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Plan
In “Goodbye, Mr. Chips”,
James Hilton narrates the dull career of the faithful Mr. Chipping who
joins Brookfields School as a young teacher, thwarted lifelong in the
realization of his late-blooming ambitions by a Headmaster and School Board who
do not give him the recognition he so richly deserves. But it is in two separate
phases of two World Wars that it is Chips, still enamored of the school
and the job, who comes out of retirement to fill the breach…. and to become a
living legend.
There are numerous reasons why people get stuck
in organizations:
·
Lack of forward planning
·
Inadequate expertise in the manpower department
·
Employee's own boss
Blocking subordinates' promotions is
self-defeating… it shows insecurity, a mean streak and inferiority complex. A
wise boss will give tasks that use the person's own inner potential to make him
grow, to produce satisfaction when the job is done.
We feel best about ourselves when we do a difficult job successfully, performing
at the outer limits of our capabilities.
Organizations are becoming leaner with fewer hierarchical strata. Change is more
organic than lateral, and
job satisfaction/motivation/
development will come from avenues other than upward mobility. Middle Managers,
described as having ‘plateaud' when they have crossed 45, are ‘stuck'. It is a
waste of human resources if such people are not ‘revitalized, perhaps
by getting mentoring assignments or by participating in quality circle/ task
force / projects. They can make further contribution, and in any case,
the motivation in a job tends to fade after 4 or 5 years so revival / renewal
plans must be ready.
QUESTIONS:
1.
How and why do people stop growing in organizations? Is there any way in which this wastage can be stopped?
2. Give a case study illustrating a case of a
‘stuck' middle-level manager, who has to be ‘unstuck'. Give reasoning to bring
the thought processes behind decisions.
