Studies Case Studies – Directing

Directing is the process of instructing, guiding, coaching, counselling, motivating and

leading the employees to achieve organisational goals.

Natural/Features of Directing

1. Initiates action. The initiation of all actions starts with the directions given
by the , superiors to their subordinates.
2. Takes place at every level of management. Wherever there is a superior
and his subordinate, Directing is present. We can see that all the levels of
management have superiors-subordinates, so directing is present at every
level of management.
3. Is a continuous process. Like other functions directing is also continuous.
Directions will always be given in an organisation till it exists.
4. Flows from top to bottom. Directions always flow from superior to
subordinate. So the direction is from top to bottom.

Importance of Directing

1. Helps in introducing changes in an organisation, as it calms down the

resistance which occurs against that change.
2. Helps in integrating employees’ efforts, as it integrates all their actions by
proper communication and leadership.
3. Initiates action, as through proper directions all the necessary steps are
initiated.
4. Brings stability and balance in the organisation by properly defining
authority- responsibility relationships. This eliminates any chances of
confusion.
5. Helps in bringing out potential and enhancing capabilties of employees by
motivating and leading them as and when required.

Elements of Directing

1. Supervision
2. Motivation
3. Leadership
4. Communication

 
1. SUPERVISION. It is the process of overseeing and analysing the efforts and
activities of employees and timely guiding them through instructions and
proper feedback to help them achieve organisational goals.
Role/Functions of Supervision or Supervisor:
o Supervisor ensures group unity among the workers as with
unity their efficiency and discipline improves.
Directing
o Supervisor gives on-the-job training to the workers as and
when required.
Supervisor checks the performance of workers and corrects
them by giving feedback.
o Supervisor is a leader to the workers. He should act as a role-
model in order to influence their behaviour in the right
direction.
o Supervisor is a lower level manager, since he is a part of the
management he acts as a link between the management and
the workers.
o Supervisor stays in touch with the workers as he remains in
day to day contact with them.
2. MOTIVATION
Motivation is the process of stimulating employees/workers/people into
action by identifying their needs (motives) and satisfying them by providing
them financial and non-financial incentives (motivators) in order to achieve
organisational goals.
Features of Motivation:
o It is an internal feeling. It is hidden inside like other feelings
and cannot be seen as it is abstract in nature.
o Motivation can be both—positive as well as negative.
o Positive motivators: Rewards, job security, employee
recognition, profit sharing, etc.
o Negative motivators: Penalties, fines, other disciplinary actions,
etc.
o It is goal directed behaviour. Every type of motivation is given
to achieve organisational goals.
o It is a complex process. It is very difficult generally to judge
—the motivation levels of all the employees and
—what will actually motivate a person?
Assumptions of Maslow’s Need Hierarchy:

1. All the actions (behavioural) of human beings are due to some of their
needs.
2. These needs can be arranged in the form of hierarchy.
3. When one level of need is satisfied, a person tries to satisfy the next level
need.
4. When a particular level need is satisfied it no longer influences the person’s
behaviour.

Financial and Non-financial incentives—

Financial incentives. The incentives which can be measured in monetary terms. These
are:

1. Pay and allowances. Basic salary, dearness allowance, house allowance,

etc. come under pay and allowances. This is the basic requirement of any
employee.
 2. Productivity linked wage incentives. Higher productivity of a worker is
recognised through higher rate of wages.
3. Retirement benefits. Pension, Provident Fund, Gratuity are the retirement
benefits which provide financial security at the time of old age.
4. Bonus. Bonus is given over and above salary or wages. It is generally paid
on annual basis.
5. Co-Partnership/Stock option. Shares of the company (in which the
employees work) are offered to the employees at a price lower than the
market price as an incentive.
6. Profit sharing. Employees are given share in the profit of the company in
recognition to their efforts in increasing the profit of the company.
7. Perquisites. Perquisites are the fringe benefits like medical aid, education,
house, etc. which are given over and above salary. They are generally given
to high ranked employees.

Non-financial incentives. Incentives which cannot be measured in monetary terms are

called non-financial incentives. Various types of non-financial incentives are:

1. Status. Status indicates the rank of a person in the organisation’s

hierarchy. It has authority, fame, psychological satisfaction, etc. associated
with it.
2. Organisational climate. Characteristics which differentiate one
organisation from another are included in it. The psychology and behaviour
of employees is connected with it. Examples of these characteristics are
degree of autonomy, incentive system, etc.
3. Career advancement opportunity. Some companies provide timely
promotions to their employees. These career advancement opportunities
motivate the employees to improve their performance.
4. Job enrichment. Companies design their work environment in such a
manner that jobs become interesting and value-adding for the employees.
This can be done by giving more freedom, making the workplace more user
friendly and knowledge generating.
5. Employee recognition. This can be done by shaking hands with the
subordinates, making mementos of their names, writing their names on
notice board, awards, etc.
6. Job security. Employees work with more zest and sense of involvement
when they get job security for a minimum fixed tenure.
7. Employee participation. Employees feel good when they are made to feel
important by involving them in decision making. They can be made
members of committees like work committee, canteen committee, etc.
 8. Employee empowerment. When employees are empowered, they feel
important. They can be given more autonomy in their field of work.

