You are a group of consultants. Your consulting brief is to analyse BMW's sustainability task-force and to provide recommendations to the CEO on how to improve its performance.

The task-force is responsible for developing BMW's new sustainability strategy. It completed its report in just five weeks, nearly 2 months ahead of schedule. The CEO has rejected the report, finding it lacking in both depth and breadth of analysis. (Further details concerning BMW's (fictional) sustainability task-force are summarised below). The CEO has instructed the task-force to start again and has given the group another three months to complete their task. The CEO requires the recommendations of the consulting group before the task-force resumes its work.

 Summary: BMW's Sustainability Task-Force
The task-force comprises twelve team members, representing the units Sustainability and Environment, Marketing, Risk Management, Accounting, and Legal Services. The team members are all experienced mid-level employees, and have worked for BMW between 5 and 9 years.
Team members were selected only two weeks prior to commencing their work with the task- force. All the team members were personally appointed to the project by the CEO. They all had a passing acquaintance with one another, based on earlier company projects.
From the start, team members had difficulties in completing their task.
• Members of the task-force had been selected because they were top-performing individuals in their units. Yet there was something in the way the task-force worked that made it less than the sum of its parts.
• Some members questioned the commitment of particular individuals who were frequently late or did not pay attention during team meetings.
• Others were irritated about constant complaints about task-force processes by the two members from Accounting.
• The task-force had no appointed leader.
• Members from different units often seemed to disagree and were openly critical of
one other.
• All members of the task force also continued in their original roles and were continually distracted with other work. Seven of the task force members were up for promotion within their original units.
• As their work progressed, task-force members grew more frustrated, resentful and insecure about their work.
• Members of the task-force spent a lot of time finger-pointing after the delivery of their initial report. They blamed individual members for their failure. They complained to the CEO about others' personalities and lack of effort.

 1. What are the key challenges affecting the group's development?

2. What would you do to improve the group's effectiveness going forward?