Rob Parson -

Morgan Stanley

GROUP MEMBERS:
• Jagriti Bhutoria

• Rhea Naik

• Ridhi Agarwal

• Mohana Sukhani

• Utkarsh Yeolekar

• Sarthak Patidar

• Shaun Sequeira

• Akhilesh Kaushal

• Avinav Srivastava

• Aditya Kandala
Morgan Stanley
• A leading US investment banking company headquartered in
the Morgan Stanley building, Manhattan, New York City
• Operates in 24 countries and has more than 1300 offices and
60,000 employees
• Vision: “One-Firm Firm”
• Mission: To become the world’s best Investment bank and firm
of choice
• Follows “Up-or-Out” promotion system
• Follows a 360° performance appraisal system.

Work Culture at Morgan Stanley

 Firm cares about the integrity of the
process.
 The franchise is an important and
integral part of the firm.
 Culture is important.
 Teamwork is an integral part of Morgan
Stanley’s process
 PROBLEM STATEMENT

Rob Parson’s fit to

Low market share in
Financial Services sector
• Financial Services firms represent 30%
Promotion to Managing Director of market base for the CMS division.
• Rob Parson was hired as a PRINCIPAL with a promise • Morgan Stanley has never been able
to promote him to MANAGING DIRECTOR. tap into this market.
• Paul Nasr had hired Rob Parson as a Marketing • Existing talent in the company has
been unable to crack this segment in
Coverage Professional in the CMS division.
the CMS division
• Now, Rob Parson’s evaluation is due which will decide
whether or not he will be promoted to Managing • Rob Parson was hired to generate
Director. business in this domain.
Morgan Stanley’s
culture
• Morgan Stanley has a very
strict policy towards the
integrity of the process with
emphasis on teamwork.
• Rob Parson’s methods are
usually in conflict with the
organisation’s values and
processes.

• Rob Parson is one of the best performers in the

company.

• Rob Parson’s is liked a lot by clients and is a popular

name in the financial services industry.

• Managing Director is the top position in the

organization’s hierarchy.
 ROB PARSON
PROFESSIONAL CAREER

Morgan Stanley
Hired as Principal in
the CMS division with
Investment a future prospect of
promoting to
Houses
Managing Director
Performed very well in
Commercial the commercial bank.
Bank
Worked in 3 major
Wanted to work in
investment houses
Wall Street.
University of and built a great
Southern reputation in the
Got his first job in a
industry
California commercial bank.
California State Joined University of Gained good
Started working in the
University Southern California to knowledge of the
Savings and Loan
pursue MBA. financial sector
Joined California Department
New York State State University’s
University undergraduate
program.
Dropped out of the
college after one year
and started his own
shop.
 ROB PARSON
S W O T A N A LY S I S

STRENGTH WEAKNESS

• 10 years of extensive experience in • Poor team dynamics within the

IB and insurance sector organization

• Strong interpersonal skills with clients • Doesn’t approve of Morgan Stanley’s

culture.
• Open to challenges and a go-getter
• Sharp-toungued and impatient
• Aggressive at bringing business

THREAT

• People in the organization dislike him

OPPORTUNITY
• Not aligned with the company’s vision

• Violation of company’s policies

• Promotion to MD of Morgan Stanley

• Leading the CMS division for the

financial services clients
 ROB PARSON
MINTZBERG’S MANAGERIAL ROLES

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
• He acts as a FIGUREHEAD in his area of work and a LIASON as he is the only one to deal
with the financial services firms.

INFORMATIONAL SKILLS
• He displays the traits of both, a MONITOR and a DISSEMINATOR

DECISIONAL SKILLS
• He displays the traits of NEGOTIATOR and an ENTREPRENEUR
 OBJECTIVES OF APPRAISAL

PAY RISE: To determine whether to revise the

remuneration of the employee.
Promotion is the key
consideration in Rob Parson’s
performance appraisal. PROMOTION: To decide the role of the employee in
the organization’s hierarchy.

Training & Development in FEEDBACK SYSTEM: Helps in realizing the sentiment of

Rob Parson’s context would
be his interpersonal skills with
respect to employees within
the organisation.
the employees within the organization.
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT: Helps in assessing the necessary
training required to upskill the employees.

CAREER PLANNING: Gives an outlook to the employees with respect to their

career as their strengths and weaknesses are analysed..

Productive Work
Environment is also a PRODUCTIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT: Helps in the proper and
significant consideration in efficient functioning of the organization.
Rob Parson’s appraisal as he
was not aligned with the IMPROVES SUPERVISION: Compels supervisors to
organisation’s culture. Conflict observe and be aware of the work practices of their
with co-workers was
subordinates.
observed.
 360° APPRAISAL SYSTEM

• Employers evaluate employee performance using

feedback from as many sources as possible.
• Feedback from peers and subordinates is also taken
into account
• Also known as Multi-rate Feedback
• Provides holistic feedback if executed properly.

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Provides a complete assessment • Very time-consuming.
• Improves teamwork • Anonymity can result in a lack of seriousness
• Shares the perception of self within the while giving reviews.
organization • Chances of dishonest feedback
• Delivers feedback from stakeholders at various • Improper execution can lead to distrust in
levels review process.
• Helps employees to become self-aware
• Helps in bringing transparency
 ROB PARSON
360º APPRAISAL REVIEW
Review by COLLEAGUES
POSITIVE:
• Good knowledge of business
• High level of client satisfaction
• Efficient management of
resources
• Pushes team to perform better
• Improved sense of teamwork
• Aggressive growth driver
• Expert in cross-selling
NEGATIVE:
• Very volatile
• Lacks broader vision for the
organisation
• Needs to be more subtle
• Needs to manage temper
• Needs to work on long-term
pursuit of client relationships.
Review by PAUL NASR
POSITIVE:
• Excellent marketing skills
• Doesn’t hesitate to explore new
avenues
• Proactive
• Excellent market knowledge
• Street smart
• Loves to take on challenges
• Quick on feet
NEGATIVE:
• Thinks he is always right
• Needs to manage temper
• Needs to communicate more
with employees within the
organisation.
• Only cares about the work and
doesn’t care about getting into
conflicts
Review by GARY STUART
POSITIVE:
• Doesn’t get discouraged easily
• Highly persuasive
• Innovative with business
solutions
NEGATIVE:
• Too aggressive when it comes to
work
• Cannot contain outbursts if things
go south
• Too casual when it comes to
feedback.
 LEARNINGS

Stuart’s evaluation of Parson

Stuart and Parson were colleagues, initially. Stuart got promoted and Parson’s promotion was
deferred. In 1996, Stuart had to evaluate Parson’s promotion review.
Given their history, Stuart found it a little difficult to evaluate Parson

Company’s rigidity with respect to culture

Morgan Stanley gives utmost importance to the company’s culture. Although a company’s culture
is important, it was seen that Morgan Stanley was not open to mending its culture to
accommodate new ideas and approaches.
Parson is not a traditional banker. His approach is unconventional but bears great results. Yet, no
leeway was given.

Nasr’s personal relations with Parson

Nasr knew Parson before he joined Morgan Stanley. This put both, Parson and Nar under a
microscope. As a result, Nasr couldn’t properly evaluate Parson and support him even when he
wanted to.

Parson’s future in the organization

Given that Parson is the only employee in the organisation capable of bringing business from
financial services clients, he can lead that segment in that division. He can also help in the
training and development of other employees so that they can also contribute to that segment.