Case Study 01: RA2011003010311

Case study 01:

Joseph a plant level worker has been working in Zeal Zink Ltd, a large-scale industrial
establishment in Maharashtra, India, almost twenty years. Being a hardworking,
competent, punctual, and reliable employee, he maintained good relation with his
superiors, co-workers, and the leaders of the organization. Vice versa, the management
also had a better impression on his performance as well as commitment. Though,
management had strong disappointment on his affiliation with one of the trade unions in
the organization. Management believed that trade unions presence in organization always
there to mislead and exploit the work force and it affects the progress of the organization.

Considering his loyalty, commitment and performance, management decide promote him
to the supervisory level. The promotion decision was beyond his expectation. He found
himself incredibly happy and highly obliged to the management. Only hard working,
competent and skilled employees usually get promoted to higher positions. The
supervisory positions in the organization have better compensation packages, power, and
authority in relation to the responsibilities. Joseph highly inspired to work for the
organization.

He acquired better acceptance and recognition in the supervisory position from his
superiors and coworkers within short span. He performed his duties in accordance with
the expectation of the management.

One day, as per the official communication, Joseph asked to meet one of the senior level
officials Mr. Kiran in his cabin. Kiran detailed new responsibilities and tentative targets to
Joseph, sharing management expectation on him. After making some formal discussions,
Kiran started informal discussion with Joseph inquiring employee's welfare, satisfaction
level and many other topics. He inquired about Josephs family members also. During the
conversation Kiran also inquired about Joseph's trade union activities and his strong
affiliation. He informed Joseph that the top management is unhappy about his trade union
affiliation, as he performs a managerial role in the organization. Kiran demanded a
‘gradual separation’ from the trade for better career. Kiran asked him to ‘think about it’
and take a wise decision. Reserving his comment on Kiran's demand, Joseph returned to
his work station.

Kiran's demand to quit the trade union membership was really disappointing to Joseph. He
thought, all along trade union was with him to protect his rights and privileges. Employees
always feel safe and secure in their job due to the existence of trade union. Many questions
roused in his mind.

• "Shall I quit or stay back in the trade union?

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Case Study 01: RA2011003010311

• “Is it fair to quit the trade union? They are the people supported me in many

contingent situations”.

• “Can I trust the management say? Do management follow their promises?”

• “Who am I, a Worker or a Manager?” There is wide disparity between employees
and employers.
• “Many employees have severe experience in the past, from management who
follow the path suggested. Is it safe to do so?”

Many conflicting thoughts made him more confused to take appropriate decision in this
matter. Although he had better awareness on management punitive measure, finally, he
took a decision in favor of management, considering career prospects. Slowly but steadily,
he started getting aloof from many of the trade union meetings and activities in the
organization. The trade union had close observation about their party men. They observed
the changes in the behavior of Joseph. Trade union leadership demanded clarification
from him. Joseph continues to get aloof from the trade union activities by explaining some
personal grounds and engaging into more work activities. Finally, he informed
management his decision to quit trade union membership. Management welcomed his
decision and has extended full support in his occupational career.

Ensuring a peaceful mind, as a managerial supervisor, Joseph started his newly allocated
role in the organization. His new task required more members and that to be
accomplished as a team. Supervisors form different department also took part in the task
performance. Though the members must work as a team, they had to follow the timely
instructions of the senior managers. Members do not have that much of freedom and
autonomy to take decision on production.

Still, they tried their level best to follow senior’s instruction and engaged themselves in
achieving the target.

The top management as usual flayed junior managers and supervisors who oversee the
department, the blame of low-level performance. While the middle level managers, as
usual, redirected those allegations to the supervisors and members in the department,
showing their sheer negligence and lack of commitment. The supervisory members
especially Joseph, who has all along worked hard, upset with the allegation made by the
seniors. The supervisory members decided to meet top management to inform them the
real facts. They drafted a memorandum and handed over the same to the top management
officials, indicating the real situations, which resulted poor outlay.

After two days top management asked Joseph to meet Kiran, the Senior Manager in the
organization for further discussion on the low performance issue. Kiran informed the top
management that they totally dissatisfied with the performance of the supervisory

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members. During the meeting, Kiran informed Joseph that, as a step to curb the situation
and maintain the quality of the production, top management decided to transfer some of
the supervisory members to the other departments and some others to the sister concern.

The transfer list contains Joseph's name also. Kiran informed Joseph that, his knowledge
and competency are not sufficient to handle new responsibilities as it requires more
training and attention that he would get it from other organization. Kiran also informed
Joseph that management decided to withdraw extra incentives that extended to the
supervisors since the nature of transfer has the nature of training and development
program.

Joseph shocked to hear management decision in this matter. He got depressed about the
management decision. Joseph felt that the management has shown their vested interest,
and partiality to protect middle level managers. They tried to protect senior management
members from top management. The management decision to transfer him and his fellow
supervisory members to different departments and sister concerns is a measure to
marginalize and victimize them. Joseph could not find any justification on management
decision. He felt that instead of understanding the problem in an impartial way,
management tried to solve the issue by safeguarding their members. He confirmed that
the attitude of the management always as would be as 'big bosses' and it never going to
change

Joseph became more aggressive in his stand. He has decided to continue his membership
in trade union. Trade union accepted him back. Joseph forwarded the complaint to trade
union indicating the issues for justice.

