Running head: Strategic Management Reaction Paper

INDIVIDUAL REACTION PAPER FOR THE STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

SEMINAR

Submitted By:
Hicalde, Trixie

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

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Strategic Management Seminar Reaction Paper

A strategic management seminar was held last month and addressed the value of

improving a company's cross-functional capabilities. The guest speaker, Mr. Francis Xylem

Thomson, has vast experience in his line of work and is very knowledgeable about how cross-

functional teams function in an organization and its repercussions in the absence of it. He talked

about the three implications of lacking cross-functional capabilities and the principles that should

be taken into account.

Mr. Thomson cited three implications of lacking cross-functional capabilities and one of

these is having inequitable market offer. This proves that a firm’s lacks clarity. According to

him, what you say and what you do should always coincide with each other. Next is having

inconsistent brand image. Firms work in silos, as per the guest speaker. Due to these silos,

different teams often work individually, and they lack communication which result to

inconsistency of their works. Lastly, difficulty of executing strategies. Different teams consist of

different objectives and perspectives, this is one of the barriers in working as one. There should

be a team leader who will be able to put these different objectives into place in order to attain the

main goal. This information that the guest speaker has shared is essential for us to know once we

graduate and decide to work in different companies. These things will be able to help us know

what the common mistakes are in a firm, and in the future, we could prevent these things to

happen in our workplace. Also, we could know how to develop our struggles and communication

strengths and abilities by discussing constructive feedback and understanding issues of diversity.

Moreover, Mr. Thomson has mentioned the different principles regarding cross-

functional teams. These principles include understanding your organization’s

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