Eagle Standard Inc., (ESI) a major engineering firm, specializes in designing aircraft parts for government contracts. ESI employs project managers and 42 engineers who are divided into project groups of six to seven members. The majority of project team leaders have spent time in France and Britain learning new technology. The Eagle 6 Project Team, consisting of six engineers, is developing new equipment for a jet fighter. The project has been ongoing for 18 months, and all six engineers have been with this project group since its inception, working together on all of these projects. Eagle 6 works well together.

However, the Eagle 6 team has the most technical project, and its engineers have been working too much overtime. The senior project manager, Bruce Chalnick, interviewed and hired a new engineer to help out, Richard Hue. Richard has good qualifications and seems to be knowledgeable and motivated. The work is challenging and gives him the opportunity to showcase his computer skills and engineering knowledge. Two weeks in, he quickly became a contributing member of the team, showing initiative and the willingness to work overtime and weekends to research possible solutions to potential problems. Richard was particularly adept with the computer system, and Bruce is ecstatic about his new hire. Richard is a loner, on and off the job. He is from Country X, a small island with a high power-distance culture; all of the other members of the team were born and raised in the United States.

After three months, Richard's learning curve had just about peaked, and he began to suggest new ways of doing things. He offered to mentor the other engineers, but each time he was rebuffed. He then went to Bruce Chalnick and asked for another part of the program to work on. At that point, a senior member of Eagle 6, Tim Flossner, met with Bruce to discuss Richard. Tim stated he was speaking for the rest of the team, and said Richard is stuck up and arrogant. Tim said he and the other team members felt Richard flaunts his education and knowledge, and none of them like him. In fact, they can't stand him.

Bruce told Tim that Richard thinks that the rest of the team are slackers who talk about bowling and sports instead of working. Richard thinks he is disliked because he's from Country X.

Bruce wants to keep everyone in the company, and more importantly within the team, so how should Bruce handle this problem?