In the follow-up to the A case (UV0803), Karl Henderson has convened the first meeting of the virtual team at Metrionic Systems. Because of the time-zone differences, some members are meeting from home, while another member cannot attend at all. Henderson decided that since it was cumbersome to schedule a meeting where everyone was present, each member of the team should send status reports to him on Fridays, and he would then decide whether to set up a conference call. As time passed, Henderson found himself spread too thinly at work. He was spending too much time trying to understand what each team member had done and then putting the pieces together?in fact, he was putting more time into that effort than any other task at work. Henderson must consider various problems in dealing with a virtual team that he had never even considered before, including spec, time zone, integration, technology, and network issues.

Karl Henderson was a senior manager at Metrionic Systems, a Santa Clara, California-based provider of networking solutions. During his time there, he had worked on and managed various cross-functional teams. When he was given the opportunity to manage a team that was spread across five continents, Henderson was confident that with a little groundwork, he could manage perfectly and deliver on time as he had always done. Due to a recent increase in the number of breaches into enterprise networks by hackers, Metrionic's vice president wanted the team to develop the next-generation network-security product for IT professionals. Companies were seeking advanced security devices that could prevent any further attacks. The home bases of the individuals on the team created by the vice president stretched across five continents. For the first time in his life, Henderson had to consider the various aspects of managing a team virtually. After reading the case, students can be given a role to play from the virtual team. They must decide how to proceed in the first conference call. In addition, the Henderson role must consider issues, such as how to create and manage the communication across the globe. See BC-0211 for the B case.

This note describes several approaches one could employ to size a sales force. It addresses the advantages of each approach as well as the weaknesses. The case entitled "Z Associates: Sizing the Sales Force" provides a real-world example of one company's attempt to select the correct approach, and includes a supplemental Excel file for students.

This case describes a consulting firm that is assisting a pharmaceutical company as it faces a strategic question regarding how to determine the size of its sales force. An Excel file containing two of the case exhibits is included and is available by contacting [email protected]. A related Technical Note entitled "A Note on Sizing the Sales Force" (UVA-M-0746) is available that describes several approaches one could employ to size a sales force; it addresses the advantages of each approach as well as the weaknesses.