CASE STUDY The Dawn of 54 Septmber 2016 Of late, there have been several instances of fresh management school recruits being bullied by their Managers, or in some instances their senior colleagues, in the initial days at the job. These employees seek the counsel of their faculty at the B-school to discuss the matter since the classroom never taught them to deal with situations such as these. 15 DR.POORNIMA GUPTA aren com ® HCAwere he taught Marketing 2nd herecevesacallfomastadent {rom one among the previous years ‘Manis Si, Good evening! How ae ‘yout Marit here from the 2015 bath, Prof Kuma: Helo Mant, fa good. Mant Sz 1 would ike o diseuss somthingwith youln person When can Tome ove? ‘rofKumar Why don’ twemeet over coffee tomorrow? ‘Nest day ovr coffee Prof Kumar: Ok Mani, how are things? How is your new Job gong? T believe you were very exited about Joining Howonghastbeensineyou Degan working naw 7 mons" 37 ‘Mani wilcompete 1 monthsnext weet, se was my dream profile 1 ‘ranted eln hale, and couldnot Trivett ott Bu unk may have to eave. Prof Kumar: LeavetWhy®Youhavea beter offer? Mane No itisnotda bavenotyet sxaredtolonkforone Bute way ings ae going atthe offi 1 do not think an continue ther for long "ro Kumar. Why what happened? eas se that if youleave yourob (00 ‘oon cwileefetbadlyonyourresume Manit: You know sit after the completion of my MBA. thought T ‘would be dong something diferent as ‘compare to what used to do eae. "eit would have more esponsiities asa Manager Buther,Toeem tobe jst nother minion, doing tasks for other Managers Ido notgett stn meetings, so. get only second hand information on the decisions taken, which largely picts work My managers forever breathing dven my neck looking for mses isasiisapersonaltiamp ET make a mistake, and he is able pinpoint, Tam always too scared of Committing an error that Teannot Concentrate on mi wok alto had fellow eaieague Rajesh, from my previous compar. Since we ad worked ogee previously. we were ‘comfortable sf woulk consul th hhmaboutmytass Thlsagainwestaken negatively by my oss, who ought prefer taking help fom Rajesh rather than him He does not give me relevant ‘information unt telast moment, fat all, and then complains that my Ls PHS au cD vo humanapsoin er performances largely below than what fanbe expected roman "MBA" Most hefoistotTwhateverishispending work daring weekends on me, 901 end up ‘working on Saturdays and Sundays. do not mind domgso occasionally Dbutithasbeen recurringon almost every ‘other weekend. Whenever, L apply for leave, le digs out some work, which is very urgent ‘Sr, we ally enjoyed your lectures, but wishwe could haveleamtmoreon howto handledhissiuation.Tamafraid ‘thatonedaylwillconfrontmy bossand say things Iwill regret Ifldosomethingon my own, he says 1 eannot as Iam not "experienced ‘enough’ to handle things omy own. If 1 goto him for advice, hesays, "never show iniatvetodo tingson my oven- ‘how vail learnt" 1 get s0 confused. Ihave forgotten everthing that was taught to me during ‘MBA. Now Lam just on my toes tying toplease him, Thavetried taking to HR about this, ‘nattheysay that we eannotexpeettobe pampered. If work sto be done, we heed 10 doit ProfKmar: Mani why doyouthin ‘your oss ike hist Does hebehave the Same way wit others? "Mani Yes, it appears so. No one is Dbappy wih, but with mein particular, bes completely micro managi ‘ciay be die to the fcr that when 1oined inialy.did not understandtbe lurgency of one report, and therefore be hha to st with that himself to correct, ‘and complete After that, nothing do seems to please him. Youknow you had {oldusaboutthe"Fistimpresson eror Tfguess that as happened tome. Thave inp choice butt shift Prof Kumar: Iam sorry this happened. Do you think you can do something to resolve the situation? ‘Maybe talk to your bosst ‘Mani: Its of no use talking t him. ery time eyo el him my problem, hhesaysstop whining and do your work ‘You are pak to work not complain. ‘Lam at my wits end. Tam under extreme stress. My colleagues are ofno help. They foe that work extra to eam ‘brie points ommyboss Theyave started to allenate me from thelr discussions. as if being seen in my ‘company wil fleet poorly on them, Profkimar: Okay Mant etme think overthis, andmaybeTwiltalko youin CASE STUDY a couple of days. ‘Mani: Thankyou so much for your time Sit, and for listening to me.I am feeling much better” after our conversation. anit worked for LMC Consulting Company, one ofthe leaders in the consulting business inthe country. He ‘was the topperin hisbateh Though he ‘seemed to bela back bewasvery sharp ‘andcompltedhis work on tme.Hewas ‘loner without too many fiends, But ‘was lke by the entire faculty ‘Among thefive students shortlisted, hewastheonlyonetobeseectedinthis ‘company from the institute ata very attative package. The company was Jnown