"A plan is drawn with specific goals to be achieved within a specific time frame and managers may not be in a position to change it." What does this infer?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Planning leads to rigidity
Option (1) Planning increases creativity — Incorrect. Plans are mostly made at the top and carried out below. So planning tends to reduce creativity, not increase it.
Option (2) Planning decreases creativity — Incorrect. This is a real limitation of planning, but a different one. It comes from managers below the top only carrying out plans. The statement is about a fixed plan that cannot be changed, not about a lack of new ideas.
Option (3) Planning leads to flexibility — Incorrect. A plan that managers cannot change is the opposite of flexible.
Option (4) Planning leads to rigidity — Correct. Rigidity is a limitation of planning. A plan fixes goals and a time frame and then decides the future course of action. If conditions change, managers may not be free to change the plan, and this creates difficulty. They need some flexibility to cope with the changed situation.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “Planning leads to rigidity: In an organisation, a well-defined plan is drawn up with specific goals to be achieved within a specific time frame. These plans then decide the future course of action and managers may not be in a position to change it. This kind of rigidity in plans may create difficulty. Managers need to be given some flexibility to be able to cope with the changed circumstances. …” “Planning reduces creativity: Planning is an activity which is done by the top management. Usually the rest of the members just implements these plans. …” |