MGT3073 LEADERSHIP

TUTORIAL 2

CASE STUDY 2 DEVEREAUX-DERING GROUP

Dashing to catch a cab at the corner of Sixth and Vine, the account team was exhilarated. After
a quick exchange of high fives, three of the four jumped into the backseat of a cab to return to
the Manhattan offices of Devereaux-Dering, a global advertising agency with offices in New
York, Hong Kong, and Paris. The team couldnt wait to tell their team leader, Kurt Lansing,
that they had won the BMW account that morning. The fourth team member, Brad Fitzgerald,
stood apart from the animated group, studying his BlackBerry and then hailing a cab for an
afternoon flight out of LaGuardia.
After a two-year slump in sales, Devereaux-Dering needed a big score like the BMW
account. To drive new business and land high-profile accounts like this one, the company had
hired Kurt Lansing, an MBA from Wharton, with prominent status in the advertising industry.
His job was to lead a new business team to study the market, develop strategies, and acquire
major accounts. Lansing hand-selected four high achievers for his team that represented each
area of the business: Brad Fitzgerald, creative director; Trish Roderick, account services;
Adrienne Walsh, production manager; and Tyler Green, brand strategy.
That was a shocker! said Roderick as she scooted across the backseat of the cab to make
room for her teammates. The client didnt seem too impressed with our presentation until
Fitzgerald presented the last set of slides describing the global campaign. They loved it. I think
he single-handedly clinched the deal when he presented the tag line for the Asian market, she
said excitedly.
Hes a real whiz, alright, muttered Green. The eighth wonder of the world. Sighing
deeply and losing his earlier exuberance, Green said, We couldnt have bagged the deal
without him, and I know well all get credit. But none of us knew he planned to present that
last part of the global campaign. I know he was working on that tag line late last night, but
there was plenty of time this morning to get team input on it. I hate surprises in front of a client.
I felt like a fool, even if we did win the business.
Hes a regular white knight, chuckled Walsh, riding in at the last minute to save the day.
I suppose we should appreciate him, but hes just so irritating. He snapped at me last week for
not telling him about a client who was upset about delays in their ad campaign. I reminded him
that I had told him about it in our status meeting, but he wasnt listening at the time. He was
glued to his precious BlackBerry, as usual. Why have team meetings if he isnt going to
participate?
Roderick was surprised by her teammates reaction to Fitzgerald. She thought they had
been working well together. She was quickly discovering, however, an undercurrent of
resentment. This was the first time that she had been exposed to the conflict that was simmering
below the surface. No doubt, Fitzgerald did have a strong ego and aggressive personality. A
previously successful entrepreneur, Fitzgerald had a track record of success and was very
ambitious. However, she did notice that he didnt show respect for differing opinions or invite
collaboration on ideas. She wondered if he was placing his own success above the teams. But
why complain if the team was sharing the credit and earning fat bonuses along with him? She
was content to go with the status quo. You know, she said, were darn lucky to be on his
team.
She stared out the cab window at the passing traffic and listened to her two teammates
continue to grouse. I should have known something was up when I walked past his office last

night and saw him working with the new copywriter. They must have been hashing out the new
tag line, smirked Green. We are a team, arent we? The system is bigger than the individual,
remember? He doesnt seem too concerned about the welfare of the teamonly his own.
Well, lets all have a heart-to-heart with Mr. McWhiz, said Walsh sarcastically. Im sure
hell see things our way. Well give him a brief overview of Teamwork 101. That will go over
great! As the cab pulled to the curb, they tossed the driver a $20 bill and headed to their offices
on the 40th floor. They would all stop to see the team leader, Kurt Lansing, first.
In the meantime, Lansing smiled broadly when he received Fitzgeralds text message that
they had won the BMW account. Sinking back in his chair, he marveled at the cohesiveness
and success of his team. All that time building a shared vision and building trust was starting
to pay off.

QUESTION
There appears to be two different realities going on in the Devereaux-Dering team. On one
hand, the team leader, Kurt Lansing, believes all is well with his team. On the other hand, we
hear from three members regarding problems with the teams cohesiveness. Using the 5 team
dysfunctions framework (Lencioni, 2002), examine the underlying factors fracturing this team,
and discuss some possible long-term solutions.