oritsprogressivecultureand ast sroweh carer path. ‘ManitalwayswantedtobeaBusiness Development Manager, and when the ‘opportunity came to him, he was atualy very ken. He was over the Ioonvshenewasseleted. Hemet me cs afer joining the organization and {aid "Sir hiss ommpany would be tappy to eee fom do not know what advice ro give tig: Tiswashisdeam eompany.inoaly afew months’ ime, he has become 50 slusioned. The young people are so inpatient. They want immediate Feeback, and get disheartened if hey donor getany They do notundestand thedynamlsof working wih superiors or pect Ifeel hes Blowing ital out of proportion. Septenber 2016 + 55CASE STUDY cleanly perceived that Manit is @ victim of strong ofice polities in hiscurrent organization. This being Manit’s dream job, the Professor did not wish to disconcert him with the ‘ruetble fact that he could nat do well in the organization owing to his colleagues’ sly tricks and the acts by hhismanager. Further he wanted Manit to understand the fragility of the situation, and, act judiciously under sch pressing circumstances, The professor also wants Manit to be tenacious so long as he is working In this organization. Not only does he want Manit to understand the root cause of his predicament, he also wants him to stay. and give one hundred percent to his work. According to him, these are the very challenges that are bound to arse even if Manit changes his job. Exercising patience with his ‘manager and attempting t recognize his requirements will aid Manit in fulfilling the responsibilities assigned to him on time, and wil help him bull a strong rapport with his manager. Before Manitcan figure out the ways ‘of dealing with ofice poles, he should first establish an understanding as to what office polities is. I nthe case study, the Professor has an experiencect over 22 yeosin Leaning i Development. and has worked at (GMc, TCS, Safipro and Deloitte “consiting. Murathas a Doctorate rom sity of Hyderabad and has done ve coaching for leaders using ‘word css prting methodloges 56 » September 2016 According to the Profesor, “ofice politics” are strategies played by people, either for their personal gins, Or for a cause, they support. It may carry positive or negative connotations depending on the situation at hand. ‘When people complain about throbs and organizations, they never claim thatthe work is too hard and is taking atollon them. Instead, they talk about the human element at work, which is invariably the toughest part of any jb. When we love our jobs, its owing t0 the fact that we like the work, and the people around us create a feeling that ‘we are being appreciated and are relevant. When we ate our jobs, its usually because we are treated badly at work The work might be okay, but people energy is critica. ‘Togeta handle on office politics, it {is pertinent to observeas to how issues are handled in the organization, Therefore, itis essential to raise some fundamental questions to ascertain the core values inthe organization, an the ‘mannerin which tey are being enacted. Ics also important to ascertain the process of decision making and gauging ‘the underlyingisks. ting answer to these questions should provide youwith a good sense of the culture of your organization, Office Politics is Real Ollie polities is real, and one cannot shy away from it. Whenever and wherever, a group of people are involved in an organization, splinter groups are bound tobe formed on the basis ofan individual's preferences. As consequence, several individuals will attempt to mock @ person or play pranks. Office polities isa reality What really is @ fact is that smart people actually understand politics and find a ‘way to navigate through i, The choice In front of them is either to use it for their personal gain, o for the greater ood, Stay Away from Politics Detractors will never resort to polities if they are well aware that @ person ‘cannot be influenced. They may also be uninterested in dragging someone into it f they knew that the individual {is maintaining a neutral stance, So, given all the choices, Its infact easy to stay away from politic. Its likely that one can be caught in the eross fire, but if they simply stick to their work and keep doing what they are supposed to do, polities wil nt matter to them. Sometimes, it becomes a question of waitingit out, understanding it and then being able to deal with it instead of making claims that polite is nonexistent. ‘Things to be borne in mind Do not be oblivious: In order to grow and stay in the organization, one cannot ignore office politics and therefore cannot turn a blind eye towards itor wish it away. fa person understands th situation, the players ‘and the objective, itis possible to navigate and emerge unscathed through the situation. Ics important to be aware of your surroundings, but ‘equally