Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum,

• Read the weekly lecture.
• Read the Getting the CIO/CFO Relationship RightLinks to an external site. article and the IT Transformation: Success Hinges on CIO/CFO CollaborationLinks to an external site. report.
• Review the DargeanGrix Business ScenarioDownload DargeanGrix Business Scenario document.

Innovation and change are core themes for successful businesses. Transformational leaders are always on the lookout for improvement opportunities and innovation they can use to propel their people and their businesses to the next level. These leaders are also adept at partnering with their peers in these endeavors.

As an innovator and leader of change at DargeanGrix, you know your day is not done with the delivery of your proposal on video conferencing to senior management. Think about what the next strategic opportunities are at DargeanGrix. Consider what your customers want, and your employees need to serve your clients. Some examples that might have promising solutions could be things enhancing the efficiency of employees in the way they do their work, promoting greater support of the client base through new or improved communication methods, and making the business more effective in one or more of its core business operations such as finance, human resources, and IT. Consider which peers at DargeanGrix you should partner with to accomplish the improvements and changes.

• Describe two additional possibilities for integrating streamlined changes or technology into DargeanGrix's business processes.
• Explain the goals for your suggestions.
• Explain which colleagues you would partner with to accomplish your goals.

DARGEANGRIXBUSINESSSCENARIO

DargeanGrix, Inc. is a fictitious international venture capitalist (VC) organization in a niche product development market. The organization is very successful and has reported annual revenue averages of $250M over the past seven years. A key element to their success is the warm relationships they build with their clients and prospects. DargeanGrix relies heavily on video conferencing and telepresence equipment for conference calls with potential entrepreneurial investment opportunities worldwide, and for managing their portfolio of current entrepreneur client investments. The goals for using this technology is to develop a close facsimile of face-to-face interaction to facilitate open communication, enable relationship nurturing, and foster a sense of camaraderie among the team members while reducing both the stress and the costs of domestic and international travel.

CompanyDetails

500 combined domestic and international employees.

10 offices in 10 states.

250 remote employees and 250 on-site employees.

Two overseas locations, each has 50 employees.

CurrentIssues

A mishmash of technology is used for videoconference tools in the current environment.

There is wasted meeting time when troubleshooting frequent issues with the disparate and often quirky video technology. The cost of maintenance for the aging video equipment is rising.

Video calls are often full of dropouts and delays and have poor audio quality.

Customer and employee satisfaction with video calls is low as the equipment is not reliable and the video experience is poor. Issues with equipment and call quality means time spent in video meetings is not productive, making the experience stressful and frustrating for those attending the video calls.

Dissatisfaction with video calls has increased travel costs.

DargeanGrix'sLongTermGoals

Reduce maintenance costs.

Reduce travel time and associated costs.

Reduce client and employee call frustration.

Provide a great client experience on every call.

Increase call productivity and effectiveness.

Increase bottom line.