PK Mills manufactures woolen clothes. Over the years, it has earned an envious reputation in the market. People associat
Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2022 10:08 am
PK Mills manufactures woolen clothes. Over the years, it has
earned an envious reputation in the market. People associate PK
Mills with high quality woolen garments. Most of the existing
employees have joined the company long back and are nearing
retirement stage. The process of replacing these old employees with
younger ones, drawn from the nearby areas, has already begun.
Recently, the quality of the garments has deteriorated
considerably. Though the company employs the best material that is
available, the workmanship has gone down. Consequently, the company
has lost its customers in the surrounding areas to a great extent.
The company stands, in the eyes of general public, depreciated and
devalued. The production manager, in a frantic bid to recover lost
ground, held several meetings with his staff but all in vain. The
problem, of course, has its roots in the production department
itself. The young workers have started resisting the bureaucratic
rules and regulations vehemently. The hatred against regimentation
and tight control is total. The old workers, on the verge of
retirement,
say that conditions have changed considerably in recent years.
In the days gone by, they say, they were guided by a process of
self-control in place of bureaucratic control. Each worker did his
work diligently and honestly under the old set-up. In an attempt to
restructure the organizational set-up, the managers who have been
appointed afterwards brought about radical changes. Workers under
the new contract had very little freedom in the workplace. They are
expected to bend their will to rules and regulations. Witnessing
the difference between the two 'cultures' the young workers,
naturally, began to oppose the regulatory mechanism devised by top
management. The pent-up feelings of frustration and resentment
against management, like a gathering storm, have resulted in
volcanic eruptions leading to violent arguments between young
workers and foremen on the shop-floor. In the process production
has suffered, both
quantitatively and qualitatively. The production manager in an
attempt to weather out the storm is seriously thinking of bringing
about a radical change in the control process that is prevailing
now in the organization.
Questions:
A. What are the core issues in the case?
B. Do you agree with the statement "The problem, of course, has
its roots in the production department itself"? Reason out your
stand.
C. Critically evaluate the finding that old workers complain and
new workers too resist any type of control.
D. What type of control system would you suggest to the company
to improve production?
earned an envious reputation in the market. People associate PK
Mills with high quality woolen garments. Most of the existing
employees have joined the company long back and are nearing
retirement stage. The process of replacing these old employees with
younger ones, drawn from the nearby areas, has already begun.
Recently, the quality of the garments has deteriorated
considerably. Though the company employs the best material that is
available, the workmanship has gone down. Consequently, the company
has lost its customers in the surrounding areas to a great extent.
The company stands, in the eyes of general public, depreciated and
devalued. The production manager, in a frantic bid to recover lost
ground, held several meetings with his staff but all in vain. The
problem, of course, has its roots in the production department
itself. The young workers have started resisting the bureaucratic
rules and regulations vehemently. The hatred against regimentation
and tight control is total. The old workers, on the verge of
retirement,
say that conditions have changed considerably in recent years.
In the days gone by, they say, they were guided by a process of
self-control in place of bureaucratic control. Each worker did his
work diligently and honestly under the old set-up. In an attempt to
restructure the organizational set-up, the managers who have been
appointed afterwards brought about radical changes. Workers under
the new contract had very little freedom in the workplace. They are
expected to bend their will to rules and regulations. Witnessing
the difference between the two 'cultures' the young workers,
naturally, began to oppose the regulatory mechanism devised by top
management. The pent-up feelings of frustration and resentment
against management, like a gathering storm, have resulted in
volcanic eruptions leading to violent arguments between young
workers and foremen on the shop-floor. In the process production
has suffered, both
quantitatively and qualitatively. The production manager in an
attempt to weather out the storm is seriously thinking of bringing
about a radical change in the control process that is prevailing
now in the organization.
Questions:
A. What are the core issues in the case?
B. Do you agree with the statement "The problem, of course, has
its roots in the production department itself"? Reason out your
stand.
C. Critically evaluate the finding that old workers complain and
new workers too resist any type of control.
D. What type of control system would you suggest to the company
to improve production?