Please imagine that you have been hired as a leadership consultant to provide Jack Baker and the executive leadership team at Saphalata advice on how best to move forward from the situation that they find themselves in. Your advice should be based on the information provided to you in the lectures.

About 10 years ago, as fresh graduates from the business school, Australian born Jack Baker and Jill Stone started working at the globally operating accountancy firm Saphalata, in Perth CBD. Jack is now business leader for the Asian market, whereas Jill is now director human resources. Their offices are on the same floor at Saphalata's Perth headquarters.

Jack: "Hey, Jill, did you see the report from the Sri Lankan office?" Jill, on the other side of the line: "I just printed it". She continued "Wow, these numbers look great! Four new accounts, including Tiger Technology. Dmitry is, as usual, working his magic!"

Jack: "Indeed, but keep reading". He waited, and then Jill's voice changed "No, not again!" "Yes", Jack sighted. "Turnover is up again, for the fifth quarter in a row. It just hit 35%, which is way over the average in our industry. And did you see the results of the employee satisfaction survey that has been done in Sri Lanka? The results show a horrendous picture".

Jill: "Yeah, Dmitry has never been interested inor cared aboutthe people side of things. I really don't appreciate that aspect of him". Jack had been worried about the Sri Lankan office for a while. It grew much faster than any of the other offices around the world. Business was booming. Yet, every time he visited the Sri Lanka office, he could sense that people where not happy. Dmitry Putin, the Russian born managing partner in Sri Lanka, and Amara Agrawal, his Sri Lanka born second in command, always claimed that everything was running smoothly and kept reminding him of their exponential growth.

Prem Saphalata, the CEO of Saphalata had aggressively recruited Dmitry Putin 6 years earlier to set up the Sri Lanka branch. Dmitry Putin had been a star at Global Inc. with the highest credentials in the USA, Russia, and South Asia; and a sharp sense of business. Prem Saphalata and the board of directors were thrilled to recruit him to build the firm's business in Sri Lanka. Three years later, Dmitry had proven his worth. Big clients flocked to him and the numbers that came out of Sri Lanka were fantastic. Prem Saphalata and the board of directors were thrilled to have Dmitry on board. Only Jill and Jack seemed to have noticed the ongoing personnel troubles in Sri Lanka.

Jill: "We need to do something". Jack: "I will be there next week. I'll find out what is happening". Jill: "I think that you should have a conversation with him". Jack replied: "I am not sure..." Jill teased: "Are you afraid of him?" Jack, laughing, responded "Yes, maybe I am, a little". He continued "I have to be careful. I am sure you remember what happened the last time I asked Dmitry questions about his people management style".

Two years earlier, during one of his regular visits to Sri Lanka, Jack had asked Dmitry why four of his senior staff members had suddenly quit their jobs, claiming that Dmitry was too difficult a boss to work for. Dmitry had stormed out of his office, and immediately sent a letter of resignation to Prem Saphalata. Prem Saphalata managed to talk Dmitry into staying with the company and gave Jack a firm warning: Going forward, he should do anything to keep Dmitry happy. Saphalata was now the biggest company in Sri Lanka and the number two in revenue for Saphalata. And none of the board of directors wanted Dmitry to go anywhere.

"Also", Jack continued, I have no formal authority over Dmitry. We are equals. I would have to ask for approval to take any actions against him". Jill: "you think about firing him"? Jack: "No, that is probably completely out of the question".

Upon arrival in Sri Lanka, Jack's phone rang. He sees that it is Dmitry, so he took the call. "Hi, Jack, welcome to Sri Lanka!" Dmitry said. "By the way, I won't be at the office today. I have an allday meeting with Tiger Technology. I'll see you first thing tomorrow. " Chuckling, he continued: "I have heard that you are checking up on me". Jack could hear a sharp undertone in Dmitry's voice. "Well", he said. "Since you will not be at the office, I'll have a chat with your staff today". Dmitry did not react. "You still there?" Jack asked. "Yes, but I just arrived at Tiger Technology. I will see you tomorrow morning".

When Jack arrived at the Sri Lanka office, he first met up with Amara Agrawal, Dmitry's second in command. She told Jack how great they were doing and that the results were above all expectations. When probed, she admitted that there were some problems now and then, and that some of the staff had complained.

At 1 PM, Jack had a meeting with all staff members of the Sri Lankan office. Only Dmitry and Amara were absent. He opened the meeting saying "We are concerned about the high turnover rate at this office. We need a strong team to run this office, and I need to know what is going on here." No one reacted. When pressured for an answer, Amal, the newest recruit, mentioned that he very much enjoyed working at Saphalata Sri Lanka. After a long silence, Krishna, one of the more senior members of staff, cleared his throat and said "You, know, I love working for Saphalata. Yet, things have been a bit difficult here".

Krishna continued "Dmitry has always been demanding. And I thought that that was normal when we just started up the Sri Lankan office. But, we also thought that he would relax a bit once we started growing. But it seems that the opposite is true. He is becoming more and more demanding. At the moment, it seems we cannot do anything right". Soon, others chipped in. They mentioned that although Dmitry is a creative genius and that they can learn a lot from him, Dmitry is impossible to work with. He demands all staff to work 24/7 and their health, wellbeing, and families suffer. They also mentioned that Dmitry made others feel inadequate. He would take all decisions on his own, and not listen to any of the others. Some really good people had left the company. And those who left told everyone that working for Saphalata had been a terrible experience for them.

Later in the afternoon, Jack had a chat with Amara. She admitted that Dmitry could be difficult to work with, but also underlined that he was a brilliant businessman, and the heart and soul of the Sri Lankan operation. "Without him, there would be no Sri Lankan office". She further told Jack that Dmitry was aware of the complaints against him. And that although those complaints hurt him, Dmitry feels that those who complain should just leave the company. Finally, she said "last week, when he read the results of the employee survey, Dmitry went on a rampage. He yelled that if he was not appreciated here, he would go to another company". "Does he talk with other companies?" Jack asked. "He gets offers quite regularly", Amara replied.

Amara had to run to attend another meeting. Jack took a taxi to his hotel. Contemplating what is done in the situation.

Given the situation described above, and given the information that you have: How would you recommend Jack to deal with the situation and why would you do so?

Please answer these questions using (in total)at least fourout of the following six perspectives:

1. Leading in the global business environment
2. Global leadership competencies
3. Global mindset
4. Ethical foundations of leadership
5. Ethical leadership
6. Power and influence
7. Modern leadership styles
8. Leadership in a socialcultural context
9. Leadership development
10. Leading global teams