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Case study

Scenario

“Jolly Advertising” is a very large and successful advertising business. It employs nearly eighty people and has many important clients. It has just landed a big advertising campaign for a new chain of clothes stores catering for the teenage market.

Mr Jolly, the owner of “Jolly Advertising” has chosen Jason to be the team leader for the advertising campaign for the new client. The aim is to make the best impression so that this new client will choose “Jolly Advertising” for all its future advertising. Mr Jolly chose Jason for this role because he displays all the good qualities of a team leader, including his ability to

• enthusiastically motivate people
• make good, creative suggestions
• offer solutions to problems
• focus on the need of the organisation
• take responsibility
• recognise the talents of the workers
• see the bigger picture and plan for it
• be patient and reliable
• be approachable and consider all suggestions
• manage time well
• be realistic.

The team, consisting of ten people, is working to a tight schedule and only has four weeks to complete the whole advertising campaign. All is going to plan under Jason’s leadership until two team members, Sandy and Peter, have a disagreement about a layout. Jason steps in and sorts it out. From that point onwards, Sandy and Peter decide that they don’t like each other any more and refuse to co-operate with each other. The work starts getting behind schedule. It all gets out of hand in a very short period of time and Sandy and Peter become very close to throwing punches.

Jason decides to run a training session on conflict resolution as Sandy and Peter’s continual differences of opinion are starting to affect everyone. Jason explains the five main strategies of conflict management

1. Avoidance – to ignore the problem, a lose-lose situation.
2. Submission – to give up or give in and comply with demands in order to diffuse the conflict.
3. Force – to try to impose demands by using power, winner takes all situation.
4. Compromise – to meet each other half way, the middle ground.
5. Collaboration – to work together to achieve the outcomes for both parties, a win-win situation.

As a result of the conflict between Sandy and Peter, the team has fallen behind. Jason calls a meeting to discuss priorities and re-evaluate the team’s goals. Communication skills are vital at this point. The group brainstorms ideas and after some lengthy discussion, identifies some new goals for the team. They identify the tasks required to achieve these goals and determine the time needed to complete each one. Jason allocates new responsibilities to each team member to ensure these goals are met, splitting up Sandy and Peter. It is decided that everyone will meet together again in three days time to review the progress being made.

For a team to be successful, the members need to

• be committed to the team’s goals
• be able to communicate and share ideas with each other
• be co-operative with each other
• trust each other
• give support to each other
• have a positive attitude.

Obviously the first team chosen by Jason did not fulfil these qualities but he is sure that he has the right team now. He often gives each member positive feedback and assures them that assistance to complete tasks is at hand if required.

The advertising campaign is finished on time, despite the trouble between Sandy and Peter. The client is very happy with the job and ensures the company that they will be back again.

Jason calls a meeting of all team members to evaluate the team’s performance, including

• the goals set and whether they were achieved
• how the group worked together and what combinations of people were most successful working together
• which tasks were completed well and which ones were difficult to complete and why
• whether appropriate resources were available to complete the tasks

The group had the opportunity to discuss their concerns and what they thought might help them next time.

Questions

1. How should Jason have intervened in the conflict Sandy had with Peter?
2. What do you think could have happened if the conflict between Sandy and Peter was insoluble?
3. Describe the communication skills that would be vital at the point when the team starting falling behind in their work and Jason called a team meeting?
4. The case study lists the good qualities of a team leader. List the qualities that each member of the team should possess in order to contribute to the success of the team.
5. List the factors that a team leader should take into account when choosing the members of a team.

Answers are not provided. Discuss your responses with your teacher or fellow students.

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