Recommendation for Greg James in Sun Microsystem Case Study

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3. Executive summary

Cross-cultural units and companies structured around such units apparently pose numerous advantages, including a rich talent pool, edge over competition, invention, efficiency, and improved capability of offering diverse services/products. Nevertheless, firms adopting this strategy encounter several difficulties like disputes, communication and integration related issues and setbacks.

In this paper, Greg James and his company, Sun Microsystems, will be examined. James is currently the company’s data recovery and protection department leader. In spite of being recognized as a competitive firm and a creative hub, Sun Microsystems has encountered numerous instances of failure. Thus, the many structural issues plaguing the company will be identified and solutions put forward.

4. Introduction

Adopting a team-based strategy for organizational problem resolution aids companies in making the most of personnel strengths, while minimizing their shortcomings. In such a company, personnel tasked with particular responsibilities are grouped into project units required to carry out particular activities (Baligh, 2006). Leaders can ensure optimal product/service development, process improvement and customer support coverage. Marginal oversight and low overheads permit opportunity maximization and threat prevention.

Workplace diversity includes numerous aspects. Companies may be either positively or negatively impacted by linguistic, ethnic, religious, socioeconomic and age differences. Successful diversity management constitutes the basis of leveraging benefits and minimizing the drawbacks of workplace diversity.

This research will examine cross-cultural team-based corporate structure in relation to Sun Microsystems, with an aim to ascertain gaps and recommend better means of dealing with emergent problems.

4.1. Context (Background)

Sun Microsystems adopts a cross-cultural team-based corporate structure. Data recovery and protection department leader, Greg James, encounters numerous challenges, with the greatest ones being ineffective coordination and communication. The firm boasts a rich pool of qualified, talented professionals who have ensured the company stays at the forefront in the areas of market competition and innovation. It delivers solutions in real time to its global clients. In spite of the above strengths, it struggles in the areas of corporate structure and human resource management.

Among the customers that have suffered the most due to Sun Microsystems’ failures is HS Holdings. Its two-hour system collapse led to major financial losses for the company. All endeavors, thus far, to acquire a solution from James and his company, have been in vain. Consequently, HS Holdings has decided to go to court and thus get compensated for their lost earnings.

4.2. Purpose

This case study aims at analyzing the structural issues and fortes of Sun Microsystems and coming up with modifications to be implemented for improved functioning. In short, the paper attempts to detect the company’s ‘ailment’ and offer a suitable ‘treatment’ recommendation.

5. Discussion

Pros and cons of cross-cultural units and corporations structured around such units:

Team based organizational structures

Advantages

Less Management

Decreased management layers ensures personnel engage in decision-making without having to acquire the approval of several entities (Duggan, 2017). Consequently, administrative expenses decreases, processes are effectively streamlined, personnel feel more empowered and they experience a morale boost. As individuals in a team have a common aim, they remain focused on their duty instead of engaging in trivial interdepartmental disputes that waste the management’s resources and time.

Improved Relationships

Team work entails sharing responsibility for finishing tasks on time. In case a particular individual is unable to finish his appointed work, a team mate may pitch in.

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Subsequently, the task is completed come what may (Duggan, 2017). The formulation of a thorough duties and tasks matrix helps teams explicitly define accountability, guaranteeing no discord or misunderstanding crops up.

Increased Productivity

Teamwork ensures boosts in innovation and inventiveness via process improvement and brainstorming sessions. Rather than paying emphasis to personal accomplishment, a team endeavors to accomplish a shared objective (like service/product creation and delivery) (Duggan, 2017).

Balance

Team-based firms can ensure projects are equipped with complementary resources. Meredith Belbin, a management specialist, asserts that effective teams are composed of action-, thought-, and people- oriented individuals (Duggan, 2017). The former stimulate peers to complete tasks in a timely manner and improve processes.

Disadvantages

Delays

Teams seem to come up with more superior ideas, but this normally requires devotion of more time to decision-making. Regular meetings are required for project goal discussion, role allocation and discussion of issues and appropriate solutions. This process is more time-consuming as compared to a single individual’s examination and decision-making (Kokemuller, n.d.). Furthermore, regular meetings offering scant progress towards the desired objective may delay task completion.

Training and Support

It is no easy task to create an efficient team. Firms that enjoy success in this regard normally have to provide relevant support and training, including training personnel on effective, professional and efficient issue/dispute resolution (Kokemuller, n.d), and organizing forums and virtual rooms for the team.

Conflicts

Friction is unavoidable in teams. It normally aids brainstorming sessions by shaking out highly creative ideas (Kokemuller, n.d). But ineffective conflict management may lead to disputes becoming personal and creating fallings-out (Kokemuller, n.d).

Assessment

Establishment of team targets and performance evaluation is complex (Kokemuller, n.d). Human resource leaders and their subordinates need to ascertain apt motivators to ensure personnel achieve team aims (Simons, 2012). Certain organizations employ personnel assessment measures integrating individual and team performance while others adopt a team-based incentive structure, awarding individuals when the whole team attains established production, sales or service standards.

Cross-cultural teams

Advantages

Less Overhead Management

Lateral team-based companies resemble conventional lateral companies as regards structure. They are associated with decreased overhead management, which reduces decision-making and idea/process adoption delays (Writing, 2017). The absence of a long command chain for acquiring idea approval ensures lateral, team-based companies can effect required alterations and respond swiftly to evolving market conditions.

Teamwork

Sharing of accountability in teams ensures decisions may be made swiftly by a minimum number of members. While specific members are assigned to required areas of study, change implementation or other areas, others remain focused on the present business practice or situation (Writing, 2017).

Eliminate Delays

Teams may enjoy greater success at raising concerns before managers and not risking management repercussions, which are easier if the concern is voiced by a….....

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