Case analysis: Cirque du Soleil

Introduction

The central theme of the Cirque du Soleil article is growth as a company and the challenges and
difficulties that this implies.

In an industry in decline, where growth potential is limited due to the pressure exerted by artists
on circus owners, the reduction of children's audiences due to alternative forms of shows and the
growing concern about the use of animals in circuses circuses by animal rights defenders. It is in
this setting that Cirque du Soleil found a new niche by targeting its show at adults and corporate
clients willing to pay a much higher price for an unprecedented show. With which, and very
accurately, his first production was titled

“We reinvent the circus.”

Development

The recruitment of personnel involves an enormous challenge because the selection is carried out
through “castings” around the world, which leads to a meticulous selection of artists. The talent
searchers not only analyze the talent and skills of the casting contestants, but also look for a
series of human values that identify with the values of Cirque, with the aim that the artists
contribute beyond the use of their talent. , actively participating in the design of the show,
contributing their own ideas and proposals.

Accelerated growth

Description:

Murielle Cantin, casting director, needs to evaluate talent and get 100 new performers a year to
keep the staff and the show agile. He often had to travel to more than 20 countries to meet local
artists and organize auditions.

Is there teamwork?

There is teamwork, since the casting director has artistic advisors around the world, however,
the workload is very heavy.

Conflict type:

The type of dysfunctional conflict in this situation is task conflict since the cast's goals are
exceeding the director's capabilities.

How would you approach the conflict?

The casting director must delegate or share part of her duties. Because the goals reflect the
needs of Cirque to cover the artists that are required in shows around the world, it is not an
option to modify them, so the best option is to get personnel trusted by Director Cantin to help
you. at auditions.

The main competencies required to manage conflict are:

 Empathy.

 Location of deficiencies.

 Negotiation.

 Teamwork.

General behavior of artists.

Description:

There is often a lack of good judgment among artists who sometimes improvise parties in their
workplaces.

Is there teamwork?

While it is true, Cirque does not hire individual artists on its casting tours, in order to avoid the
isolation and loneliness that comes with leaving their communities of origin. In this way, Cirque
stimulates a multicultural environment of camaraderie and support among the artists themselves
that benefit the show, strengthening ties and increasing the confidence of each artist in the work
of their other colleagues. This is how teamwork is present to reduce interpersonal problems.

Conflict type:

The type of dysfunctional conflict in this situation is relationship conflict. Because a multicultural
group of artists can present some volatility and disorder. During tours, the group of artists may
be more

prone to not properly distinguishing the lines between appropriate and inappropriate in the
workplace.

How would you approach the conflict?

Marc Gagnon, director of operations, was always in charge of providing transportation to ensure
that people did not have problems driving under the influence of alcohol and always assigned
personnel to closely monitor the parties, in order to prevent conflicts or other situations of
harassment.

Considering the type of personalities found in such a group, it is normal for celebrations at the
end of the show to be frequent and they can hardly be avoided or denied to the work team. The
way in which the operations director is the most prudent to avoid frustrations of the work team.

The main competencies required to manage conflict are:

• Critical thinking.

• Self-control.

• Intuition.

• Planning.
• Teamwork.

• Leadership.

Distance from the headquarters.

Description:

Martín Dumont, acting director, believed that some people on tour felt that the headquarters in
Montreal was too distant to understand what life on the road means.

Is there teamwork?

There is no teamwork, because people in central offices forget that their schedules are very
different from the schedules of staff on tours, so they generate discontent by requesting
information from them at inappropriate times.

Conflict type:

The type of dysfunctional conflict in this situation is process conflict since there is a
misunderstanding of how the work should be done.

How would you approach the conflict?

The main problem is the lack of communication between both personnel. One way to solve this is
to make headquarters staff aware, since we can assume that their schedules are fixed, while the
schedules of staff on tours are variable and subject to the circumstances of the trip. The interim
director could also prepare a trip agenda to establish the times at which it is most feasible to
attend to matters with the central office staff.

The main competencies required to manage conflict are:

• Efficient communication.

Case analysis

• Proactivity.

• Empathy.

• Follow-up.

• Assertiveness.

Pay per event.

Description:

Many of the actors came from other types of shows and circuses, Soleil represented a challenge
both economically and professionally, but it caused them conflicts and a large part of their work
activities were not financially remunerated due to the pay-per-view method they had. .

Is there teamwork?
If teamwork exists. In reality, this conflict is reduced through the selection of personnel because
in the search for talent, people are required who are truly committed to belonging to Cirque and
the business model implies that it is not possible to give a daily payment to the employees.
artists.

The type of dysfunctional conflict in this situation is process, since recruitment is expensive, and
during the training of new artists there is no daily payment involved unlike in the shows of

Broadway.

How would you approach the conflict?

The solution applied by Cirque du Soleil is one of the most successful since it offers lodging and
food to the artists during their training, making them participate for 6 months without promise of
a contract in shows around the world. Honing their skills and offering them a career possibility
within Cirque.

The main competencies required to manage conflict are:

• Lead from within.

• Reward

• Communicate clearly.

• Empathy.

• Success management.

• Motivation.

• Negotiation.

• Planning.

Conclusions

The great success of Circo del Sol is due to the creation of a new market in which they have no
competition, incorporating elements from the world of theater, ballet and Broadway that have
allowed them to create an unparalleled show.

The cost reduction achieved and the differentiation by creating a unique show allowed them to
quickly attract a large mass of customers, generating economies of scale that left competitors at
a clear disadvantage.

Their success is due to the alignment of a set of elements that has allowed them to develop a
unique business model that is difficult to imitate.

In addition to creating a unique business, they have raised enough barriers to be comfortably
installed in it, although with great challenges to face.

I made changes to my CV since I did not know the importance of competence skills or the impact
we project, this week was of great help to me since I was able to understand the impact we give,