Case Study: Franklin Equipment, Ltd. Q1. Evaluate the criteria FEL uses to assign managers to project teams. What efficiencies do these criteria create? What are the resulting problems?

FEL assigns managers to project teams based on the manager’s areas of expertise and availability. Expertise is essential given that the type of work is highly differentiated on each project team and requires very specific skills. Many of these skills are so-called “hard” rather than “soft” people skills and require years of experience, advanced degrees, and certification; they are not something that can be learned on the job (such as engineering). A manager must have a proven track record to handle a high-profile project. Managers are also assigned based upon existing commitments. This ensures that employees are not overworked and spread too thin. There is little point having a large and capable workforce if it is not used to its maximum advantage. Many of the projects are sufficiently arduous to demand a manager’s exclusive attention.

The downside is that managers often have little discretion about whom to assign to their team, which does not necessarily mean that the ideal match of personalities and skill sets can be assembled. Although hard skills and technical qualifications may be needed to work on a project, such skills alone will not...

Finally, simply because someone recently concluded his or her most recent project does not necessarily mean he or she is optimal for the team. Scheduling alone will not build a work team.
Q2. Why is it even more important that project team members work well together on international projects such as Project Abu Dhabi?

As noted by Larson & Gray (2014) on international projects, the financial risks to the organization are far more considerable than ones which are purely domestic in nature. This is due to the inevitable red tape and cultural conflicts which often arise, so finding the right personality mix is even more critical. Time is often at a premium on such projects, and one facet of the project is often critically dependent upon the other. With an international project, political instability and other unpredictable factors can often disrupt the timetable. There cannot be any lost time due to personality conflicts and every member of the team must have the project’s agenda, not their own biases and personal preferences, at the forefront of their consciousness. This project is located in a high-context culture, which means that astute understanding of the cultural environment…