3. LEADERSHIP
Leadership is the process of influencing the behaviour of people/ employees/ workers
by acting as a role model and inspiring them to work willingly towards the achievement
of organisational goals.

Features of Leadership:

1. It is an interpersonal relationship between the leader (role model) and the

followers.
2. It is a goal oriented process as the followers willingly work towards the
attainment of set goals.
3. It is a continuous process.
4. It is an ability to influence the behaviour of others.
5. It helps in introducing change in the people (Who get influenced and
become followers).

Styles of Leadership. The approach a leader adopts, to influence the working and

conduct of
his subordinates in order to steer them towards goal fulfilment, is known as ‘style of
leadership’.
There are three styles of leadership:

 Autocratic or Authoritarian Leadership

 Participative or Democratic Leadership
 Laissez Faire or Free Rein Leadership
4. COMMUNICATION
Communication is the process of exchanging ideas, beliefs, philosophy, contents, etc.
between an individual and the others in order to arrive at a common understanding.

Process of Communication:

Elements of Communication:

1. Message. The content which is communicated—Idea, concept, message,

etc.
2. Sender. The person who sends the message.
3. Receiver. The person who receives the message.
4. Media. The path through which message is sent.
 5. Encoding. The process of converting a message into decodable symbols,
pictures, words, etc.
6. Decoding. The process of converting or decoding the ‘codes’—symbols,
pictures, words, etc.—for understanding of the message.
7. Feedback. Response by the receiver after he receives the message.
8. Noise. Various obstructions and barriers in the communication process.

Formal and Informal Communication

1. FORMAL COMMUNICATION. When communication takes place on formal

lines (as guided by the established chain of command) it is known as
Formal Communication.
Forms of Formal Communication
o Upward communication. Subordinate to superior.
o Downward communication. Superior to subordinate.
o Horizontal communication. Between persons at the same level;
Generally inter departmental in nature.
o Diagonal communication. Free Flow Communication
2. INFORMAL COMMUNICATION. When communication takes place on
informal lines (in no definite direction) it is known as Informal
Communication.
Grapevine. The informal, unofficial system of communication existing in an
organisation is called
Grapevine. Rumours, gossips, etc. are the key ingredients of this structure.
Barriers to Effective Communication
o Semantic Barriers. The barriers which arise at the level of
encoding and decoding of the messages are known as
Semantic barriers.

o Badly expressed message. Due to wrong use of

words, the intended meaning of the message may
not be conveyed.
o Symbols with different meanings. A single word
may have more than one meanings. For example,
word ‘plane’ has different meanings.
o Faulty translation. When a message is translated
into some other language then due to lack of equal
command on both the languages the meanings
might change.
 o Unclarified assumptions. Sometimes a message
conveyed may carry assumptions. These
assumptions may be differently understood and
explained by the receiver leading to barriers in
communication.
o Technical jargon. People belonging to the same
profession may use certain words and terms
which can be understood by them only. Under
such circumstances an outsider to the profession
may not be able to understand the jargon.
o Body language and gesture decoding. It is said
that body language is more important than the
words spoken. If there is a mismatch between the
words spoken and the gestures (or body language)
used it may lead to confusion and therefore
creation of a barrier.
o Psychological Barriers. The emotional or mental state related
barriers arising due to mismatch between states of mind of the
sender and the receiver of the message.
o Premature evaluation. When the reciever evaluates
the message even before it is fully delivered by the
sender. It happens due to preconceived notions.
o Lack of attention. An inattentive receiver may not
be able to gather what the sender is trying to say.
o • Loss by transmission and poor retention. This
type of barrier is common where a message
passes through various levels or people leading to
the altering of message due to poor retention of
individuals involved.
o • Distrust. The feeling of distrust between the
sender and the receiver might create
misunderstanding between them.
o Organisational Barriers. Barriers occuring due to the
organisational structure, rules and regulations, etc.
o Status. When status of a superior creates
hesitation in the mind of a subordinate, or a
superior himself maintains distance in order to
differentiate himself from his subordinates.
o Organisational policy. In case an organisation has
a centralised approach towards communication, it
 may act as a barrier. On the other hand, a
decentralised approach of decision making breaks
all the barriers and there is a free flow of
communication.
o Complexity in organisation structure. When a
message passes through various levels in an
organisation it gets altered.
o Organisational facilities. When facilities like
meetings, suggestion box, etc. are not properly
utilised, barriers of communication emerge in an
organisation.
o Rules and regulations. Due to excessive rules and
regulations, proper communication is often
delayed in an organisational set up.
o Personal barriers. Barriers emerging due to the existence of
certain personal factors of both, the sender as well as the
receiver of the message:
o Fear of challenge to authority. A superior in order
to maintain his authority may maintain distance
with his subordinates. This may lead to lack of
proper communication.
o Lack of proper incentives. Subordinates may find it
useless to communicate with their superiors in the
absence of any incentives given to them.
o Lack of confidence of a superior in his
subordinates. Superiors in the absence of any
confidence in their subordinates may stop
necessary frequency of communication.
o Unwillingness to communicate. When
subordinates are not confident of the good
out¬comes of their communication with their
boss, they may not be willing to communicate.

