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Case Study: The Vigilance Project
University of the People
BUS 5113: Organizational Theory and Behavior
Dr. Carol Hirko
October 07, 2020
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Case Study: The Vigilance Project
Why is this case about Team Conflict? What conflicts do you see developing?
This case is about team conflict because this is about a team that is integrated from the
United States and France. This began with a merger where two companies merged. The U.S.
team had worked on a project called Perspective prior to the merger, and they knew a lot of
information that they felt they could contribute to the new project called Vigilance. The Project
leader, Didier was from France, and he was autocratic as far as leadership style. He did not want
input from outsiders. He would cancel important meetings. Frank Lanigan tried to redirect and
give a communication plan that was declined by Didier. Frank became angry, upset, frustrated,
and more withdrawn. This was the beginning of the team conflict developing between the U.S.
team members and the French team members.(Dominick, 2008)
How is distance affecting team dynamics and performance?
The distance between the teams is affecting the performance because they are not
meeting regularly. Didier is leaving very little time to discuss anything that is not on his agenda.
He is an autocratic leader. I believe that both countries also have different cultures and this
presents a problem for the team to work together. The U.S. core team members feel that their
ideas were given little or no consideration by Didier. One comment made by a team member
was “Don’t provide your opinion until asked – at which point they will tell you what your
opinion is.” (Dominick, 2008) Didier responded negatively to any suggestions from any input
from the team that had dealt with Perspective, and he considered it as Taboo. Didier stopped
discussions and the Americans felt isolated.(Dominick, 2008)
When the Americans thought they may have felt they had a chance at having an open
communication line with the French team at the face-to-face meeting by having a brief cross-
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culture awareness workshop, but too much disappointed, they learned that it was
canceled. Didier had said that upper management had canceled the workshop but it turned out
that Didier, himself, had canceled it. The American team had distrust towards leadership and
started to withdraw.(Dominick, 2008)
What do you think about the decision to appoint sub-team sponsors? What
problem can it solve? Which problems might not be solved?
I can understand why Lance chose to appoint sub-team sponsors to try to mediate the
conflicts within the team but I don’t think it would solve the autocratic tendencies that Didier
had. According to Fiegenbaum, dominance, compromise, and confrontation “involve managers
getting involved by mediating, calling people out, making an executive decision or forcing a
mediation with hopes for collaborative solutions.” (Fiegenbaum, n.d.) I believe that these were
Lance’s intentions, however some problems that might not be resolved, is the way the Didier
is domineering in not allowing communication amongst the teams from the U.S. and
France. Didier feels that his way is the only way to be successful and refuses to hear or desires
any input from the American team members. I believe that Lance and upper management
should have counseled him. I believe this would have made a positive impact on the Americans
who have been frustrated and ignored for such a long time. This could have given the team an
opportunity to be more open-minded to suggestion and experience. (Dominick, 2008)
In addition to technical skills, what does this case study say about the kinds of skills
that must be considered when staffing important projects?
The kind of skills that must be considered are:
Leadership style
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o The leadership style of the project manager is very important. You want someone
who is a coach and is a strong leader in his/her area of expertise. They must not
only know the importance of the project but also know how to carry it out.
Communication
o This skill goes hand in hand with leadership style. The project manager must be
able to communicate the vision for the project and be able to carry it through and
to communicate with all members of the team.
Team Management
o Management of the team regardless of where they are located is extremely
important. They must help engage all team members. They should facilitate the
team to come up with decisions and deliver the end result.
Time Management
o Time management is always a must as a skill for project management. Deadlines
must be met and always communicated to the team.
Critical Thinking
o Management must be able to logically structure arguments before coming to
decisions. This a very important skill that management must have and they must
come up with pros and cons before making a decision.
Negotiation
o Negotiation skills are a must when working on a project. This helps resolve
conflicts within a team. This is something that Didier lacked. He thought by
controlling the project he would have to not have to negotiate any terms within
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the team. This only led to frustration and withdrawal from the team.(Seymour,
n.d.)
What conflict negotiation skills are most appropriate for this case?
I believe that using an integrative negotiation approach would be the most appropriate for
this case. There are many cultural differences and the Americans also have a past history of
working on a project together, and they could have some very valuable input in the current
project. If they use an integrative approach to show the French project manager that they have a
common goal and show the valuable knowledge they have, then they could be more successful in
coming to a middle ground with the project manager.(PON Staff, 2019)
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References
Dominick, P. G. (2008). The vigilance project - case overview. Society for Human Resource
Management.
https://web.stevens.edu/ses/documents/fileadmin/documents/pdf/The_Vigilance_Project_
Student_Workbook_Final.pdf
Fiegenbaum, E. (n.d.). Organizational Conflict Theory. Small Business Chron.com.
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/organizational-conflict-theory-4874.html
PON Staff. (2019, March 21). Four conflict negotiation strategies for resolving value-based
disputes. PON at Harvard Law. https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/dispute-
resolution/four-negotiation-strategies-for-resolving-values-based-disputes/
Seymour, S. (n.d.). What are the most important skills for a project manager and why?
Financesonline.com. https://financesonline.com/important-skills-project-manager/
