Question

Kunal is a middle-level manager at Electronics India Ltd., a large company, headquartered at Delhi. While in his office, he is thinking about budget projections for next year so that he can offer a more feasible explanation as to why he is currently spending in excess of budgeted expenditure. Meanwhile, he receives a phone message from his boss. He talks with his boss about eliminating a post in his department and creating two new posts and also decides not to smoke while in the office. After back to his office, he talks to his subordinates about the decisions taken by him with his boss. In between, he received a phone message and placed return calls to two of the callers. He does not cancel a planned Lunch with a new manager in a department that often competes with his department for the time and attention of his boss. In the afternoon, he attends to the complaints of some customers and later discusses them with his subordinate and boss. He persuades his subordinates to stay back after office time and clear up all pending work so that he is able o hold interviews for the selection of one clerk in his department. In the evening, he attends a meeting of the Grievance Committee. 

Read and analyze the above case carefully and answer the following questions : 

a. What managerial functions has Kunal performed? Cite specific evidence for each function identified. 

b. How well do you think Mintzberg’s managerial roles approach explains what has taken place in this case ? What particular roles can you identify ? 

c. Do you think that Kunal is a good manager? Give your answer citing evidence from the case. 

d. If you were the manager in this case, what would you have done differently? Why? 

Answer 1

(a) He has to plan his budget for the next year and he has to understand why he is currently spending more than he had been budgeted-he has to control. He talked with his boss about reorganizing by eliminating a post and organizing by creating two new posts in his department. Planning is not just figuring out the budget for the coming year. Kunal is also planning when he decides what phone calls to return and whether or not to keep his lunch appointment. He has to decide what objectives were important, and he must do routinely. Talking with his boss is an obvious case of organizing. Giving feedback to a subordinate is a way of controlling. Talking to new manager of the other department at lunch table, is coordinating the efforts of two departments and by attending the Grievance Committee meeting he also interacted and coordinated. His decision to give up smoking is derived from a desire to set a better example of leadership. Spending time with the customers also indicates his leading and controlling aspects. While doing so he got important information that he could transmit both to his subordinates for his report and to his boss for better planning, and thus he communicated well. He motivated his subordinate by persuading him to stay back. He did staffing work by holding interviews. Kunal’s office work shows that management is a dynamic process and management functions do not have a beginning, middle, and end. His day seems to be an endless series of interruptions or disconnected activities. 

(b) Kunal engaged himself in interpersonal, informational and decisional roles throughout the day. Mintzberg’s managerial roles approach correctly explains as to what do managers do. 

(c) Yes, kunal is a good manager since he has ability to manage which is evidenced by his organizing, planning, controlling, leading, communicating, leading, communicating, motivating, and staffing qualities. He is an effective manager since his department achieves high levels of task performance and human resource maintenance. 

(d) Nothing, because kunal has already performed the job of a good and effective manager.