Page 94 - Harnessing the Strengths

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DILEMMA 3:

PARTS VERSUS THE WHOLE

Challenge
Besides his responsibilities for EMEA, Peter Webber also
sometimes has to work with the international organization
of Cloverpill. A few years ago, Cloverpill decided to inter-
nationalize its operations. During the fi rst phase of opera-
tions, some important departments, such as R&D, had
been moved from the Midwest (USA) to France, renowned
for its excellent education in the fi eld of chemicals. On the
other hand, sales were especially promising in the Asian
“Tiger Economies” and in the United States, in contrast
to declining sales in EMEA. During the last management
meeting in Chicago, Peter spoke about the need for more
consistency between Cloverpill Inc. and EMEA.
In the past, the Europeans worked in Europe and the
Americans worked in the United States, but due to interna-
tionalization of the market, there are more and more mul-
ticultural teams, and intercontinental mobility is greater
than ever.
The American HR manager proposed initiating a
proven, individualistic incentive system worldwide to
increase the productivity of the entire staff. This system

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