Read the case study and answerthe questions

When many people think of a traditional, established company,they think of IBM. IBM has been famous for its written andunwritten rules—such as its no-layoff policy, its focus onindividual promotions and achievement, the expectation of lifetimeservice at the company, and its requirement of suits and whiteshirts at work. The firm was one of the mainstays of the “man in agray flannel suit” corporate culture in the United States. Timeshave certainly changed. IBM has clients in 170 countries and nowdoes two-thirds of its business outside the United States. As aresult, it has overturned virtually all aspects of its old culture.One relatively new focus is on teamwork. While IBM uses work teamsextensively, like almost all large organizations, the way it doesso is unique. To foster appreciation of a variety of cultures andopen up emerging markets, IBM sends hundreds of its employees tomonth-long volunteer project teams in regions of the world wheremost big companies don’t do business. Al Chakra, a softwaredevelopment manager located in Raleigh, North Carolina, was sent tojoin GreenForest, a furniture manufacturing team in Timisoara,Romania. With Chakra were IBM employees from five other countries.Together, the team helped GreenForest become more computer-savvy toincrease its business. In return for the IBM team’s assistance,GreenForest was charged nothing. This is hardly altruism at work.IBM firmly believes these multicultural, multinational teams aregood investments. First, they help lay the groundwork foruncovering business in emerging economies, many of which might beexpected to enjoy greater future growth than mature markets.Stanley Litow, the IBM VP who oversees the program, also thinks ithelps IBMers develop multicultural team skills and an appreciationof local markets. He notes, “We want to build a leadership cadrethat learns about these places and also learns to exchange theirdiverse backgrounds and skills.” Among the countries where IBM hassent its multicultural teams are Turkey, Tanzania, Vietnam, Ghana,and the Philippines. As for Chakra, he was thrilled to be selectedfor the team. “I felt like I won the lottery,” he said. He advisedGreenForest on how to become a paperless company in 3 years andrecommended computer systems to boost productivity and increaseexports to western Europe. Another team member, Bronwyn Grantham,an Australian who works at IBM in London, advised GreenForest aboutsales strategies. Describing her team experience, Grantham said,“I’ve never worked so closely with a team of IBMers from such awide range of competencies.”

Required Questions:

Question 01: If you calculate the person-hours devoted to IBM’steam projects, they amount to more than 180,000 hours of managementtime each year. Do you think this is a wise investment of IBM’shuman resources? Why or why not?

Question 02: Why do you think IBM’s culture changed from formal,stable, and individualistic to informal, impermanent, andteam-oriented?

Question 03: Would you like to work on one of IBM’smulticultural, multinational project teams? Why or why not?

Question 04: Multicultural project teams often face problemswith communication, expectations, and values. How do you think someof these challenges can be overcome?