The last thing Jonathon Downie had expected to miss about Montego Bay Jamaica, was its sunrises. Seeing one usually meant he had pulled another all nighter at the consulting firm where, as a vice president, he had managed three teams of manufacturing specialists. But as he stood on the balcony of his new apartment in the city that was now his home, Jonathon suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia for the way the dawn plays off the hotels of Montego Bay. In the next moment, though, he let out a sardonic laugh. The dawn light was not what he missed about Montego Bay, he realized. What he missed was the feeling of accomplishment that usually accompanied those sunrises. An all-nighter in Montego Bay had meant hours of intense work with a cadre of committed, enthusiastic colleagues. Give and take. Humor. Progress. Here, so far anyway, that was unthinkable. As the director of strategy at Farecom, a regional fibre glass manufacturer, Jonathon spent all his time trying to get his new team to make it through a meeting without the tension level becoming unbearable. Six of the top-level managers involved seemed determined to turn the company around, but the seventh seemed equally determined to sabotage the process. Forget camaraderie. There had been three meetings so far, and Jonathon hadn't even been able to get everyone on the same side of an issue.  Jonathon stepped inside his apartment and checked the clock: (only three more hours before he had to watch as Phillip Louderbaek, Farecom's charismatic director of sales and marketing, either dominated the group's discussion or withdrew entirely, tapping his pen on the table to indicate his boredom. Sometimes he withheld information vital to the group's debate; other times he coolly denigrated people's comments. Still, Jonathon realized Phillip held the group in such thrall because of his dynamic personality, his almost legendary past, and his close relationship with Farecom's CEO that he could not be ignored. And at least once during each meeting, he offered an insight about the industry or the company that was so perceptive that Jonathon knew he shouldn't be ignored. As he prepared to leave for the office, Jonathon felt the familiar frustration that had started building during the team's first meeting a month earlier. It was then that Phillip had first insinuated, with what sounded like a joke, that he wasn’t cut out to be a team player. "Leaders lead, followers...please pipe down! " had been his exact words, although he had smiled winningly as he spoke, and the rest of the group had laughed heartily in response. No one in the group was laughing now, though, least of all Jonathon. Farecom, Inc., was in trouble—not deep trouble, but enough for its CEO, Tom King, to make strategic repositioning Jonathon’s top and only task. The company, a family-owned maker of parts for speedboats, waterslides, cars and other fibre glass novelties had succeeded for nearly 70 years as a high-quality, high price producer, catering to hundreds of Caribbean and International clients. Year after year, Farecom showed respectable increases at the top and bottom lines, posting $86 million in revenues and $3 million in earnings three years before Jonathon arrived. In the last 15 months, though, sales and earnings had flattened. Tom, a grandnephew of the company’s founder, thought he knew what was happening. Until recently, large national fibreglass companies had been able to make money only through mass production. Now, however, thanks to new technologies in the fibre glassmaking industry, those companies could execute short runs profitably.  Using the information from the case along with appropriate theories, how would judge the leadership qualities of Jonathon as it relates to motivating his team? a. Ensure to evaluate and apply, the most relatable approach(es) to motivation covered in unit 3 that Jonathon can deploy to address team problems in order to get the most out of the new team. 2. Use the information from the case along with appropriate theories that you have studied in this course and evaluate the three most important characteristics Jonathon’s team should have in order to facilitate team cohesiveness. 3. If you were in Jonathon’s position, what you would do to facilitate group development at this stage.

Understanding Business
12th Edition
ISBN:9781259929434
Author:William Nickels
Publisher:William Nickels
Chapter1: Taking Risks And Making Profits Within The Dynamic Business Environment
Section: Chapter Questions
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The last thing Jonathon Downie had expected to miss about Montego Bay Jamaica, was its sunrises. Seeing one usually meant he had pulled another all nighter at the consulting firm where, as a vice president, he had managed three teams of manufacturing specialists. But as he stood on the balcony of his new apartment in the city that was now his home, Jonathon suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia for the way the dawn plays off the hotels of Montego Bay. In the next moment, though, he let out a sardonic laugh. The dawn light was not what he missed about Montego Bay, he realized. What he missed was the feeling of accomplishment that usually accompanied those sunrises. An all-nighter in Montego Bay had meant hours of intense work with a cadre of committed, enthusiastic colleagues. Give and take. Humor. Progress. Here, so far anyway, that was unthinkable. As the director of strategy at Farecom, a regional fibre glass manufacturer, Jonathon spent all his time trying to get his new team to make it through a meeting without the tension level becoming unbearable. Six of the top-level managers involved seemed determined to turn the company around, but the seventh seemed equally determined to sabotage the process. Forget camaraderie. There had been three meetings so far, and Jonathon hadn't even been able to get everyone on the same side of an issue.  Jonathon stepped inside his apartment and checked the clock: (only three more hours before he had to watch as Phillip Louderbaek, Farecom's charismatic director of sales and marketing, either dominated the group's discussion or withdrew entirely, tapping his pen on the table to indicate his boredom. Sometimes he withheld information vital to the group's debate; other times he coolly denigrated people's comments. Still, Jonathon realized Phillip held the group in such thrall because of his dynamic personality, his almost legendary past, and his close relationship with Farecom's CEO that he could not be ignored. And at least once during each meeting, he offered an insight about the industry or the company that was so perceptive that Jonathon knew he shouldn't be ignored. As he prepared to leave for the office, Jonathon felt the familiar frustration that had started building during the team's first meeting a month earlier. It was then that Phillip had first insinuated, with what sounded like a joke, that he wasn’t cut out to be a team player. "Leaders lead, followers...please pipe down! " had been his exact words, although he had smiled winningly as he spoke, and the rest of the group had laughed heartily in response. No one in the group was laughing now, though, least of all Jonathon. Farecom, Inc., was in trouble—not deep trouble, but enough for its CEO, Tom King, to make strategic repositioning Jonathon’s top and only task. The company, a family-owned maker of parts for speedboats, waterslides, cars and other fibre glass novelties had succeeded for nearly 70 years as a high-quality, high price producer, catering to hundreds of Caribbean and International clients. Year after year, Farecom showed respectable increases at the top and bottom lines, posting $86 million in revenues and $3 million in earnings three years before Jonathon arrived. In the last 15 months, though, sales and earnings had flattened. Tom, a grandnephew of the company’s founder, thought he knew what was happening. Until recently, large national fibreglass companies had been able to make money only through mass production. Now, however, thanks to new technologies in the fibre glassmaking industry, those companies could execute short runs profitably. 

  1. Using the information from the case along with appropriate theories, how would judge the leadership qualities of Jonathon as it relates to motivating his team?
    a. Ensure to evaluate and apply, the most relatable approach(es) to motivation
    covered in unit 3 that Jonathon can deploy to address team problems in order to get the most out of the new team.
    2. Use the information from the case along with appropriate theories that you have studied in this course and evaluate the three most important characteristics Jonathon’s team should have in order to facilitate team cohesiveness.
    3. If you were in Jonathon’s position, what you would do to facilitate group development at this stage.
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