Improving communication effectiveness. Some important steps can be taken to avoid

the emergence of communication barriers:

1. Clarify the ideas before communication. Sender should be clear about the
message he is about to send.
 2. Communicate according to the needs of the receiver. The level of
understanding of the receiver should be taken into account before the
message is delivered.
3. Consult others before communicating. It is better to discuss (the message
to be delivered internally with the team) before the message is conveyed to
the outside world or concerned receiver. Be aware of language, tone and
content of message. Language should be clear, content should be
meaningful and tone should be appealing to the receiver.
4. Convey things of help and value to the listeners. Needs of the receiver
should be clearly understood so that the message could be of help and add
value to the receiver.
5. Ensure proper feedback. Communicator should ensure if the message has
reached the receiver or not.
6. Be a good listener. A message sender can only be good in communication
if he listens to the other party properly and then gives his response.

Question 1:
‘Classic Rocks’ is a pioneering advertisement making company. Mr. Anuj is a dynamic
manager who has recently joined the organisation. He receives complete support from
the management. There is proper infrastructure, planning mechanism and subordinate
support. He gives orders and starts the actual working of a new unit from the 1st of
May. His schedule becomes very hectic. The demanding work involves him almost
throughout the day. He is busy giving messages, talking to his subordinates or seniors,
etc. throughout the day. One day he meets his friend Vijay who is working at the lower
level management though he himself is a part of middle level management. He finds
that even Vijay is involved in communicating and supervising his employees throughout
the year though he works at the lower level management. Similar is the case with his
seniors working at the higher level management. He feels relaxed after knowing this
and continues his work with even more dedication.

1. Which function of management is highlighted in the above case?

2. Identify the features of this function of management highlighted in the
above case.

Question 2:
Ramesh who has recently received award of the most talented manager is very able. He
has helped the starting of various halted projects by guiding his subordinates and
removing their doubts through proper directing. This has helped the workers achieve
their targets on time. He knows that every member of the team is important for the
completion of a project. So he guides his team in such a manner that every single effort
of every single employee matters and is directed towards the achievement of
objectives. There is a lighter side to his personality also. He is very jovial. He cares
about his team. This has helped him bring cooperation and commitment among his
team members thus bringing a unique balance between activities and the group.
However this has not prevented him from having a keen vision of a leader. Whenever
the subordinates resist any change he tries to bring their cooperation by proper
explanations and consistent efforts. The top level management also sees a big role for
him in the future.
Identify the importance of directing highlighted in the above case.

Question 3:
Subhash is a lower level manager. He stays at the shop floor. He oversees and guides
the workers, instructs them whenever required and ensures optimum utilisation of
resources so that the goals at the shop floor could be achieved. He is very hard working.
He tries to stay in touch with the workers on a regular basis. He has made a weekly
advice taking programme. This programme in which suggestions from workers are
taken is very important for creating a feeling of common group. He himself was a
worker for 15 years before he became a lower level manager. This is the reason why he
knows everything about the machines and situations on the shop floor. He gives
guidance to the workers as they do their job, tells them how to tackle the machines and
continuously improve their output. Workers are very friendly with him. He ensures that
the workers do their work properly and gives his approval or disapproval about their
work on a continuous basis. The workers respect him. He is acting as a role model to
them and has motivated them to work more and more by setting his own example. The
middle level management is thinking of giving Subhash a bigger role in future.
Which element of directing is displayed by Subhash in the above case?
Identify the importance of this element highlighted in the above case. Also identify the
lines.

Question 4:
Identify the elements of directing in the following cases:

1. Arun who is the departmental head of his organisation decides to improve

the performance of his department. He decides to give some financial and
non financial incentives to his subordinates. He knows these incentives will
satisfy their needs. Therefore they will be stimulated to take actions from
their side.
 2. Rajeev is an HR manager leading a team of 12 people. He knows that the
duties and responsibilities of an HR employee are challenging. He knows in
order to make his team work with a positive frame of mind, he will have to
set a personal example as a role model and influence their behaviour and
working style to increase the output of his team.
3. Priya and Raghav are discussing about an element of directing. They say
that without this element no group or people can achieve a common
understanding. This element requires effort from both the sides and
consumes 90% of the time of a manager.
4. Rajesh who works at the shop floor is a lower level manager. He is heading
a team of 25 workers. He oversees and guides their efforts on a regular
basis and tries to maximize the output of his unit by timely giving them
feedback. His team has group unity and works with dedication to complete
their targets on time.
5. Kavita is a CEO. She has recently replaced Mr. Anuj who was an
unsuccessful CEO. The profits of the company fell to a new low during his
time. Kavita has a lot of challenges in front of her, major being the lack of
enthusiasm in the organisation. In order to set things right she is trying to
set a personal example in front of the employees by working with
dedication and putting 16 to 17 hours in her job on a daily basis.
6. Akash works in a telecom company. He is leading a team of more than 100
employees. Daily he drops messages to them, convenes meeting and
arranges a suggestion box in his department. He listens to the advices and
suggestions of his subordinates very carefully and tries to implement them
whereever possible. He is quite clear in his delivery of messages and
conveys his thoughts properly.

