Assignment Task:
READ: Harvard Business Review Case Study: Culture Clash in the Boardroom
This discussion is a continuation of last week's Individual Case Study.
Last week, Dolf Schulman asked for your advice on several issues facing Almond Chemical's partner company, Chongquing No. 2 Chemical Company.
Agreement was reached in several areas:
They will continue to place a priority on employee safety, recognizing that there are cost-containing alternatives to current practices. Moving forward, they will maintain German national standards for production facilities, and work with companies in China to develop cost-effective safety equipment on par with the German standard.
The joint venture will continue not allowing commissions or gifts.
Rather than the more expensive SAP software, the joint venture will implement more cost-effective, compatible software.
No decision has been reached regarding the role of the finance director.
As HR-VP for the joint venture, you have a role to play in helping to clarify and implement the re-unified direction of the joint venture.
Based on what you have learned in this lesson and your knowledge of labor-management relations, respond to the following two questions:
What are the implications of the policy clarifications listed above?
What key steps can HR provide to assist with these clarifications and their implementation?