Background Scenario

You are a project manager for Advancement Corporation, which specializes in providing quality pharmaceuticals to doctors throughout the United States. The company has over 20,000 employees. It is critical that skilled scientists and technicians be hired to ensure the proper development of pharmaceuticals through clinical trials. It is absolutely essential for Advancement Corporation to continuously recruit, select, and train qualified personnel.

A predatory executive search firm has convinced many of the leading scientists in the company (about 20 people) to hand in their resignations after accepting employment with Advancement Corporation's main competitor.

Assignment:

As the project manager for Advancement Corporation, you act as the CEO's deputy. As such, you are granted the authority to develop and promote the vision or direction of the project: you must provide a solution to this personnel crisis. More specifically, this means that it is considered common knowledge throughout the organization that you, as the project manager, have the ability to identify, plan, be the catalyst to execute a plan, and provide closure for the plan to address the "raid" of your corporation's key personnel by a predatory executive search firm.

To identify, plan, and execute this project, you must first develop a means for communicating with existing department heads in the research and development and sales departments. The goals of these two departments must not only be met, they must be reconciled. The director of research and development contends that developing the pharmaceuticals is the critical role of Advancement Corporation. As such, she believes the new recruiters should have expertise in recruiting and selecting scientists. In contrast, the executive director of the sales department believes that the actual selling of the prescription drugs in doctors' offices and hospitals is the key to the company's success.

As the project manager, you must do the following:

• Develop a list of 10 questions that will be asked of the executive director of research and development and the executive director of sales in a joint interview.
• Provide the CEO with your strategy for dealing with this conflict between the two executive directors. In doing so, you are to address the following:
  • Which communication techniques will you rely on to resolve potential disputes between these two directors?
  • How will you plan this critical meeting between yourself and the department heads? What will be the agenda for the meeting? Provide an outline.
  • In executing and providing closure for the joint, voluntary, and crucially important participation of these two executive directors, which specific goals will you attempt to gain joint agreement upon?
  • How will you measure whether and/or the degree to which these goals have been reached?

A basic checklist for solutions is as follows:

• Identify and address the main issue.
• Provide real-life solutions (more than just theoretical considerations).
• Address the criteria and measurements for success for this project.
• Use proper APA formatting and citation.
• Provide solutions that display critical and innovative thinking.