MarCom Technologies, Inc. is a $10-million company that manufactures and sells market tracking systems to brick-and-mortar retailers. The marketing team has been dealing with interpersonal issues, attrition, and low morale. One of the assistant directors of marketing spoke to the CEO about the problems in the marketing department, and it was determined that the best course of action would be to retain the services of an outside OD consultant to address and mitigate the issues. The CEO has directed the marketing department managersHugo, Linda, and Grantto meet with you, as the OD consultant, to identify the source of the conflict among the team and identify a plan for making improvements in the department. Your job will be to stimulate a meaningful discussion among the management team, identify the primary issue(s) contributing to the team's discord, and guide the team to consensus toward positive next steps. HUGO: Hugo is director of marketing. He earned his bachelor's in business 35 years ago and has been with MarCom for 9 years, where he has performed well in his position. Hugo's background is in retail sales; he learned the technology aspect through on-the-job training at MarCom. He consistently meets or exceeds sales quotas, and he puts in long hours to ensure that the marketing department is perceived by senior leaders as a high-functioning business unit. However, Hugo has not been promoted, which he believes is because he doesn't have an MBA, like most of the members of the marketing and senior management teams. He feels his team doesn't respect him, so he tends to employ a no-nonsense, authoritarian leadership style.

LINDA: Linda is an assistant director of marketing. She has an MBA, joined MarCom 2 years ago, and quickly excelled in her position. Linda is a "people person" who is full of great ideas, and she has a deep understanding of metrics, digital marketing, creative development, and strategic planning. She would like more creative control over marketing campaigns, but she feels stifled by Hugo's leadership style. GRANT: Grant is an assistant director of marketing. Grant has been with MarCom for 2 years. He joined the company initially as a field technician and worked his way up to his current role in the marketing department. Grant is an expert in the company's technology and systems, and his experience is a significant benefit to the marketing team. Grant is also responsible for helping to oversee costs, efficiency, budgets, and project management. Grant and Linda work together very well, but Grant's communications with Hugo seem to be on an as-needed basis. Grant believes he's an integral member of the team who should be Hugo's right-hand person, but Hugo rarely consults with Grant unless he needs a report or spreadsheet. MARKETING TEAM: There are five other members of the marketing team (who are not participating in the Mursion session). These team members have been under-performing and calling in sick. It's rumored that two team members are looking for other jobs. There is tension in the team of eight people. Linda and Grant believe the issue is due to Hugo's tendency to micromanage the staff, and Hugo believes that it is personality differences within the group (i.e., a lack of effective teamwork). SCENARIO: Linda spoke to the CEO about the problems in the marketing department, and it was determined that the best course of action would be to retain the services of an outside OD consultant to assess and mitigate the issues. Linda believes that a 360-degree assessment would give Hugo important feedback about his management style that will ultimately help to benefit the marketing group, but he has refused to complete the assessment.

1. Identify what you believe are the marketing department's key issues.
2. Identify thenext stepsyou believe would be most appropriate in this scenario and justifyyour recommendations.
3. Identify and explain the factors you believe could impact the assessment process.
4. Explain how you helped the marketing team achieveconsensus.