importantto find away to stay ‘isolated and remain focused on work. Staying in or out- Staying in or out {san individuals personal choice, One can play the same game and grow in the organization, or can choose to completely stay out of office polities altogether. If people around you are rmacle aware that you haveno intention of getting involved in office polities, then there is no way that you can be dragged into it Being mindful and vigllant - One has to be mindful, vigilant and pay fll attention to the goings on in his or her environment. There are times when even senior and competent people fall prey to malicious gossip. Offic Politics are a fact of life. Wise politicking will help you get what you want in the world of work without compromising others in the process Key takeaways A junior subordinate inthis situation can remain focused and keep doing better work since this the time when he/she can gain recognition at work for the efforts Ifyou are asked to take sides, make sure to have an open dialogue with Doth the parties involved and talk about the conflicting instructions! _messages that are creating distractions Again, making a choice as to what Isright or rong as per one's discretion, office polities has its own advantages and disadvantages, and one must be ‘mindfal of the situation and use Ic to theirbest advantage, whileat the same time maintaining sense of integrity at alltimes. @Bthis cae study, after apparently making an {informed cholee about the role, Manit 's nove apprehensive about his future prospects and growth inthe company. ‘On the other hand, his manager ‘not making it easie for Manito setle and find his mojo. Are both missing the bigger picture in their respective run for instant gratification - Manito find awoie and a ace on the strategic table after making intial mistakes, and the manager solely focussing on completion of the task and not {interested in the tank-holder? Are they both being more sel-focused rather than focussing on what works forthe “organization? Such questions could be ‘eniless if we go down the path of one versus the other. Instead, let us focus ‘on how both the entities» the B school and the company, could have leveraged thelr might to prepare both of them to manage such challenges. Apart from looking into grades, education, knowledge and experience but also digging indepth to appreciate that traits such as team erlentation, ‘modvation, learning / coaching. and {intelligence are equally important aspects that requite to be looked into ‘Lets hence look into this sue in 80 semicon face his probe O ori bess tiny In (@) What can B-schools do 10 smoothien the journey of the fresh graduates like Manit into an Organization? (by What can the Organizations and managers do to complement the journey? How Can B Schools Prepare? Willingness to learn and the capability unlearn and relearn- ‘There nothing ike the ight solution, In the midst of a rapidly changing business environment and a fast paced work life, it is of paramount Importance to perceive the growing need to be always on your toes. ‘Therefore, one needs to be always eager and consented to learn something new, unlear it, and relearn something totally different when required. These are the days when one fof the most valuable skills sought by ‘companies is the he passion to continuously improve their ‘professional sis and competencies aun cara vw naancpsote con ‘and their application commensurate ‘with the requirement of the team or organization ‘Keen Appreciation of the Words "Manager" and 'Strategy'- Young graduates like Manit want more esponsbiities and don managerial ‘oles, but they need to be explained in the B-School that the organizations fist expectations from them isto help ‘them bulld the strategy through their ragcal ideas and thought provoking Philosophies and concepts. Hence, there has to be a keen appreciation as to what words like “strategy” and "manager" ental, and the appreciation that opportunites for co-creation and conceptuaistion would fellow sooner than later More often than not, one does not join a company and Immediately star working from the top. There is nothing wrong being an independent contributor who adds ‘value to the “strategic” agenda and to his or her "managers" output. ‘Work out the ordinary- Manit wanted afferent role, but the irony Js that there is nothing like adiferent role’. Every yea, an estimated 3 lakh students graduate as MBAS In India. [Not everybody gets to do something dliferent. The only thing Manit can do {nls role is working out the ordinary, diferent! Hard work never kills The best part of a B-school is the multi functional experience one gets while studying. One would have simultaneous deadlines for multiple project submissions for different professors and subjects. n B-schools, the successful ones crack this code through