Scott Bell, VP R&D
The Problem The management team. We used to get together, argue and toss ideas around. But five months ago Johnson blows a fuse about the company’s flagging performance and now we come to meetings and nod our heads. So the solution being floated is cross-functional teams. If we can’t get things done as a management team how are cross-functional teams going to work? The Solution The ultimate cross-functional team in any company is the leadership team. That’s the group with the expertise and the big picture view. But at best our leadership team is a reporting team: here’s what we’ve done, here’s what we are doing next month, here’s what we’re going to cut. So the first job is to get the leadership team back on track. The Challenge Ahead It’s not complicated. There are only a couple of people holding us back. Get them in or get them out and things will improve. Of course, I’ll do anything I can to help. GlobalTech’s New Direction I’ve been here since the get-go and we’ve made it through tough times. But then we had a vision and a commitment to excellence in research. Smith wants to change that. So I’m not overly optimistic about where we’re going. Consultants When Brian announced he was bringing you guys in, all I could think about waswe’re doing cuts andwe’re spending money on consultants. Really. But maybe we need a third party who can be objective and help Brian and Jennifer realize the value of our technology asset. So welcome.
Your Motivation I like new ideas and pushing the limits of technology. And I like the fact that my name’s on over a dozen patents from the work I’ve done here. This place has cutting edge technology and I like to think I’ve had a hand in it. Thoughts on Teams Teams aren’t new. We’ve had teams since day 1. Look, you can’t run a research department without teams. Is that team-based management? I guess. Marketing could learn a lot from us. If they could market our products half as well as we develop them, we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in. Leadership Team Here are the facts. Johnson and Smith have cut my research budget this year by 30%. That’s right: 30. The only real competitive advantage we have is our cutting- edge technology and they suck out 30%. And the kicker? The guys in the lab blame me.
12
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs