Directing a Dissatisfied Manager
Rashmi Joshi had been a district sales manager with Fine Productions for ten years. She was recognised by her peers and supervisors as a person who managed department in a good way. However, everyone realised that Rashmi was extremely ambitious and was seeking a higher-level management position. When one of her sales representatives did a good job, she would attempt to take the credit. However, if a problem arose, she thought it was not her fault. When the marketing manager retired, Rashmi applied for the position. The company decided to do a thorough search because of the responsibility and importance associated with the position. When the search was concluded, the decision was made to fill the position by a person from outside the company. The consensus of top management was that Rashmi, although a good district sales manager might have difficulties in working with her new peer groups. They felt that she might displease the other managers if she tried to take credit for their work and, as a result, their performance would suffer. Rashmi was heart-broken. She had wanted that particular job for a long time and had dedicated all her energies towards obtaining it. She became very despondent and her work deteriorated. The department functioned inspite of her, not because of her. Decisions were made slowly if at all and she began to be late with her sales reports. Although her sales staff continued to be productive, Rashmi could not take the credit. When the new marketing manager took over, one of the first major problems that he confronted was how to motivate and inspire Rashmi to her former level of performance. He recognised that Rashmi had been with the company for a long time, but something had to be done to motivate her to perform really well. Therefore he decided to transfer some of his authority to Rashmi. For motivating her and simultaneously achieving efficient functioning of the department.
Despite her behavior of taking her team's credit, how did the new Marketing Manager support Rashmi?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → By delegating the authority to her
Option (1) By transferring her to other Department — Incorrect. No transfer is mentioned in the passage. Moving her out would also have done nothing for the department he had to set right.
Option (2) By delegating the authority to her — Correct. The passage ends with his remedy. He decided to hand over some of his authority to her. Passing authority down from a superior to a subordinate is delegation. It has three parts: authority, responsibility and accountability. The manager is still answerable for the work he has delegated. Delegation motivates for the very reason this case needs. It is a visible mark of trust, and it gives her a chance to prove herself, which is what an employee loses when she is denied a promotion.
Option (3) By promoting her to new position — Incorrect. The post she wanted had already been filled from outside. Giving a subordinate a share of one’s authority is also not the same as raising her rank.
Option (4) By demoting her to another position — Incorrect. He set out to restore her performance. A demotion would only have deepened the discontent he was trying to cure.
Note: The case study is taken from the chapter ‘Directing’, but this question is based on the chapter ‘Organising’. However, since it is a case-study based question, all the questions on this case study are tagged to the chapter the case study is taken from. NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “Delegation … Delegation refers to the downward transfer of authority from a superior to a subordinate. It is a pre-requisite to the efficient functioning of an organisation because it enables a manager to use his time on high priority activities. It also satisfies the subordinate’s need for recognition and provides them with opportunities to develop and exercise initiative.” |