Question 5:
Atul is a branch manager of a bank in a suburban area of a city. The employees of this
branch have not been able to do very well in the recent past. He is upset due to their
poor performance and decides to know the reason behind it. After some research he
finds out that each employee has some reason to join the bank. This reason if satisfied
could improve the performance of that person.
Which element of directing has been identified by Atul here?
Name one more interrelated concept.

Question 6:
Identify the steps of motivation process in the following cases:
 1. Rajeev is concerned about his new job. He has got a good job but the
problem is distance. He is very far from his home and his family needs his
support.
2. Sudeep got transferred to various departments and companies. He is a
pass-out from a good college. That is why he never had shortage of
availability of jobs. Finally he got settled in a department of operations. He
is happy as he feels here is where he can make difference to his company
since his favourite subject was operations management.
3. Ramesh is trying to get the job of his nature. He is applying to various
companies. He is searching for new options at concerned websites.
4. Joy has got a job of a branch manager in a company. He was offered a
decent salary of ?50,000 per month. However when he started receiving
payment at the end of the month he got only ?42,000. Now he considers
this salary as insufficient.

Question 7:
‘Brightest Papers’ is a leading paper manufacturing company. The enthusiasm level of
employees in this organisation is very high. The management has applied a process of
directing where the financial and non financial needs of the employees are identified
and are satisfied accordingly. The result has been amazing for the organisation. The
output levels of the employees have touched a new high. Recently an award was also
given to the HR department of the organisation for doing its job in the best manner in
the industry. Two years back when the organisation had not applied this process the
employees were leaving the organisation and were not loyal but now the situation has
changed and there has been increase in the number of applicants for various jobs in the
company. The organisation believes that its best resource is the human. The idea is to
maximize the output of the human resources. There are many steps taken to increase
the input of the employees and for this the work environment is made interesting in
order to increase their regularity which has obviously increased the labour input during
the recent years. The company is now among the most inspiring organisations in the
industry.

1. Which element of directing has been applied by the management?

2. Which benefits of this element are highlighted in the above case?

Question 8:
Manav wanted to bring some changes in his company. One of those changes was the
establishment of new software in the organisation. The software has the capability to
judge the performance of all the employees. Thus it makes them more accountable.
However, recently it so happened that the employees resisted Manav’s decision. After a
lot of thinking on the issue he decided to call a meeting to address their needs and
performance. He told them that with the installation of the new software their needs
would be fulfilled and the best performing employee would be rewarded. Thus he was
able to bring down the resistance level of the employees.

1. Which concept of directing is applied by Manav in the above case?

2. Which one benefit of this concept has been highlighted in the above case?

Question 9:
A company has a number of employees who don’t harbour good feelings for the
organisation. They don’t care whether the organisation is progressing or not. Some of
them are even having negative attitude towards the management. When a local
newspaper wanted to find out the reason for the declining productivity of the
organisation it was found that it was mainly due to the lack of any incentives in the
organisation. Employees were not awarded for increasing the output of the
organisation.

1. What do you think needs to be done in such circumstances?

2. What could be the positive outcome of your step?

Question 10:
Identify the Maslow’s needs applicable in the following cases of organisational set up:

1. Virendra works in an organisation. He is part of the organisation for last 20

years. During all these years inspite of his best performance in the
organisation he hasn’t yet reached the post of vice president.
2. Vandana works in a software firm. She goes to office which is situated at a
distance of 20 kms from her house. Her husband earns very well and is a
pilot with a leading
Airline. Though she belongs to a good earning family yet she has decided to
keep on going to her job which she feels helps her gain acceptance in her
social circle.
3. Kavita has recently passed out from a decent MBA college with her major in
marketing. A lot of money of her parents has been spent for paying her
education fee. Now she has applied for a job in a company of reputation.
Her main concern is good salary which will give her financial security.
4. Mehak has been an outstanding student throughout her life. She did her
graduation from a very good college. When the placement started she
decided to withdraw her name. A month later she started her own NGO
which provided education to poor children. Her NGO sets targets of
 educating a definite number of poor students and she feels if she is able to
achieve a goal of teaching 5,000 students by the end of 5 years she will be
very successful.

Question 11:
An organisation has the policy of providing incentives in the form of monetary terms. It
knows that to improve the performance of the employees their needs must be satisfied.
The company has come up with a plan of increasing wages of workers who perform
beyond a definite level. By the end of the year the company has some other plans. It
wants to give an incentive to the workers over and above the wages. The workers have
started putting more efforts. The company has announced that after the month of
March it will be giving shares to the exceptionally performing workers. Company is
hoping to get a good response from the employees through this announcement in terms
of better performance and contribution.

