Greg James

1. 1. How well has James managed his global team?
2. Who is responsible for the HS Holding crisis?
3. What role did the “open work” play on this team?
4. What will you do in short run and long run, if you were in James’s role?
Executive Summary
In the case “Managing a Global Team: Greg James at Sun Microsystems, Inc. (A)”Tsedal Neeley
states that lack of inappropriate communication, leadership and decision-making is root of
the crisis of HS Holdings. Overall, cultural diversity is based on the idea that cultural identities should
not be discarded or ignored but rather maintained and valued. In view of this, diverse cultural
differences can result in organizational problems. Firstly, identify James’ techniques to manage his
global team and recognize the root of problems. Secondly, identify James should be responsible for
the crisis of HS Holdings because of miscommunication and improper leadership. Thirdly, defining
the important role of open work environment and diversity play in the case in order to focus on
improvement of this two. Fourthly, finding out short-term development and long-term development
for James to match solving organizational problem. At the end, summing all findings in a conclusion
1: Howwell has James managed his global team?
Short Introduction to James Mentioning James,
He is an unquestionable technical elites. After he earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer
Engineering from Stanford University, he chose to work for the Sun Inc.Within four years,he had risen
in the Data Protection and Recovery Department. Five years later, he achieved the Sun outstanding
Manager award.
Greg James took to solve the problem that triggered the crisis in the “Managing the global
commands. Greg James at Sun Microsystems, Inc (A) “We will see how James solves the problems
associatedwith the processin the context of his team and to create a cohesive teamto help them to work
effectively together. We also learn whether James successfulin making it a global team to a new level
of performance and customer service
o Twelve months earlier, Jameshad recruited his 45-person teamcomposed of member she hoped
to use the program of open work to establish his team.
o In a series of aspects related to work, he deals with them in different ways.
o James had kept in touch with his direct reports many times during the week. Because difference
of the four areas, he had about compensation mismatch and vacation, faced to the complain
about different welfares and treatments from members from different areas,James tried his best
to explain according to the situation and make the situation more equitable under local labor
laws.
o James realized that there was equal-opportunity disgruntlement among the sub teams. After he
had pressed his members, James had learned that the team members feared that they would be
deemed incompetent. In fact, they have to increase the chance of communicate such as face-to
face interaction.

2. o At last, James had cringed when he was accused of playing favorites with his US team.
Members of the three non-US teams felt that they were copied only as an afterthought.
o It seems that James spent more time on focusing on the US team.
Answerof questionno2.
 By consideringthe wholecase ,no single personwasresponsibleforthe crisis.Itwasdue to
lack of understandingbetweenthe global teams.Everyteamwastryingtoprove itsown
worthand to leave behindthe other.
 All teamsare so competitive inanegative waysuchthattheywere not thinkingaboutthe
teamgoal as a whole.Theyonlystickonindividual goalshavingnoconcernaboutthe group.
 There were alsohavinglackof responsibilityespeciallyamongstthe USteammembers.
 Divisionof labourwasnotequal.Teamslike IndiaandFrenchwasoverloadedbecause of
time constraints andqualityof work.
 But if we have to specifyone single personthenitwouldbe NickElliotbecause he movedto
the otherdepartmentwithoutfillingthe dataandinformationinthe queue.
 Whenyouassigna taskin a team, one single personisnotresponsible forthe failure ,itisa
task of the whole team.
5. What role did the “open work” play on this team?
 Open culture allowed them to work from diverse time zones, which
created a problem to many groups for eg: Indians complained about
long working hours. As they had to get briefing from the American
group before 6 a.m and work till late evening.
 Each countries working policy was different then the others this
caused the different groups to think that the other was getting more
importance. For eg: French group was paid 30% less than their
American counterpart. But the French people got salary according to
there own country’s market price .
 As the open culture allowed them to work from anywhere the
employees didn’t have a definite.
Q-3What shouldGregJamesdo inthe short-terminthe long-term?
Short term
- resolve currentinterpersonalissues
- betterdistance collaborationissues
- resolve all technical issues
- sufficientcrisismanagementsystem
o communication
o collaborationbasedonself-initiative neglectingthe aspectof compensation
- communicate compensationandvacationissues
- Greg Jamesshoulddomore cultural awarenesstraining
- questionthe suitabilityof team
long-term
- move the organizationtoa more integratedone,more matrix like

3. - achieve improvedcommunicationstructures
- bettercollaborationstructure forthe workwithpartners
- reviewthe openworkarrangementsforhisteam
o Satisfactionsurveysshow flaws