Institute of Rural Management Anand

PGDM-RM42 – Term I – Mid Term Examination

< IGB>
<14-09-2021>
Sharad Zutshi, Roll Number: p42157

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Ashish Toran decision making case involves James Joseph, his colleagues,his boss and the person his boss
reports to. Set up in the backdrop of an investment banking firm where there is continuous grinding and
people have to report high numbers. Joseph is a person with youthful attitude who is proud of his
accomplishments in his career. He found a job which he was convinced would offer even more
opportunities. He did not expect to get side-tracked over some middle-aged, disgruntled vice president,
Ashish Toran. He was never polite and refused to take no for an answer. He followed the "kiss up, kick
down" mantra. His verbal lashings were sharp, unrelenting, and unprovoked. His subordinates felt always
discouraged and demotivated by his actions. Facing similar conditions while working with Toran on a
negotiation he was put in a dilemma whether to step up and ask his boss to change his behaviour so that
would lead to better working conditions in the company which already had a hectic and stressful job profile
for most of the employees.

Joseph should not confront his boss because he already portrays the dark triad behaviour and this might
lead to some heavy repercussions for him in this company and his learning might get hampered.

SITUATION ANALYSIS

Introduction to situation:

James joseph is working as an associate in the investment bank Adelwise. Established about thirty years
back, Adelwise has prided itself as a company having "navaratnas" nine gems as principles that have guided
them over the years. Investment banking is not for the faint hearted but James was attracted to the
glamour of investment banking and was ready to slog for 16 hours a day. He was in a dilemma because of
his experience with his boss Ashish Toran. Toran is a person who portrays the dark triads. He was a
psychopath he had a lack of guilt and self-conscience which was evident by his actions of throwing
calculator and justifications for all his deeds. He was highly impulsive and had the desire to be noticed by
his superiors. He was also part narcissistic because of his engagements in self advancement only. His co-
workers and support staff didn't have many motivational stories to share about Toran as well. They all said
that Toran was low on emotional intelligence which led to high cognitive dissonance among the
subordinates. His subordinates also by their experience said that he was low on emotional intelligence,
agreeableness, and was not open to experience. He was an extrovert and high on conscientiousness.
Joseph was working with Toran on a negotiation and working with him was becoming difficult as time
passed by. Now Joseph was thinking whether to approach Toran and ask him to change his behaviour or
not. And if yes then how.

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 Institute of Rural Management Anand
PGDM-RM42 – Term I – Mid Term Examination
< IGB>
<14-09-2021>
Sharad Zutshi, Roll Number: p42157

Statement Of objective:

Finding the best possible solution for the dilemma without hampering Joseph’s work relationship with boss
and also not affecting his learning and career graph as an investment banker.

Statement of problem:

Is it possible for James Joseph to persuade Ashish Toran in changing his behaviour?

CRITERIA FOR DECISION MAKING

 The working relation with his boss should not get hampered.
 The outcome should not affect the career of James Joseph in a negative way
 There must not be a stunt in his growth as an associate at Adelwise and his deserving promotions
should not get delayed.
 A bias must not be created there against James in the future.

DECISION MAKING ALTERNATIVES

Case 1) Try to politely confront Toran regarding his behaviour and ask him to display emotions considered
appropriate for the job

Case 2) Going up the hierarchy and asking them to help the associates by stepping up in the situation.

Case 3) Not confront Toran, let the situation remain the same and don’t do anything.

EVALUATING THE ALTERNATIVES

Case 1) As we know that tohan is low an agreeableness, he won't accept the fact that he is wrong many
times and the polite talks with him regarding behavioural change might lead to repercussions for Joseph in
his stay at the company

Case 2) There is an issue with this alternative that Toran was the blue eyed boy of the person he directly
reported to, Mr Nagpal. He had high regards for Toran as he provided him with the desired numbers every
time and Nagpal himself was a man of numbers. Everybody had great respect for Mr Nagpal as he gave
adequate training and exposure to employees and judged people according to their work. So there was an
uneasiness about escalating this discussion to the senior management.

Case 3) With this alternative the future of Josephs job at this firm won’t be affected in a much negative
way. It won’t get much worse than the existing condition which he is currently facing.

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 Institute of Rural Management Anand
PGDM-RM42 – Term I – Mid Term Examination
< IGB>
<14-09-2021>
Sharad Zutshi, Roll Number: p42157

SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVES

The third case is the safest option. He knows that the job of an associate at an investment banking firm is
not for the faint hearted and he will definitely be grilled by the needs of the job and his superiors. And he is
ready to face the challenge head on. The VP possessed many characteristics and traits which Joseph had
expected in this line of business and he actually admires them. This was the situation faced not only by him
but also his other peers. This means that the VP was not prejudiced. There will be many projects when he
would not have to report to Toran. He should try to look for those projects and if faces a situation where
he has to report to Toran then try to complete the project according to needs of Toran. This will lead to
increased job involvement.

IMPLEMENTATION OF PLAN

Try to switch between projects of high learning and low learning. Start looking for projects which does not
concern Toran even though they are of less learnings High learning projects might involve Toran but Joseph
has to remain calm and composed during those projects. Try to work according to Toran’s approach while
working with him and provide him with alternatives to generate high numbers. This might lead to increase
in job satisfaction.

CONTINGENCY PLAN

Try looking for jobs with similar work profile with better working conditions. Choosing a job after running a
complete background check of people working in the company, their behaviour with superiors and
subordinates.

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