Questions

1. "Business World indulges in Organizational Politics by showing carrots of Career

Planning". Comment.

No, Management didn’t have any impression towards the existence of trade unions in the
organization. They believed that trade unions are to mislead and exploit the work force
and a big hurdle in the smooth progress of the organization. In Joseph’s case management
do not have any intention to support employee in their crisis. In this situation trade union
not only help employee in their crisis but also to ensure the workers security of
employment by realizing retrenchment and victimization likely to them. Trade union play
major role to protect the workers interest and more specifically to avoid their exploitation,
even trade union improve the workers working condition by securing compensation and
other welfare benefits. Hence, this case deals with the management attitudes towards the
low and middle level trade union. They took Joseph a plant level worker to supervising
level but Joseph doesn’t understand the management strategies to eliminate trade unions.
Management should understand today trade union can get best professional assistance.
There has to be fair treatment from the Management to trade union. If the proper
coordination is made between trade union and the management of the organization the

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Case Study 01: RA2011003010311

smooth conduct of the business activity is assured. read more at:

https://www.citehr.com/317695-pls-help-me-solve-below-case-study.html

2. Does this case reflect Joseph’s decision-making ability?

The annual decline in the yearly production does not reflect Joseph’s inefficiency as a
manager. Joseph’s is hard working, competent, punctual and reliable employee of Zeal Zink
Ltd because of his performance and commitment management promoted him on
supervisory level. He performed his duties in accordance with the expectation of the
management. He is very efficient worker of the organization even to complete his newly
allotted task he took support of different department supervisor. Through all has worked as
a team there they follow the timely instruction of senior manager. As per the guideline of
management they performed their duties and responsibilities. Joseph and others work hard
to get the predetermined result as expected by management but annual production shows
Joseph’s team low level performance. The Inspector describe the problem which are related
to quality level but the middle and junior level manager blame Joseph’s team for annual
decline of production. It doesn’t mean that Joseph is a inefficient worker. He was working
as per instruction of his superior, which is quality assurance department’s responsibility to
check the quality of production.
3.How the ‘theory of equity’ and ‘theory of expectancy’ is related to this case study?

Equity Theory attempts to explain relational satisfaction in terms of perceptions of

fair/unfair distributions of resources within interpersonal relationships.it is considered as
one of the justice theories.The belief is that people value fair treatment which causes them
to be motivated to keep the fairness maintained within the relationships of their co-workers
and the organization.Equity is measured by comparing the ratios of contributions and
benefits of each person within the relationship
The three primary assumptions applied to most business applications of Equity Theory
# Employees expect a fair return for what they contribute to their jobs, a concept referred to
as the “equity norm”.
# Employees determine what their equitable return should be after comparing their inputs
and outcomes with those of their coworkers. This concept is referred to as “social
comparison”.
# Employees who perceive themselves as being in an inequitable situation will seek to
reduce the inequity either by distorting inputs and/or outcomes in their own minds
(“cognitive distortion”), by directly altering inputs and/or outputs, or by leaving the
organization. read more at: https://www.citehr.com/317695-pls-help-me-solve-below-case-
study.html

4.How you evaluate the people management strategy of senior managers in the
organization?

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Case Study 01: RA2011003010311

The people managing strategy of the senior managers in the organization is not good, in
my opinion. In the organization, these senior managers promised the lower level
managers and supervisors, power to make their own decision, whilst being supervised by
the higher officials.

But, in reality, they weren’t given the power to take their own decisions, and on top of that,
all the blame of the low production fell on the lower level managers’ shoulders, while the
top level managers refused to accept any responsibility for the low production. This really
disappointed the lower level employees, as they had to take all the blame for the low
production. This shows that the senior officials were only interested in safeguarding the
interests of the top level employees, and not others.

5.Does the management's attitude towards the trade union is well ?

No, Management didn’t have any impression towards the existence of trade unions in the
organization. They believed that trade unions are to mislead and exploit the work force and
a big hurdle in the smooth progress of the organization. In Joseph’s case management do
not have any intention to support employee in their crisis. In this situation trade union not
only help employee in their crisis but also to ensure the workers security of employment by
realizing retrenchment and victimization likely to them. Trade union play major role to
protect the workers interest and more specifically to avoid their exploitation, even trade
union improve the workers working condition by securing compensation and other welfare
benefits. Hence, this case deals with the management attitudes towards the low and middle
level trade union. They took Joseph a plant level worker to supervising level but Joseph
doesn’t understand the management strategies to eliminate trade unions. Management
should understand today trade union can get best professional assistance. There has to be
fair treatment from the Management to trade union. If the proper coordination is made
between trade union and the management of the organization the smooth conduct of the
business activity is assured.