1. What should Mark have done if Jack still was not able to resolve the problem?

Mark undoubtedly has put his entire trust in Jack that he will be able to resolve the problem. We must consider the scenario under which Jack accepted to the task of figuring out a solution. It was a situation where a number of experts have already made their statement that Mark’s motive on making the design similar cannot be achieved. Although, during the initial meeting, Jack provided his opinion in a precise manner that the possible design Mark is expecting might not be possible. In spite of that he agreed to take up the task and tried to figure out the solution by working on it for two months. Although Jack was still sure that the similar design cannot be achieved, Mark has a good faith in Jack that he will be able to resolve the issue and it the main reason why Mark asked Jack for one of his subordinates to look into the issue. Mark did the right thing trusting Jack’s capability. A manager must have a similar trust on his team members (Kutlu & Wang, 2015). Adding to that, a manager must also understand the limitations of the team members and provide proper motivation accordingly.

2. Would it make sense for Mark to assign this problem to someone else now after jack could not solve the problem the second time around?

I believe Mark’s intention from the beginning is to get Jack resolve the issue. Mark never doubted Jack’s capabilities in figuring out a practical design solution. By asking Jack to appoint someone else to look into the issue, Mark conveyed that he still believes that the design can be made similar. Rather that approaching someone else, Mark asked if anyone from the Jack’s team can look into the issue (Alexei, 2015). This clearly states that Mark is determined to resolve the issue and resolve it through Jack. Mark’s determination to figure out a solution seems to have motivated Jack to think out of the box. Jack eventually figured out the solution and supported Mark’s trust in Jack and his decision to approach him.