1. Which type of incentive is highlighted in the above case?

2. Identify the various types of these incentives highlighted in the above case.

Question 12:
Rajesh works in a software company. This company is growing by leaps and bounds.
The employees are happy as they get timely salaries, their basic incentive, ey are also
supported by regular increments in their salaries every year. The HR department these
days is busy calculating the various expenditures the company will have to incur in
paying the employees. The company however has decided to increase the fringe
benefits like car allowance, foreign trips, etc. With this step the company will enter into
the list of few chosen companies to do so. For the elderly members of the organisation
the company has decided to include gratuity in the list of benefits along with already
given benefits like pension and provident fund. However there are a few more steps
taken by the company in the direction of providing financial incentives which can be
considered truly unique. It is about providing company’s shares at price lower than the
market price. All these steps have lifted the morale of the employees.
Which financial incentives have been highlighted in the above case?

Question 13:
In a renowned hospital having 300 beds, the CEO of the hospital
congratulates the exceptionally performing employees by meeting in person.
Sometimes the name of the employee of the month is displayed on the notice board at
the main entrance along with his/her photograph. Recently the company went a step
ahead and distributed T-shirts to the employees who have been among the top 3
performers. On the Employee Day every year employees who contribute a lot are either
rewarded or awarded.

1. In the above case which type of incentive has been used by the company to
improve employee performance?
2. Which type of incentive is this?
3. Also give the definition of this type of incentive.

Question 14:
‘Hats Off’ is an apparel making company. It has recently decided to make the job
environment better by redefining the workplace for the employees by designing jobs
having greater variety of content. This has definitely increased the interest of employees
in their work. This step of the Company has earned a favourite mentioning in a national
newspaper. The promotion policy of the Company has now been made more effective
by allowing employees to grow to the higher levels. Many of the employees had earlier
complained of fear of getting fired. The Company has clarified its stance on this and
told them not to worry by assuring them permanency after crossing the ad hoc period of
six months. With everything going right for the organisation the top management has
started devoting a lot of time on special features of the internal environment which will
distinguish the organisation from other companies in the industry. The employees know
that working in this organisation will only add to their good track record. The Company
assures the employees a higher ranking in the organisational set up, provided one works
hard, with authority, rewards, recognition and better perquisites. With such an effort, the
organisation is geared to touch new heights.
Which non-financial incentives have been highlighted in the above case?

Question 15:
‘Alfa Ltd/ was dealing in renewable energy. To get the business, the team leader and his
team used to travel to different states to give presentation to their clients. As per the
policy of the company, the leader used to travel by air, whereas his team travelled by
road / train. It was not only time consuming but also at time forced female team
members to travel alone.
As a result, the subordinates were not acting in a desired manner to achieve
organizational goals. The CEO came to know about it. He called the team leader,
discussed the matter with him and decided to change the travel policy of the company.
It was decided that all the members including the leader would travel together in future
and would usefully utilize the travelling time in discussion with the subordinates about
presentation to be given to the clients. This made a positive impact and every member
of the team started acting in a manner as desired by the team leader.
State the features of the element of the function of management used by the CEO.

Question 16:
Identify the non-financial incentives in the following cases:

1. A leading software company has set up a suggestion box system in order

to involve its employees. This exercise is allowed only to the members of
the organisation. The result is an increased involvement of the employees
in issues related to the organisation.
2. A company has given more autonomy to its employees with an assurance
of greater responsibility for them. They will also be involved in the decision
making process of the organisation. This has made the employees feel that
their work is very important to them. The positive outcome of this feeling is
the tapping of skills and talents of the employees to a higher degree which
is benefitting the organisation.
3. ‘Step up’ is a leading soft drinks maker. They have made up arrangements
at the work place for the employees to make their work more meaningful.
They will be provided opportunity for personal growth. The outcome has
been an increase in motivation for the employees at the place of work
itself.
4. An automobile company is making arrangements for appropriate skill
development programmes. They have chalked out a sound promotion
policy to give more growth opportunities to the employees.

Question 17:
Smita had been working as an assistant manager with ‘Johnson Enterprises’ for the last
ten years. She was very popular amongst her colleagues because of her commitment
and dedication towards the work. When the manager senior to her retired, all her
colleagues thought that now Smita would be promoted. But to everyone’s surprise the
vacant post was filled by an outsider, Mrs. Rita. Smita felt demoralised and her
performance started declining. She would abstain herself often and could not meet her
targets.
Mrs. Rita was a good leader, who would not only instruct her subordinates but would
also guide and inspire them. She noticed Smita’s behaviour and felt that her
performance could be improved. She started involving Smita in decision making-issues
related to the organisation and made her a part of high level joint-management
committee. Smita was now punctual in office and her performance started improving.

1. Identify the function of management being performed by Rita.

2. Name the element of the above function of management which helped Rita
to improve Smita’s behaviour.
3. State any three features of the element identified in (ii) above.

