It had been a nancially tight year for the Grenoble Marketing Company. The company designed printed advertisements and television commercials for its clients. However, with

It had been a financially tight year for the Grenoble Marketing Company. The company designed printed advertisements and television commercials for its clients. However, with a sagging business economy, more and more clients were cutting back on how much they would spend to advertise their products. Grenoble was split fairly evenly between the print medium and the electronic (television) medium sides of the business. The print medium team was known as the “Ink Crowd,” and the electronic medium team went by the nickname “TV Land.” In fact, the employees in the two teams rarely interacted with each other. Each side of the advertising business required very different skills. Each team had separately lobbied the company’s vice president, Anthony Prizzio, to hire someone who would solicit new accounts, a generator of new business. Prizzi knew that getting a new position authorized by the president of Grenoble wouldn’t be easy given the company’s financial position. However, Prizzi was delighted to hear from his boss that Grenoble would approve adding one new position. Prizzi convened the members of the two teams in a rare joint meeting. He told the respective team members that the president had just authorized adding one new person to the company; that person would be responsible for generating new business. Because the print and electronic media were so different, however, it was extremely unlikely that one person could be found who was qualified in both areas. In short, in all likelihood, one team would get a new position and the other wouldn’t. Prizzi decided to foster what he called “healthy competition” between the two teams. Each team would recruit and recommend for hire its top candidate. Prizzio would then have the ultimate authority and responsibility to select the better of the two candidates. It thus behooved each team to put forth as strong a candidate as it could find.

Each team went about its search for the new person. The position was advertised, leads were followed, and the recruitment process was pursued in earnest. In a brief time TV Land settled on its top candidate. The individual was a proven veteran in the field of television advertising, a person who worked for a competitor of Grenoble and was ready for a career move. Everyone in TV Land was very pleased with the choice and felt reasonably confident Prizzio would likewise be impressed. The Ink Crowd was not so quick to announce its top candidate. In fact, two candidates emerged who split the team with regard to its preference. One was established in the field of print advertising and had the reputation of being a consistent revenue producer. The other was younger and less experienced but designed extraordinarily creative and powerful advertising copy. A recipient of an industry award for innovation in printing advertising, this was a “can’t miss” candidate.

Prizzio asked the Ink Crowd for its decision, but neither half would back down from its enthusiastic preference. The Ink Crowd was deeply divided. Each side accused the other of using political tactics, being blind to the obvious talents of the other’s choice, and “sabotaging” their chances in the overall competition with TV Land. The members of the Ink Crowd realized they were embroiled in two competitions—one within their team and one with TV Land. Someone suggested the Ink Crowd put forth both candidates for Prizzio’s consideration. This idea was rebuked by those who said, “If we can’t even make up our own minds about who we like, why wouldn’t Prizzio go with TV Land? They know who they like.” Another suggestion was to ask Prizzio to hire both candidates from the Ink Crowd because both were so good in their own way. This idea brought further criticism. One team member said, “Why not propose that Prizzio hire all three candidates since they are all so terrific? I’ll tell you why not—it’s because we don’t have the money to hire but one of them!” TV Land got word of the conflict going on in the Ink Crowd. TV Land was delighted, believing the conflict only increased the chances for their own candidate. A similar sentiment was expressed by a senior member of the Ink Crowd. “TV Land doesn’t have to beat us. We are killing ourselves.” Meanwhile, Prizzio awaited their response.

Do you believe that Prizzio’s concept of “healthy competition” can be beneficial for Grenoble, or does deliberately pitting teams against each other inevitably produce a divisive outcome? Why do you feel as you do?

Should the Ink Crowd unite behind one of its two candidates “for the good of the team,” or is there a way the within-team conflict might benefit Grenoble?

Consider the concept of the level of analysis. Can a team “win” and the organization “lose” (or vice versa) in this case? Why?

What evidence is there of groupthink operating in this case, and what organizational factors are present that foster its occurrence?

If you were an adviser to the president of the Grenoble Marketing Company, what advice would you give to enhance the long-term success of the company?