problems. The issues of these team members have nothing to do with the project. They need a mediator to help them talk through their problems and find a solution to co-exist in the team without affecting the project’s effectiveness.

Another resolution strategy that would be appropriate for this team is arbitrating the conflict. Arbitration is the imposition of a solution that the conflicting team members must follow (Larson & Gray, 2018). The manager needs to develop a solution and impose it on the team members. They must act according to the recommended solution or risk consequences.

If the conflict resolution strategies do not work, the manager may have to rearrange the conflicting team members so that they do not have to work together. Project Abu Dhabi is more important than two team members. If they cannot work together despite the efforts to help them manage their conflicts, the solution may be to rearrange the team setting to avoid having the two conflicting team members working together.

Discuss how the key challenges raised in the case could be framed from a Christian perspective. In other words, how could the key challenges in the case be addressed using Christian principles? (CWV/IFLW).

The conflict between Rankins and Perry can be understood from a Christian perspective. Sometimes some conflicts are too hard to solve, and a leader must come to intervene for the problem to be solved. For example, Solomon, the wisest man described in the Bible, once faced a conflict that seemed to have no solution. It was about two women, both claiming the same child as theirs. Solomon asked for the child to be cut into two for each of the two women to have a share. The real mother of the child was not ready to have their child cut into two; hence, she objected, revealing her true feelings and relation to the child. Like Solomon, leaders can apply wisdom to understand and address conflict within their teams. There can be creative ways to get Rankins and Perry to finally work together as a team.

References

Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2018). Project management: The managerial process. McGraw Hill Education. ISBN 9781259666094

Maltarich, M. A., Kukenberger, M., Reilly, G., & Mathieu, J. (2018). Conflict in teams: Modeling early and late conflict states and the interactive effects of conflict processes. Group & Organization Management, 43(1), 6-37. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601116681127

Zhu, Y. Q., Gardner, D. G., & Chen, H. G. (2018). Relationships between work team climate, individual motivation, and creativity. Journal of Management, 44(5), 2094-2115. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316638161

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Construct a 1,000-1,250-word response that addresses the following:

1. Read the “Franklin Equipment, Ltd.” case study 11.3 in chapter 11 of the textbook. Respond to Questions 1 through 4 of the case.

Strategic Analysis and Conflict Resolution for Franklin Equipment, Ltd- Case Study Review and Stakeholder Strategies

2. Discuss strategies for conflict resolution for stakeholders that you believe would be applicable to this case.

3. Finally, discuss how the key challenges raised in the case could be framed within a Christian perspective. In other words, how could the key challenges in the case be addressed using Christian principles? (CWV/IFLW).

Be sure to cite three to five relevant scholarly sources supporting your content. Use only sources found at the GCU Library or those provided in Topic Materials.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.