Evaluating the Importance of Decision Making Successful decision making is one that is devoid of any ambiguity or tentativeness. Although there is a wide range of choice and alternative techniques to arrive at a decision, timely decision making is what adds value to the decision. The objective is to execute the action plan immediately to avoid delays that might prove costly in terms of productivity. Defensive behavior of managers: Managers who are the key figures to make decisions sometimes play defense to avoid action, blame or change. They exhibit a variety of defensive behaviors which is a wasted effort; this also makes the workers lethargic in their attitude. Avoiding action is considered to be the best political strategy. Some managers always talk about the rules and regulations that have been followed for ages in that company and want every action to be rigidly adhered to the precedence and neither allows nor admits the need to consider the nuances of a particular case. Policies and Procedures: Policies and procedures are of course the prerogative of the top level management, but it is the duty of the manager to suggest reforms in those policies that are obsolete by bringing it to the perusal of the ultimate authorities. How long will you sing the same song “The rules clearly state that”! Also don’t try to pass the buck or play duals, that clearly showcases your inability to handle things and nobody nowadays is prepared to believe false pretense. Expectation of Sub-Ordinates from the Superiors: Subordinates look up to their superiors for support as well as quick solutions for problems of any kind that comes their way; only a person who is quick in reacting to situations with presence of mind and consideration is well liked by and approved of. If you distance yourself from problems or try to prolong a task in lieu of your inability to make a decision, in the short run it might prove helpful in covering up making you look busy and productive. But what happens in the long run? It leads to organizational rigidity and stagnation in terms of productivity and a sag in the morale of the employees. Fifty Models for Strategic Thinking  Playing it Safe is not Always Safe: Playing safe is not always safe. Some managers always like to lead a team that has taken up viable projects with a high probability of success. There is no pain but lots of gain. This tactics makes you devoid of risk taking -which according to me is the prime and supreme quality that a manager or a team leader must possess or at least try to develop. Also taking a neutral position in #conflict situations makes you a dull leader and not a person to be much sought after. What is the result of Poor Decision Making? The first and foremost thing that managers have to understand and admit is that, poor decision making is the root cause of failed course of action. They should have the guts to admit and take up the responsibility for the negative outcome and not to seek some strategically helpless defense mechanisms. Making others a scapegoat for your helplessness doesn’t shield you for long but puts you in the defending territory forever. Ddefensiveness delays decisions, affects organizational success, sets a bad precedence, increased group conflicts, interpersonal tensions and leads to unreliable evaluations. The long and short of the discussion clearly highlights the importance of recruiting not only a qualified manager but a committed and reliable person who has the ability to take risks and tackle crisis situations with ease and steer the organization smoothly without any hitches by greasing it...

What is Grapevine? In every organization there exists an informal channel of communication called the grapevine in operation. It is called so because it stretches throughout the organization in all directions irrespective of the authority levels. Organizational Benefits that come along with Grapevine It is quite natural for a group of people working together to be interested in one another and talk about appointments, promotions, retrenchments or even domestic affairs. Some people derive extraordinary pleasure from gathering such ‘secret’ information and transmitting it to others. They are the leaders who control the grapevine. Soon this info reaches everybody and becomes an ‘open secret.’ Grapevine is more a product of a situation than of a person. Certain situations like insecurity of service, uncertainty over promotions, special increments to a colleague, certain innovations in the organization that are likely to affect the job prospects of the employees, are sure to activate the leaders of the grapevine that instantly spreads all kinds ofrumors in the organization. Communication Network of an Organization: The channel’s network is in a horizontal fashion as the communication is only between the workers of the same level of hierarchy. Apprehensions experienced by workers on matters like promotions and retrenchments become an obsession with them. Talking about them may not alleviate their fears, but it certainly provides them emotional relief. The existence of the grapevine proves that the workers are interested in their associates. The very fact they talk among themselves helps to promote organizational solidarity and cohesion. The management should work up this kind of situation to their advantage. How? Well, all information cannot be transmitted to the employees through the official channels. If there is some useful information unsuitable for being transmitted through official channels, it can be done through grapevine. The speed with which information is transmitted through the grapevine is just remarkable. Spot the Key Persons: The management should try to spot out the key persons involved in this process and keep them well informed to block harmful rumors reaching the employees. Also the grapevine can be used as an “acid test “to check the pulse of the employees. If there is any false rumor the management should immediately use the official channels to contradict and to dispel the fears from the minds of the employees. Grapevine might be Harmful Too: One of the major drawbacks of the grapevine is that it may spread baseless or distorted news which may sometimes prove harmful even to the employees. The information is sometimes incomplete leading to ambiguities. The swiftness with which the grapevine transmits information may even be damaging, before the management becomes aware of it and can take any rectifying steps. How to Handle the Rumor-Mongers? If the workers are associated with decision-making, the rumor-mongers will be automatically frustrated. If the workers are already aware, say, that the plant is to be modernized but the modernization process is not going to involve any retrenchments, the arrival of new machinery and engineers will not cause any undue apprehensions among them. Thus the harmful effects of the grapevine can be successfully counteracted. Organisations should indulge themselves in sending positive signals to the employees to win their trust and...

