Company Profile
West Coast Transit began as a small, charter airline in 2005. Its initial vision was providing affordable, on-the-hour flights from California-based airports to its three adjacent states: Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon. West Coast Transit saw the need for affordable and convenient flights out of California was high enough to sustain a business. The company began its success using smaller commuter planes to transport customers to surrounding airports. There was no flight longer than two hours and there was minimal service during the flight. The company’s mission was customer-focused. They wanted to provide an opportunity for companies to fly their employees at an affordable rate and whole families to travel affordably.
West Coast Transit tripled in size after its first year. Growing demand required the addition of flights, employees, and larger airplanes. The founders of the company re-evaluated the vision and future of West Coast Transit. They were determined to maintain an emphasis on convenient, affordable flights and keep their focus on customer needs. This strategy proved successful. The company has established itself as a dominant regional competitor. They have over 10,000 employees and continue to see growth in their future.
Most employees at West Coast Transit rave about the company and appreciate its friendly and employee-centered culture. The company’s leadership cares about its employees and makes every effort to provide them with satisfactory benefits. Most employees are enthusiastic about the impact they make on customers, their salaries and benefits, and the advancement opportunities the company provides. They feel valued and respected. One major complaint a majority of the employees have is the turn-around demand. Employees are given very little time and support to complete a project. There is just too much work to be done. Most employees are successful under pressure, but would appreciate an environment that provides adequate time to complete projects productively.
Marketing Project
As a manager in the marketing department, you have been handed a last-minute project and need to work with the other managers to develop a team that can complete the project swiftly and flawlessly. Failure is not an option. West Coast Transit’s biggest competitor just released 50 new flight plans at highly competitive fares. This has caused a significant decrease in sales for West Coast Transit. The marketing team has been given the task to develop a marketing strategy to drive up sales. West Coast Transit was planning a release celebration for their new Boeing-747 in six weeks. The CEO demanded a new marketing campaign that will be introduced to the public simultaneously with the new aircraft. This task will require the team to collaborate effectively in a short timeframe. The ultimate goal is to develop a marketing strategy that will keep customers loyal to West Coast Transit.
You and the other managers must develop a team that is prepared to work under demanding conditions. There is a significant time crunch. Employees are already overburdened by their daily tasks. Staffing has not kept pace with the recent growth of the company. Many employees are relatively new and are not yet fully trained in all aspects of their jobs. While leadership is empathetic to the demands placed on employees, the simple fact is that additional staffing is not an option at this time and the work must get done to support the ongoing success of the company. West Coast Transit was hopeful the introduction of the new jet would be significant enough publicity to boost sales, but they were caught off-guard by the competition’s recent move and now the company is much more uncertain.
This project is critical for the future of the company. The company is at risk of laying-off hundreds of employees. With the release celebration for the new jet only six weeks away, employees need to be prepared to put in significant amounts of unpaid overtime to complete the project before the deadline. The project budget is adequate, but could fall short considering the impressive results the company is hoping to achieve. This assignment requires a team that can work together for the good of the company and produce the needed results. West Coast Transit employees are counting on this team to drive up sales and re-establish the company’s market dominance.
What particular challenges or conflicts can the management team anticipate this team facing? What strategies might you apply to manage this team’s potential conflicts?