smart prioritisation, collaboration with different sets of students with complementary skill and meet super tight deadlines with an eye on quality nd of couse grades. ‘This mult-tasking attitude and the ‘capability to deliver at the highest ‘quality level are what organizations Took forward to, However oe cannot expect things tobe served on a ser platter. There will always be some challenges, which Will have to be resolved. There is no Such thing as a perfect relationship with the manager; work is always ‘demanding, and wil require undivided ‘concentration for 20 hours straight ‘with mere coffe breaks, work might even require working on weekends like CASE STUDY it di for Mani and that is okay if you. are earning and adding to your skill set Appreciate Diversity: One can choose friends, but not the people to work with. Hence, itis vital for the employees at the workplace to appreciate diversity and this implies, diversity of al forms including but not limited to Gender, Culture, Education and most importantly, Thought and Capability Diversity Appreciation and understanding of diversity plays avery Jmporant role at any workplace. There is something to learn from everyone. Importance of Emotional Intelligence- Employees at the workplace should know when to reveal ‘emotions with maturity, and when to ‘exercise restraint and control. For this, itis important to have a high £Q. ‘Manit needs to malntaln his EQ so that ‘he ean work on his relationship with ‘ls manager and the other colleagues. ‘They might be allenating him naw, but September 2016 © 57CASE STUDY ithe gives them some time, and has regular conversations with them, they ‘will eventually trust him, and thereby develop a good relationship with him, How can organizations complement this experience? Involvement. The manager here in this case study should not ‘underestimate Manit for his lack of experience. In fact, he should realize tat he does not carry any baggage, and hence would have a tres perspective and enthusiasm towards ‘work: This renewed outlook needs (0 be nurtured and retained Feedback and Mentoring (Like Prof. Kumar) - Individual, Group, Reverse of Anonymous - mentoring is of utmost importance, The manager hhere could really work on this one thing. Manit would in his heart, defintely acknowledge having certain limitations and the lack of crucial elements in order to move forward. It {s Just that he would not want to keep his vulnerability on his sleeves all the time. In organizations, the key to having a life-long allaton lies with the managers being meaningful contributors, confidantes and wiser individuals who can provide guidance ‘on professional and personal progression esponsfbilty and Accountability with a dash of Faith- Responsibility is ‘two-way street and both the parties ‘need to work on it f Mani is given ‘ownership of projects and initiatives, the outcome can really be beneficial ‘to the team or organization. The core Deli of millennial is pace and energy, ‘wiih if coupled with the managers! ‘wisdom and knowledge, can really be a heady concoction that companies need to leverage in a sustained Provide Relevant Learning Opportunities- The case study does ‘not mention anything about learning opportunities. Absence of learning ‘opportunities would cause people like Manit out in no time! Millennials no longer feel the obligation to stick around in an organization for 100 Jong, Quantum and quality of learning opportunities embedded at the workspace, which is relevant for their horizontal and vertical growth, would topple the salary factor. Recognising [58 + September 2016 ind appreciating contribution and achievement, providing growth ‘opportunities based on performance (and not just on experience) will ‘surely do the trick. No Comparison- The manager here is breaking the unsaid rule! Never ever, compare two young sraduates with each other. Do not fxpect them to perform a cerain way just because they are from a certain college or have a certain degree. Do not peg these employees to some ther management trainee you had reporting to you a couple of years back Each individual is different and each individual brings something different to the table. ‘Understand their Life (check out your own kids) - Millennials do not Strive for work-life balance anymor bbut prefer work-life integration, Since this company is known for its progressive culture and fast growth ‘career path it should also realize that for young graduates lke Mani, work is not a separate element of le that reeds to be ‘balanced’ out. They need to be provided with flexibility - ‘working hours, work mates (et them chhoose their Rajesh) work space, as Jong as the quality and timelines of deliverables are mutually set_and ablded by Why should it matter ifthe work is dane sitting at an office desk or at a coffee shop? ‘an manana om MONAT