Scenario:
You have been hired as an external consultant for Futrall-Carnall (FC) and Stadium. FC is a mid-size technology firm with 250 employees based in Houston, Texas, established in 2005. Stadium is a marketing firm established in 2000 headquartered in Mexico City. The two companies have recently partnered in a joint venture on new software. All interactions between the offices will be done digitally through email, video calls, and other forms of electronic communication.
FC and Stadium have been collaborating for six months now and both companies have noticed there have been consistent problems with miscommunication regarding decision-making that is causing them to miss internal deadlines.
For example, after an important video call meeting, the Stadium representativewho is used to clear chains of communicationwas left confused. Here is an excerpt of the meeting transcript:
FC rep: If everyone would please turn to the final page of your packet, youll see the rundown of the costs (etc.) are there any questions?
Stadium rep: raises hand, speaks: so who did we decide is going to lead this work group?
FC rep: Im sorry?
Stadium rep: The work group, I never heard who is going to lead it.
FC rep: Um, that wasnt on the agenda for today but we
what do we think? Lets bring it up in a bit.
Stadium rep: so, do I talk to you about it or
[Zoom gives notice meeting will end in five minutes]
FC rep: Since we only have five minutes, lets wrap up our previous discussion
The Stadium representative left the meeting confused about who the contact person should be and worried that without organized roles the project progress would not meet the established deadlines for a successful rollout. Several United States FC employees did not understand the need for a formal contact person since they were all working on the same team. Some FC employees also noticed that Stadium employees did not speak up when brainstorming in groups.
To avoid missing the rollout deadline, FC and Stadium has hired you as a consultant to help them figure out what potential cultural barriers might prevent the two companies from collaborating successfully in a workgroup. Specifically, Stadium and FC have asked you to help them understand the disconnect and explain the best way to address this disconnect at their next meeting, so that they can comfortably move forward on the software project. Stadium and FC are both excited to work together and want to maintain strong relations for new software development partnerships. You have scheduled a meeting with both companies to present your findings and suggestions.
Some questions to consider when making recommendations:
What are the leadership styles (egalitarian versus hierarchical) in these various cultures?
For future meetings, what type of communication solutions do you propose FC and Stadium use as two companies of different cultures that have different approaches to workflow and chain of command?
How do Stadium and FC ensure strong relational ties while addressing these miscommunications?
Your Task:
Compose a 2-page, single-spaced, 12-point font, business brief providing Stadium and FC with two recommendations for working together on this venture. Since you are a consultant, be mindful of your tone; you should recommend, not dictate action.
Note: you will need to cite 4 different sources in APA on your references page. Your references page will not count towards the 2-page requirement. When citing sources, use parenthetical citations, not footnotes. The readings cited below are all in APA format but remove the hyperlinks when you cite.
Sources:
attached below