[Your first name - initial of middle name and last name with titles (like Mr. or Dr.)]
[Your institute/university’s name goes here]
- Analyze the personality and temperament of Joseph Thomas.
Joseph Thomas, the Vice-President of operations in GPS-to-Go, seems to be high on temperament but low on personality. Taking up near to impossible challenges looks his biggest plus to show that he is the man to lead any team to success. Howbeit, his personality or absence of it, lack of communication skills and spiritless convincing power are dragging him back. As revealed in this case study, he always had idea that Unit Manufacturing Cost (UMC) will be a biggest issue in feasibility of consumer products of GPS-to-Go but was never able to convince his CEO, Michel Scott. During Offsite meeting, he raised some valid points by applying his managerial skills. On the other hand, lack of communication skills and confidence denied him any say in actual planning and decision. He planned ahead to contact contract manufacturers, which is a good sign for a leader in a way. Advance planning always helps in project management but his personal deficiencies denied him the ultimate goal. Even when the new features were implemented out of the plan, which actually added dollars in the UMC, he neither communicated with his workers, nor resisted his upper management to stop such added-expenses. His leadership style, more of delegtive and not participative, is not helping him either. In a nutshell, he has a temperament to be a successful leader because his focus is on dos, but his personality is not helping him to achieve the goals because he doesn’t know how to communicate or convince or challenge anyone.
- Separate the four (4) steps in the project life cycle and comment about how Joseph Thomas moved through them.
First step in the project life cycle is the project initiation. For GPS-to-Go, the child company of Global GPS, first step itself was the biggest challenge as they never entertained consumer market of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) before. Their main draws were government and retail applications. However, encouraging demand for GPS in the year(s) to come was the main directive for the company to target consumer market as well. That was really promising sign alongside company’s premium featured products but Joseph knew that company’s product development history, which involved lack of time-management and urgency, would be the big factor to go against the plans. But, he never raised his voice against Scott to convince him that it’s quite possible to design and produce products before Consumer Electronics Show (CMS) with army of brilliant engineers and employees, but then UMC will be out of the proposed one if too many features are imported in current designs. From step one, he had ideas about unrealistic approach of Scott but never had guts to convince his CEO about more practical moves. Offsite meeting and few other gatherings were the part of step two, which is project planning. Joseph or Marketing manager Dolce, even after some heated arguments, had no actual influence in actual product portfolio. Scott dictated the terms and he decided everything based on his assumptions. Dolce tried her level best to convince Scott that channel discounts, channels partners and UMC would add to actual cost of the products would be way up than the proposed one. On the contrary, Scott felt that teenagers and twentysomethings will be ready to spend extra money for products’ premium features. Mr. Thomas always knew that Dolce’s point was right but he didn’t intervened in Scott’s proposal. Had he raised his voice in that meeting to support marketing manager over UMC and other costs, UMC debacle would have never happened.
When project execution started, Joseph Thomas wanted to develop a common architecture for all three products to avoid duplication of efforts to eventually reduce the costs and offer better design and service but rigid date set by Scott denied him that luxury. At this point, Joseph should have approached his CEO to explain possible problems but he never did that. He felt everything will fall in the place without actually putting the efforts. Thanks to the teams of talented employees, prototypes of the products were ready within six months and Scott was really happy. Real problem aroused during testing phase though. Beta units were tested by everyone and new features were added. Addition of new features means added cost. Joseph failed to spot this issue during third step of the project life cycle and went on with the next step. Marginal cost calculations hick-ups are normal in the real world but when here in this case, actual cost for Go I GPS was almost double than target cost and then add labor cost, fixed costs and variable costs to it. Joseph, who always presumed this coming but never intervened, now felt that it’s impossible to move an inch without a meeting just to realize it was too late then. The point that he should have raised in the first step of project cycle, he dragged it till project closure, which is a forth step. GPS-to-Go UMC debacle was purely a case of poor project management by Joseph Thomas, not because of limited information, but because of absence of personality traits and wrong leadership style.
- Assume that Joseph will lead teams for the three Garmin product launches. Determine the most appropriate personality traits that Thomas should adopt to successfully lead each team or all teams altogether.
Leading teams for three different products is never an easy task. Joseph has experience of working with GPS giant like GPS-to-Go for years, which is the most favorable factor before the assignment. Though, he need to adapt to some of the personality traits as explained here to avoid any debacle in his next assignment.
- In GPS-to-Go case study, we have noted that Joseph loses focus from the problem when new problem occurs. Lack of focus can damage the planning and execution during the project management. So, he must focus on the problem in hand while also preparing the plans for problems to come.
- Self-confidence or courage to commit is another trait that Joseph should adjust to. There is no harm in approaching upper management or even CEO when you see adapted tactics not working in a planned manner. Joseph must have confidence on his research, talent, experience and skills to prove a point.
- Joseph must become communicator in order to lead his teams to success. Earlier, we have seen him having ample knowledge and data to communicate and oppose Scott, but he refused to do that, may be because of his introvert personality. If that doesn’t come naturally to him, he needs to learn and develop it. Communicating doesn’t always mean opposing, it also mean conveying and convincing. To get hold of the participative leadership style, which is the most effective one in my opinion, he must become a better communicator.
- Problem-solving is another trait that is must for any leader. Leaders should always have occupied mind to think ideas and solutions, and that’s why they are placed at higher position. Leading three product launches means too many moving pieces and too many contingencies for Joseph. He must solve each managerial or strategic or tactical puzzle thrown at him to come out winning.
- Lunching a product is a lengthy process and quite demanding one as well. Here, we are talking about three products under one leader, Joseph Thomas. He must raise his energy level to lead the groups of employees and marketers for the success.
- Last but only the list, learning from the previous mistakes can really help a lot. Joseph has faced debacles in his career and he knows that even the smallest mistake can put the launches way-off the track. Humans do mistake but the one who amend for it by learning maximum comes out all guns blazing.
- Put yourself in the shoes of Joseph Thomas and discuss what you would do differently.
References:
Lewin, K., Lippit, R. and White, R.K. (1939). Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally
McCall, M.W. Jr. and Lombardo, M.M. (1983). Off the track: Why and how successful executives get derailed. Greenboro, NC: Centre for Creative Leadership.
Pillittere, A. (2009). Ivey Management Services. GPS-to-Go Take on Garmin.
Stogdill, R.M. (1974). Handbook of leadership: A survey of the literature, New York: Free Press created social climates. Journal of Social Psychology, 10, 271-301.
Viitala, Riitta (2005). ‘Perceived development needs of managers compared to an integrated management competency model'. Journal of Workplace Learning Vol. 17 No. 7, 2005. pp. 436-451. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
