Given below are two statements:
Assertion (A): Planning reduces creativity in an organisation.
Reason (R): Middle management does the departmental planning, while top management plans for the organisation as a whole.
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
Assertion (A): Planning reduces creativity in an organisation. — True. This is a limitation of planning. People follow fixed plans, so new ideas get lost.
Reason (R): Middle management does the departmental planning, while top management plans for the organisation as a whole. — True. This shows that the scope of planning differs at different levels. It is part of the feature that planning is pervasive.
Why R does not explain A?
R tells us who plans for what at each level. It says nothing about why people lose their new ideas. So R does not cause A.
The correct reason for A is that plans are made by the top management and the rest only carry them out. Middle managers are neither allowed to deviate from plans nor to act on their own, so their initiative is reduced.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “(iii) Planning is pervasive: Planning is required at all levels of management as well as in all departments of the organisation. It is not an exclusive function of top management nor of any particular department. But the scope of planning differs at different levels and among different departments. For example, the top management undertakes planning for the organisation as a whole. Middle management does the departmental planning. At the lowest level, day-to-day operational planning is done by supervisors.” “(iii) Planning reduces creativity: Planning is an activity which is done by the top management. Usually the rest of the members just implements these plans. As a consequence, middle management and other decision makers are neither allowed to deviate from plans nor are they permitted to act on their own. Thus, much of the initiative or creativity inherent in them also gets lost or reduced. Most of the time, employees do not even attempt to formulate plans. They only carry out orders. Thus, planning in a way reduces creativity since people tend to think along the same lines as others. There is nothing new or innovative.” |