Question 18:
Shilpa is a senior middle level manager. She is a departmental head of marketing in a
very progressive company. She is very good at conveying what she means to the
subordinates, and not just that, she goes beyond that by staying a very patient listener.
Her rise in the organisation has been very fast. She has led her team successfully on
several occasions. The reason for her exceptional success has been her ability to
understand the needs of her team and getting extra work done by satisfying them. Since
her college days her level of courage is high. She has the ability to grab opportunities
and use them to her best ability. People of other departments like finance, operations,
etc. have also been a part of her fan club. They say that she knows a lot about her core
area and this has made her irreplaceable in the department. Everybody hopes that she is
going to be a part of the higher management one day as her company wants to benefit
maximum by tapping her potential.

1. Which concept of directing has been highlighted in the above case?

2. Identify the types of this concept in the above case.

Question 19:
A group in a well established company is going through the process of exchange of
concepts and ideas on different issues connected with the proper
functioning of different operations in the company. The whole group has arrived at a
common understanding about the time, delivery and arrangement of schedules and
machines.
Identify the process indicated in the above case.

Question 20:
Identify in the following cases various elements of communication which are
highlighted:

1. A department ‘X’ has sent an encoded message to department ‘Y’ through

internet. What is the role of internet here?
 2. Atul is making gestures so that he can send a message to Raman. What is
Atul doing here?
3. Raman is trying to understand the message sent by Atul by reading his
gestures. What is Raman doing here?
4. Ramesh picks up his phone and finds a message on it. He reads the
message carefully. What is the role of Ramesh here?
5. Mr. Suraj who is a senior manager is informing his team for convention, a
day later, by giving a common message of timing and venue to all. What is
the role of Mr. Suraj here?
6. Ramit tried several times but his mom is unable to listen to what he is
saying. It’s all because of a faulty telephone connection. What will you call
this faulty connection here?

Question 21:
Arun is working in multinational company in Gurgaon. He was running temperature for
the last many days. When his blood was tested, he was found positive for dengue with a
very low platelet count. Therefore, he was admitted in the hospital and a blood
transfusion was advised by the doctors. One of his colleagues sent a text message
about it to his immediate superior ‘Mr. Narain’. ‘Mr. Narain’ in turn sent a text message
to the employees of the organization requesting them to donate blood for Arun. When
the General Manager came to know about it, he ordered for fumigation in the company
premises and cleanliness of the surroundings.

1. From the above para quote lines that indicate formal and informal
communication.
2. State any two features of informal communication.
3. Identify any two values that are being communicated to the society in the
above case.

Question 22:
Rajeev started working in an MNC. He was very devoted towards his job. However,
whenever he used to communicate with his subordinates they were unable arstand him.
The reason behind this problem was that he himself was unsure about the concept he
used to explain to the subordinates. This problem was taking place on a daily basis. One
day he got an order form his senior to fly to Goa for a project meeting. There he started
explaining his concept to others but there were many aspects which the team of Goa
wanted to explain to him. He was more concerned about speaking than listening. This
resulted in the failure of the meeting which was very important. When Rajeev returned
back to his home town he was sad. In this hopelessness he forgot to review the
instructions he had given to his subordinates about a very important programme to be
organized in his home town. Definitely Rajeev is facing problems related with
communication effectiveness.
What measures would you suggest to Rajeev so that he could improve his
communication effectiveness?

Question 23:
A strike took place in a cloth manufacturing company. The workers were demanding a
few things which the management knew were impossible for them to agree to. Nikita
who was an MBA pass out from a very high rated college was given the responsibility to
negotiate with the workers on the behalf of the top management. However when Nikita
communicated her ideas to the workers, they were not able to understand as her
language was too complex and many of the words she used were generally understood
only by graduates. Most of the workers had gone to school only up to 8th standard.
What one measure would you suggest her to improve her communication
effectiveness?

Question 24:
Mr. Sikka is an exceptional team leader. He knows that for a team to achieve its goals
and progress nicely communicative effectiveness is required. He always maintains
what he says, focuses on future goals of the organisation and never goes against his
commitments. You can find him most of the times busy communicating with his
superiors or subordinates. When he once delivers the message he always checks
whether his team is able to understand the concept he is trying to communicate and he
does it through proper questioning. He has a very pleasing personality. Whenever he
delivers a speech he focuses on his language, his voice and the sentiments of his
listeners. He is a real team leader. He gives members of his team opportunities to
express themselves. Whenever he is about to make a speech he consults his team
members for developing a plan of communication by their participation and
involvement. He always says that whatever is useless should be rejected and whatever
is useful should be accepted. His purpose of speaking is to help others. He believes that
a speech should be such which takes into consideration interests and needs of the
listeners. There is a lot one can learn from Mr. Sikka’s personality.
In the above case which measures of communicative effectiveness have been adopted
by Mr. Sikka? Identify them.

