Question

Case
1- Question

1: What mistakes did Chalon make as he took over this large

Backgr
North
American division
ound
q Proble
Question 2: What differences in American value systems and French value systems might be at the root
CASE
ms:
of the difculties Chalon is facing as he implements a new strategy? (B)
Lot of challenges are being faced by
BACKGROU
Chalon ; Leadership style being
q Olivier
ND Chalon moves to Greenville, South California to lead a FRANCE
questioned is the acceptance
Professionalism
Set up
performance reviews for sales team
division
of monthly
4,000 people
and was very critical about poor achievement
qFor
Successful
career
him minimum
standard of achievement was 110%
thus
far:
of capabilities
Trained as an engineer at one of Frances prestigious
Always upfront and very demanding and didnt want to
Grandes
Ecoles by
Started
at an European oil company
encourage
complacency
praising

EvenifLived
100%and
people
didnt
to in
histhe
plans
worked
foragree
6 years
U.Khe took

it for granted and instead of asking for their views

wentahead
Worked in 6 different countries Speaks four
Bluntlanguages
in disapproving if he didnt get detailed reports
or information which he was expecting
Tried to hide his expressions even if he was pleased
with results
q
Current situation at Michelin:
Gave a feeling of being distant and cold by finding it
Trailing behind competitors
inappropriate to discuss about family
Poor sales and financial results in past several
quarters
BCG has recommended change of strategy in
tyre service business
In 2004, hired Chalon to implement a
turnaround and reinvent the
business by dealing with various stakeholders

Jeff Armstrong, the HR head, conveyed

of outsiders
him that
colleagues
and
subordinates
Business
people
are very
formal
complained
his management style
Powerful
CEOs about
Generally
centralized
Organizations
He
is having trouble motivating his
Meetings
: Direct and open
subordinates
Chalon need to turn the division around
within 2 years

UNITEDare
STATES
OF AMERICA?
Companies
organized
and structured in
q Subordinates see him as Blunt

many different
Arrogant Distant
styles depending upon company History,
Demoralising
Industry and Management
Lacking
People skills
Business people do
not expect
formal attitude
Power Distance : People in US generally do not
accept and expect that leader forces decision on
them
Indulgence : US is a society that accepts relatively
free gratification of basic and natural human
desires related to enjoying life and having fun
compared with France

Question 2Question
Case 5: What specific steps would you recommend that Chalon take in order to turn this situation

Question 1
Backgr
ound
Call Up
an initial meeting to:

address the situation;

around?

Question 2
Question 5

Question 3

Question 4

Hall's
Cultural
let the subordinates know that from now on sincere efforts would be taken from Chalons side
Factors
Factor
High-context

Lowcontext
Many covert and implicit
Many overt
and explicit
culture
Foster a relationship built on mutual trust.
messages, with use of
messages that are simple
Once the subordinates feel that Chalon is making
efforts to adapt
US scenario, they would
probably
metaphor
and to
reading
and
clearput efforts from their
side too
between themodel
lines of
Trompenaars'

Assist: Open theOvertness

door to give
opinions and solve the big issues
or problems
Context
of messages
culture

Prioritize & Organize: Dont overstretch the stretch goals, give them one after the other

national culture diferences

Dimension
Implement
a top-down and bottom-up feedback mechanism

Question 4: Should he try to adapt his style to be more American in the way he provides feedback and leads this
eam? Or should
Characteristics
he try to remain
authentic
and consistent
the way helives
provides
feedback in the hope that his
People
keep
work andinpersonal
separate.
merican team will be able to adjust to his style? What are the risks of using either (or both) approach?

Spec
Believe that relationships don't have much of an impact on work
ific One of the major
Adaptability:
characteristics of successful leader
objectives
toGood
relationships
important
but
they
that people can work
Making one person adapt
the culture
is easier thanare
trying
to impose the
status
quo believe
on 4000 employees
together
without
having between
a good relationship
People see
an overlap
their work and personal life.
Constructive Criticism: Positives should be highlighted more than negatives

Dif
use

Believe that good relationships are vital to meeting business objectives,

and that their relationships with others will be the same, whether they
are at work or meeting socially.
People spend time outside work hours with colleagues and clients

Personal Connection: Ask about employees family life

Praise for hard work & effort rather than pointing small mistakes & enlarging them to reach perfection

Mutual Misreading: Talk with employees & help them decode his message in the way he wanted to convey

Socialization beyond work : Get to know the colleagues better

Associated Risk: To fill the gap between his staffs and him, he needs to share his personal information which is beyond his
comfort zone

Old style of feedback

Provided very little or no positive feedback

Relentless when asked for improvement

Straightforward with criticism

Had a direct style

Three negative remark for every positive work

Expected counter arguments from sub-ordinates

Not enquiring whether subordinates actually agreed

Upfront with disapproval of expectation

Not showing appreciation

CONS for old style of feedback

Subordinates will remain demotivated

He may lose valuable resources from the team

Negative feedback will eventually lower team performance

No relationship would get developed between Chalon & his subordinates

May hamper to achieve end results

He wont be able to gain trust and goodwill among his team members
Question 3: Now that Chalon is aware of how his American staf perceive his management style, what steps
would you recommend that he take in order to improve the way he motivates his staf?

Encourage initiative taking: Three positives for every negative

Constructive feedback: Appreciate completed task and recognize changes for improvement

Praises at every stage of work: Address the situations e.g. interaction with subordinates

Praise in public and criticize in private: Dont expect counter-argument from subordinates

Should not mind the amalgamation of personal and professional life

Foster the friendly environment within the office by indulging with peers and subordinates