Power and Balance in Corporate Governance Power has the ability to disorient a person’s behavior and attitude. When properly used it leads to height of efficiency, when misused it calls for calamity and disorientation in the entire business firm. It is nothing but the authority that comes with your job which has to be utilized for constructive purpose and at the same time to ascertain that things are “going in the right direction.” Precise use of power leads to a congenial atmosphere in your business arena”. Otherwise in course of time you might have to tackle warfare with your subordinates and the “undercurrent of animosity” might ruin your business success. How it affects Inter-Personal Relationship: When we talk about POWER it usually fits well into the top level management cadre, as managers and senior managers are assigned with huge powers in order to lead the firm in times of crisis as well as maintain the consistency of the nature of the firm. So when there is abuse of power consciously or unconsciously, people create a space between themselves and that particular person who misuses the power. So the result would be a lack of interpersonal relationship between the manager and the employees. Managers generally acquire and use influence that has its impact not only on the behavior of the individuals, but also on the organizational effectiveness as a whole which in turn affects productivity. Use Power as a Constructive Tool: In fact, authoritative behavior is often misunderstood by most of the managers in the business setup; there is a need for the managers to skillfully use their power in order to extract work from their teams as well as to maintain a balance between the extent to which authority must be used and the tolerance level of the employees’ (mind set). So it is more of a psychology which involves much critical analysis on the part of the manager to understand the constructive aspects of his authority and how employees at a lower level will always look up to him for support and guidance and not indifference. Power covers and affects the following important aspects, Discretion Crisis management Dependence of employees Responsibility Leadership Governance Interpersonal relationship Change management Environmental influences Reward systems Collaborative management Success of the firm and so on. In order to maintain his own integrity as well as the organisations’ the manager must be able to appreciate the relevance of power in management just by not looking into the literature but act in accordance with the situation. A detailed analysis of power dynamics makes the manager more effective in dealing with behavior inconsistencies in the organization. Try to be more open in your communication and make your employees feel that “You are always there” to support and guide them. This in turn will make your “Boss to have a second look at you” for a promotional pay. This discussion is from the manager’s perspective and there is more to be discussed and considered from an employee’s...