Question 25:
In the following cases identify the type of barrier:
1. Suhasini is a higher level manager. She is concerned about the conditions
of workers in her organisation. Every year she sends a message of
greetings and help to them. She also invites suggestions from their side but
there is no response. One day when she personally went to meet them she
found that they were against her and could not understand her messages.
She now realised that It was due to the presence of various levels and
employees that the message had to go through that it used to get altered.
2. In an organisation having many branches in the city the employees are
least concerned about making any communication from their side with their
immediate bosses. Many times when employees came out with something
useful for the organisation giving it profit they were not given proper
incentives. The result is that now they have become demotivated.
3. Suresh is a very well balanced personality. He is the head of marketing
department.
However he is unable to discuss anything related to his project with one of
the employees named Ramesh. The reason is the lack of faith he has in
him. This has resulted in lack of understanding between the two of them.
4. Mr. Aditya who was the divisional head of a bank told one of his
subordinates to collect cash from the branch. The employee was new so he
took the whole cash to his home to bring it next day to the branch. When
Mr. Aditya came to know about it and was very angry. He actually wanted
him to deposit the cash in the other branch on the same day which usually
happened. Since the employee was new he was unaware of this.
5. An organisation has employees from different countries. They speak
different languages. Once the management decided to draft the message
to congratulate the employees on the New Year in their native languages.
For this they had to translate the same message in different languages. On
the 4th of Jan there was a strike by people belonging to a particular country
showing resentment on the wrong language used in the greetings.
6. In an organisation a message passes from the top management through
various levels before it reaches the point of action. Due to the oral
transmission of message an important portion is generally lost due to
forgetfulness and inability to retain.
7. Rajeshwar is unable to talk to his boss because of his seniority. This has
led to a psychological distance between the two of them. The fault is not
entirely Rajeshwar’s. During the initial days of their interaction his boss
used to talk with a lot of authority and maintained distance. Now Rajesh is
unable to express himself in front of him freely.
8. Reema is not at all prepared to interact with her boss. The reason is she
feels that if she will talk more her boss may give her more work. She always
tries to avoid her boss.
9. Mr. Verma has a very limited vocabulary. He sometimes uses words which
have other meanings also. His subordinates make full use of his this lack of
knowledge and make fun of him. This also sometimes creates an
environment of misunderstanding about the message delivered.
10. Once Ravi was trying to give an explanation to Sanjay. Sanjay was not
grasping his message. When he asked Sanjay about the message he gave
to hint he could not explain. As a matter of fact Sanjay’s mind was
preoccupied with some other thoughts.
11. A student named Sanjay has some problems in Maths. The maths teacher
doesn’t take his problems and quite often ignores his queries. He decides
to put his problem in front of the principal. The vice principal tells him to
write an application. He tells her he is having his exam on the next day.
However she says he will have to take an appointment with the principal as
she is very busy. Though Sanjay needs to meet the principal for a minute or
two yet his problem remains unanswered.
12. Tanya is working on a project at an overseas location under a world
renowned civil engineer. She is among the five people who are in the core
team of the project. The world renowned engineer, Mr. Talwar, who is also
her boss rarely, seeks an advice from her. He thinks that Tanya lacks
experience and needs to learn more.
13. A senior manager who is of European origin gives a speech in an Asian
country in a factory. He intended to give a positive message but what the
employees understood was a negative interpretation. Simply because the
language spoken by him was not in his native language he used some
words which had different meanings than what he had intended.
14. In a board meeting where all the board members were sitting and having
discussion
one of the members said something. He continued to speak but before he
could complete what he had to say the members due to preconceived
notions derived some other meaning and decided to walk out of the room.
15. ‘Sharp Looks’ is a multinational camera making company. Though the
company is of very large size yet it follows a very centralized approach of
administration. The employees are kept away from discussions and
decisions related to the strategic aspects of the business. This has led to
an obstructed flow of communication in the organisation.
16. Prinicipal of a very famous school is known for talking very less with his
staff. Even on occasions of celebration he keeps himself very reserved and
 talks very less. This is due to his thinking that mixing with his subordinates
may affect the discipline of the school.
17. Sudeep who was the branch head of a bank started a suggestion box
system. Similarly a complaint box was made in which people could drop
their complaints without mentioning their names. A meeting used to take
place every week on Saturday for ensuring proper communication among
the employees so that they could make their points and suggestions
openly. A few weeks ago Sudeep was transferred to some different branch.
A new manager who is not dynamic and capable like Sudeep is unable to
use the system which was designed by Sudeep like weekly meeting,
suggestion box, etc. This has led to creation of gap in the communication
in the branch between the manager and other employees.

Question 26:
Neeraj, a sales representative of ‘Omida Ltd.’ has changed seven jobs in the last one
year. He is a hard working person but is not able to finalise deals with the customers
due to his inadequate vocabulary and omission of needed words. Sometimes he uses
wrong words because of which intended meaning is not conveyed. All this created a
misunderstanding between him and his clients.

