Subject - CASE STUDY ON HR

Joseph a plant level worker has been twenty years of experience, in Zeal Zink
Ltd, a large scale industrial establishment in Maharashtra. He is hard working,
competent, punctual and reliable employee of Binani Zink Ltd. He is having
good interaction and interrelation with his superiors, co-workers and other
members in the organization. The management has better impression and
appreciation about his performance and commitment. The only disagreement
the management has on him is his affiliation to one of the trade unions in the
organization. Management didn't have any impression towards the existence of
trade unions within the organization as they believed that trade unions are to
mislead and exploit the work force and a big hurdle in the smooth progress of
the organization. 

To make Joseph more work oriented, management decided to promote him to

supervisory level. The promotion decision is beyond his expectation. He found
himself very happy with the situation and felt obliged to the management. Only
hard working, competent and skilled employees are promoted to the higher
position. The supervisory positions in the organization have better
compensation packages, power and authority in relation to the responsibilities.
Joseph highly motivated to work for the organization and felt highly obliged
towards the management. He acquired better acceptance and recognition in the
supervisory position from his superiors and co workers within short span. He
performed his duties in accordance with the expectation of the management. 

As per the official communication, Joseph met one of the senior level officials
Mr. Kiran in his cabin. Kiran detailed new responsibilities and tentative targets
to Joseph, inducing management expectation on him. After making some formal
discussions, Kiran started informal discussion with Joseph enquiring employee's
welfare, satisfaction level and many other topics. He enquired about Josephs
family members also. During the conversation Kiran also enquired about
Joseph's trade union activities and his strong affiliation to them. He informed
Joseph that management is unhappy about his trade union affiliation, as he
performs a managerial role in the organization. He demanded the gradual
separation from the trade union and asked him to work for the management for
better career. Kiran asked him to think about it and take a decision without
loosing time. Reserving his comment on Kiran's demand, Joseph returned to his
plant. 

Kiran's demand to quit the trade union membership was really disappointing to
him. He has of the feeling that to protect his rights and privileges; all along
trade union has been with him. With the existence of trade union, employees
feel safe and secure in their job. Many questions aroused in his mind, that "shall
I quit the trade union? Is it fair to quit the trade union as they supported to me
in many contingent situations? Will the management support me in my future?
Do they follow their promises? Who am I, a Worker or a Manager?... as there is
wide disparity between employees and employers? As many employees have
similar experience in the past, is it safe to do so? Many conflicting thoughts
made him more confused to take appropriate decision in this matter. 

Though he had plenty of information about management approach towards

employees in the organization, he decided to take a decision in favor of
management, considering future prospects. As an initial step he started getting
aloof from many of the trade union meetings and activities in the organization.
The trade union has close observation about their party men. They observed the
changes in the attitude and behavior of Joseph. Trade union leadership
demanded clarification from him. Joseph continues to get aloof from the trade
union activities by showing some personal grounds and engaging himself more
on work activities. He informed management that he started his gradual
separation from trade union. Management become quite happy about his
decision and extended full support in his occupational career. 

Having a peaceful mind, with a decision to involve the work more, as a

managerial supervisor, he started his newly allotted task. 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 worked as a team there they had to follow the timely instructions of
the senior managers. They don't have that much of freedom and autonomy to
take decision on production and to take initiatives to achive the target with
better alternative measures. As per the guideline of the top management they
have performed their duties and responsibilities. Joseph and other supervisory
members worked hard to get the predetermined result, as expected by the
management. 

The annual production statistics published. The department where Joseph has
been working reported low level performance. The inspectors pointed out
problems that related to quality level. The top management as usual flayed
junior - middle level mangers and supervisors who are in charge of the
department, low level performance. While the middle and junior level managers,
as usual, redirected those allegations to the supervisors and members in the
department, showing their sheer negligence and lack of commitment on their
part. The supervisory members especially Joseph who all along worked hard to
get better output, disagreed with the allegation made by the superiors. He has
of the impression that, after all they simply followed the instructions of their
superiors. 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 situation that went on
poor outlay. 

After two days top management asked Joseph to meet Kiran, the Senior
Manager in the organization for further discussion of the problem with due
consideration to the memorandum. Kiran informed the top management
decision about the issue that they totally dissatisfied with the performance of
the supervisory 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 few of the supervisory members to the other
departments and taken decision to transfer a few members from this
organization 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 require more training and attention that he
required to get it from other organization. Kiran also informed Joseph that
management decided to withdraw extra incentives that extended to them as the
nature of transfer is more of a training program and punishment one. 

Joseph shocked to hear management decision in this matter. He got totally

depressed about the management decision. He felt that here management has
shown their vested interest, partiality to protect middle and junior level
managerial members. They try to protect management members from negative
consequences and corrective measures from the top. He management decision
to transfer him and his fellow supervisory members to different departments in
other sister concerns is a measure to marginalize and victimize them. He could
not find any justification on the part of management. Joseph felt that instead of
understanding the problem in an impartial way management tried to resolve the
issue by developing new strategies that safe guard the management and
victimizes the members. He felt that the attitudes of the management always
behave as 'big bosses' and never going to change. He felt that mangers do not
have any intention to support employees in their crisis. 

Joseph became more aggressive decided to continue his membership in trade

union and forwarded the complaint to trade union indicating the victimization. 

Questions 

1. Is the management's attitude towards the trade union justified? 

2. Does the annual decline in the yearly production reflect Joseph's inefficiency
as a Manager? 
3. "Business World indulges in Organizational Politics by showing carrots of
Career Planning". Comment. 
4. Does this case reflect Joseph as a poor decision maker? 
5. How theory of equity and theory of expectancy related to this case study?