What are Values and Beliefs in an Organization? Organizational values are the guiding principles that define ethical behavior, decision-making, and corporate culture. In 2025, with AI integration, sustainability goals, and hybrid work models influencing businesses, values must evolve while staying authentic. Infosys Narayana Murthy on Value System “Our team was unique in its commitment to a strong value system. We believed in putting the interest of the company ahead of our own. We upheld ethical business practices and legal integrity. A robust value system is what distinguishes long-term players from others.” The emergence of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) factors has reinforced the importance of ethical leadership.   Core Values of a Future-Ready Organization Organizations in 2025 are actively reshaping core values to suit the dynamic business environment. These values guide employee behavior and corporate strategies: Customer-Centricity – Personalization and data-driven customer experience Employee Well-being – Work-life balance in remote and hybrid settings Competitiveness & Agility – Rapid adaptation to AI & automation Diversity & Inclusion – Creating equitable workplaces Innovation – Fostering technological advancements Sustainability – Environmentally responsible business practices Growth Mindset – Continuous learning and skill development Ethical Governance – Transparent and fair leadership Data Security & Privacy – Compliance with digital regulations Team Collaboration – Strong networks despite digital transformation Beyond Definition: How to Put Values into Action A value-driven company does not just define principles—it integrates them into daily operations, employee training, and leadership policies. Gamification of corporate learning, AI-assisted HR frameworks, and transparent communication drive successful implementation. Leading by Example: Imitation as a Behavioral Catalyst Leadership sets the tone for company culture. Employees subconsciously emulate the behaviors of their leaders, much like students learning from teachers. In 2025, AI-driven mentorship programs enable leaders to inspire teams remotely. Interactive training modules reinforce value-based decision-making. Imitation remains a cornerstone in shaping the workforce, but with enhanced digital engagement. Coercion is NOT the Right Approach: Ingraining Values from Day One Rather than enforcing values through rigid policies, organizations must instill them naturally. Values should be embedded in hiring strategies – Recruit for cultural alignment. Leadership training must focus on emotional intelligence – Influence without coercion. AI-driven behavioral analytics help detect gaps in value adherence early. With AI-enhanced work environments, molding employees to value-driven approaches becomes seamless.  Influencing Employees the Right Way: The Role of Every Individual Each role in an organization contributes to reinforcing core values and ensuring long-term success: Clerical Staff – Maintain efficiency and ethical compliance. Supervisors – Organize, control, and enforce value alignment in teams. Managers – Define success, overcome obstacles, and inspire strategic thinking. Senior Leaders – Keep the organization focused on sustainable profitability. Executives – Drive innovation while navigating complexities with integrity. With AI tools and data-driven leadership, maintaining value alignment is easier than ever. Performance of Value-Oriented Organizations in 2025 Companies that prioritize values consistently outperform competitors due to trust, strong employee engagement, and sustainable innovation. Reliance Industries Limited exemplifies value-driven leadership with customer satisfaction at its core. Global firms integrate ESG and AI ethics into corporate strategies, reinforcing long-term credibility. To scale new heights in business, organizations need: ✅ Strong-willed leadership ✅ Adaptive strategies ✅ Sustainability-driven policies ✅ Digital transformation readiness ✅ Passion for innovation Maintaining integrity comes at a price, but organizations with strong values reap exponential rewards in brand reputation, employee loyalty, and customer...

Organizational Assessment – Motive and Means Organizational assessment involves creating a picture of “what it is”. The snapshot should provide a clear view of the present position of the company and it should indicate whether there is a need to go for a change process. The data provides a baseline which can be used as a reference point to measure change in the future. Employee opinion surveys and climate surveys form a critical part of this measurement process. The key to an effective assessment is being clear about the goal of the process and being specific about the questions the intended exercise must answer. Cultural assessment: This provides information about core dimensions of organizational culture which includes satisfaction with the work itself, satisfaction with pay and benefits, opportunities for advancement, satisfaction with leadership and supervision, motivation, common values and performance commitment. If the leader proves to be aggressive, committed, value driven, so will be the employees who obviously take after their leader to fulfill his vision. The purpose behind analyzing the culture of an organization is to determine its efficiency level and to generate recommendations for continuous improvement. This exercise should not be a one-time affair as periodical inputs and feedback are excellent ways to align culture with the vision. In this way, management is better able to anticipate and prevent any potential problem, and to assess employee attitudes regularly. Survey administration: Surveys are administered to large groups of employees at one time and it is emphasized to be anonymous to erase any apprehensions in their minds. Open-ended questions allow employees to express their opinions about areas that need improvement and also the problem areas or bottlenecks that hinder their development. Report generation: The statistics collected is summarized and presented for each and every dimension covered in the survey. The report compares the organization’s current culture with previous administrations of the survey. Such open ended discussions bring out the problem areas which the management had not been previously aware of. Feedback to management and employees: The managers discuss the outcome of the survey in order to gain a better understanding of the various issues facing the organization, and decide on a plan to give feedback to their employees. This is a kind of human resource strategy which helps the management to bridge the gap between various levels of the organization and its members. Recommendations to the management: A final report submission by managers of the respective departments along with their recommendations for management’s perusal is the final step in organizational diagnosis and with the approval of “the big boss” action plans are executed that aid in improving the organizational effectiveness. The notion of this entire exercise is to provide insight into the current skill levels of the work force and to design an effective plan for performance improvement based on the assessment of total development needs....