1. Identify the communication barrier discussed above.

2. State the category of this communication barrier.
3. Explain any other communication barrier of the same category.

Question 27:
Jaideep recently joined as the Managing Director of ‘Tivori Ltd/, an apparel designing
company. He observed that the company had a number of experienced fashion
designers on its payroll. They regularly offered useful suggestions which were neither
appreciated nor rewarded by the company. Instead the company outsourced its
services to some renowned fashion designers and paid them a good compensation for
their services. Because of this the employees felt disheartened and stopped giving
useful suggestions.

1. Identify the communiction barrier discussed above .

2. State the category of this communication barrier.
3. Explain any other communication barrier of the same category.

Question 28:
Mr. Shubhendu Bose is the owner of ‘Bikmac Enterprises’ carrying on the business of
manufacturing various kinds of biscuits. There was a lot of discontentment in the
organization and the targets were not being met. He asked his son, Naval, who had
recently completed his MBA, to find out the reason.
Naval found that all decision making of the enterprise were in the hands of his father.
His father didn’t believe in his employees. As a result both the employer and the
employees were not able to understand each others’ messages in the same sense.
Thus, the employees were not happy and targets were not met.

1. Identify any fivo communication barriers because of which Bikmac

Enterprises was not able to achieve its target.
2. State one more barrier each of the types identified in (a) above.

Question 29:
Mr. Fernandes is the owner of Unibie Enterprise, carrying on the business of
manufacturing electrical appliances. There is a lot of discontentment in the organization
and targets are not being met. He asked his son, Michel, who has recently completed
his MBA, to find out the reason.
Michel found that all decision making of the enterprise were in the hands of his father.
Moreover, his father did not have confidence in the competency of the employees. Thus
the employees were not happy.
(a) Identify any tivo communication barriers because of which ‘Unibie Enterprise’ was
not able to achieve its target.
(b) State one more barrier each of the types identified in part (a) above.

Question 30:
Identify the type of leadership displayed in the following cases:

1. Mr. Umang Patel is the CEO of a leading software company. He is least

concerned about the managerial development of his subordinates. The
communication flows only from top to bottom in his organisation.
2. Ravish is the head of marketing department of his company. Recently he
organised a series of meetings to know the suggestions of his team
members on various issues. His subordinates appreciate his habit of
consulting his team before he takes any major decisions.

Question 31:
Manoj is a manager in a company engaged in production of electrical appliances. He
has been on this position for quite a long time. He is liked by his subordinates as he
encourages their participation whenever he takes an important decision. Being an
experienced manager he believes that only money is not sufficient to motivate the
employees. Therefore, he uses the following non-financial incentives to motivate the
employees:

1. Manoj has set up a suggestion box system in order to involve his

subordinates in decision-making. This has resulted in an increased
involvement of the employees in issues related to the organisation.
2. Manoj has given more autonomy to the employees working under him with
an assurance of greater responsibility from them. Since workers take part
in the process of decision-making hence they feel that their job is
important.
3. Manoj has made arrangements at the work place for the employees to
make their work more meaningful. The outcome has been an increase in
motivation for the employees at the place of work itself.
4. Manoj often makes arrangements for appropriate skill development
programmes. He has chalked out a sound promotion policy to give more
growth opportunities to the employees:
o Identify and explain the leadership style followed by Manoj.
o Also identify the various non-financial incentives used by
Manoj to motivate the employees.

Question 32:
Anshul is a Marketing Manager in a firm engaged in production of eatables like chips,
biscuits, namkeens etc. He handles a fairly large number of sales executives on daily
basis. He gives high degree of freedom to his subordinates so that they can formulate
their own objectives and ways to achieve them. He only supports them and provides
them the needed information to complete the assigned task. Anshul does not believe in
the use of powder unless it is absolutely essential to get the things done through his
subordinates. Identify the leadership style followed by Anshul in the above case.

Question 33:
Umang Gupta is the Managing Director of Denver Ltd. The company had established a
good name for itself and had been doing well. It was known for timely completion of
orders. The Production Manager, Ms. Kanta was efficiently handling the processing of
orders and had a team of fourteen motivated employees working under her. Everything
was going on well. Unfortunately she met with an accident. Umang knew that in the
absence of Ms. Kanta, the company may not be able to meet the deadlines. He also
knew that not meeting the deadlines may lead to customer dissatisfaction with the risk
of loss of business and goodwill. So, he had a meeting with his employees in which
accurate and speedy processing of orders was planned. Everybody agreed to work as a
team because the behaviour of Umang Gupta was positive towards the employees of
the organisation. Hence everyone put in extra time and efforts and the targets were met
on time.
Not only this, Umang visited Ms. Kanta and advised her to take sufficient rest.

1. (a) Identify the leadership style of Umang Gupta and draw a diagram
depicting the style,
2. State any two values highlighted by the behaviour of Umang Gupta.

o Compassion and care for his employees and their well-being.

Question 34:
Pramod was a supervisor at ‘Annapurna Aata’ factory. The factory was producing 200
quintals of aata every day. His job was to make sure that the work goes on smoothly
and there was no interruption in production. He was a good leader who would give
orders only after consulting his subordinates and work out the policies with the
acceptance of the group.
Identify and describe the leadership style being adopted by Pramod.