Prajapati is a Finance member in a team commissioned to prepare a project for seeking aid from a foreign philanthropic fund. The project leader Mallick is an egoistic self-seeker who belittled other team members, created an impression of being the sole driver of the project and generally hogged the limelight. He never allowed anyone else from the team to visit abroad for discussions or to talk to foreign donors. Being a smooth talker, he impressed people. Prajapati was a rank holder in CA examination and resented Mallick’s ways of ignoring other team members. Often, he differed from Mallick.Mallickbypassed Prajapati and consulted hissubordinates on howbest to make the project look attractive. In due course, the visit of the fund’s appraisal team was fixed. While studying the financials of the project, Prajapati realised that the calculations underlying its financial viability were flawed. He felt that Mallick would lose face when the appraisal team spots the errors. He thought that it would be a fitting lesson to Mallick.
In the office drama narrated, what dysfunctional behaviour do you observe here? Point out at least three significant remediable dysfunctionalities.
The following style and/or conduct of Mallick and Prajapati are dysfunctional for their managerial roles.
1. Mallick’s egocentric conduct is problematic. Apparently he has no real grasp of the intricacies of project preparation and evaluation. Yet he wanted to demonstrate that he is leading from the front. That too may be tolerated but he must keep some specialist on his side so that mistakes are avoided. This he failed to do.
2. Mallick’s second problem is his manipulative behaviour. He wanted to make the project appear better thanwhat it really was. Painting a project white is a commonpracticebut one might do this withgreat moderation. If lotsof wrong assumptionsaremadeand revenuesareoverexaggerated, trained evaluators will be able to see through the deficiencies and the project proponents will lose credibility. Then no foreign donor will be enthusiastic to provide aid. This Mallick should have recognized and not pushed malleable subordinates to window dress the project.
3. Prajapati should havebeencandid with Mallick and pointed out theflawsintheproject proposal. Whether Mallick would have listened to him or not, we cannot say. He should have pointed out the deficiencies upfront; that action would have been in the interest of the organisation. Instead Prajapati wished humiliation of Mr. Mallick in due course when the proposal gets rejected. This approach is a deviation from team work and cohesive working in an organisation. Prajapati would not at the end of the day gain anything from eventual rejection of the project. This is somewhat akin to shooting at one’s own feet.
As we noted earlier, modern organisations can no longer be managed through handing down commands. Management has to rely more on persuasion than on ordering people around. In this situation, use of social skills for gaining influence and communicating ideas has become important. The following are vital for this purpose:
¤ Influence: Deploying suitable means of effective persuasion
¤ Communication: Putting across messages clearly and convincingly
¤ Conflict management: Holding discussions and settling disputes amicably
¤ Leadership: Creating enthusiasm and giving direction to subordinates
¤ Acting as catalysts for change: Introducing, sustaining and managing change
Influence involves winning over others to support our point of view. It may be hard to influence people who have closed minds or absolutely rigid views. Sometimes, the differences are irreconcilable. However, in many situations the aim is to persuade people to adopt one view instead of another. In such situations, one has to present facts and arguments in a manner which will appeal to the listeners. The matter has to be explained from their perspective, highlighting the advantages they will gain. Open advocacy of a particular line, ignoring other alternatives, often leaves people unconvinced. Peoplehave to be influencedindirectly. To gaininfluence, it is necessary to buildcoalitionsand create support. People are receptive to ideas conveyed through dramatic incidents and telling examples.