Training for changing managerial role behaviour : Experience in a developing country

Training formanagerial role

behaviour

579

Journal of Management DevelopmentVol 20 No 7 2001 pp 579-603

MCB University Press 0262-1711

Training for changingmanagerial role behaviour

Experience in a developingcountryTK Das

Baruch College City University of New York USA

Keywords Management roles Managers Individual behaviour Organizational changeManagement development Banks

Abstract Discusses a comprehensive programme for changing the role behaviour of amanagerial cadre steeped in traditional hierarchical norms for greater effectiveness within anew organizational design A significant component of the change programme was to educate themanagers in role-related concepts as a means of self-appreciation of appropriate role behaviourRelates the key aspects of the experience of changing the role behaviours of various types ofmanagers against the distinctive backdrop of strategic transformation of a large bankingorganization in a developing country The principal objective of the transformation was to re-buildthe bank so it could successfully carry out an ambitious expansion of its branch network andbusiness The revamped organizational design demanded a new managerial outlook and newadministrative practices The article deals with the design of the training programme and theexperience with it in the context of implementing the organizational transformation

IntroductionLarge enterprises the world over are finding it increasingly necessary toredesign their organizational structures to gain more muscle to survive andprosper in the highly competitive and fast-changing business environment(Das 1994 Hinings and Greenwood 1989 Kilmann and Covin 1988 Kimberlyand Quinn 1984 Kochan and Useem 1992 Levy and Merry 1986 Mohrman etal 1989 Torbert 1987) A significant complementary development in recentyears has been the attention to changing the management styles andadministrative practices in these enterprises The character of managerial rolesis being progressively revamped to suit the changing requirements Clearly tomaximize organizational effectiveness a cohesive framework is needed inwhich the set of managerial functions and roles is appropriate to theorganizationrsquos structure and strategy

In cases where an organization undertakes a wide-ranging transformationprogramme the issue of changing the role behaviour of managers becomes allthe more crucial It was considered imperative therefore that all those workingin the banking organization that is the focus of this paper plusmn the existing role-incumbents as well as prospective ones plusmn appreciated the rationale and

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The views expressed in this paper are the authorrsquos and must not be attributed in any way to thebank under discussion Parts of this paper are based on the authorrsquos writings disseminatedmostly through in-house organs by the bank for training and information purposes

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character of the new managerial roles It was felt that one of the ways thatobjective could be attained was to educate the managerial cadre throughdiscussions of selected role-related concepts with illustrations from actualsituations in the bank If it were possible to attain some degree of conceptualclarity about the nature of the new roles and their essential interconnectednessit would be helpful to people in performing the different roles along desiredlines For this purpose clearly knowledge of task requirements was notenough One had also to be aware of the basic considerations behind thedesigning of the managerial roles in the new organizational structure as well asof the general dynamics of roles

In this paper we discuss the experiences of a large banking organization in adeveloping country in bringing about changes in the role behaviours of itsmanagers against the background of a comprehensive organizationaltransformation programme The transformation was prompted by the bankrsquosambitious expansion plan for its branch network as well as its business TheState Bank of India has been and continues to be Indiarsquos largest full-servicebank At the time the transformation efforts were being undertaken the bankhad around 2000 offices and 80000 employees (at present the bank along withits subsidiaries has more than 13000 offices and 300000 employees)

In designing the new organizational structure for the bank due emphasiswas placed on developing an effective managerial style in the context of thebankrsquos corporate objectives and its structural characteristics Also many newpositions were required to be created at various levels some of them with a jobcontent radically different from what the bank had in the old pattern Thesenew roles demanded a somewhat different kind of expertise from the officialsBut more than that almost all the roles in the new design called for analtogether different business perspective and managerial style

The paper has four parts First we discuss the new organizational design ofthe bank so as to provide the backdrop for understanding the rationale for anew managerial outlook as well as new administrative practices In the secondpart we briefly describe the prevailing hierarchical tradition in the bankrsquosadministrative culture in order to highlight the principal obstacle standing inthe way of successfully changing over to the new administrative culture criticalto effective organizational transformation This essentially called for acomprehensive programme for changing the role behaviour of the bankrsquosmanagerial cadre We then present in some detail the principal component ofthe change programme namely the education of the managers in role-relatedconcepts as a means of self-appreciation of appropriate role behaviour Lastlywe describe the training efforts to achieve the necessary changes in managerialrole behaviours with a detailed discussion of the training experience with aparticular managerial role to illustrate the typical training programmes forvarious other managerial positions In sum the paper deals with the experienceof changing managerial role behaviour in a very large organization operatingin a developing country and is an account written on the basis of the authorrsquosown involvement as a corporate executive of the bank

Training formanagerial role

behaviour

581

The context of organizational transformationWe very briefly describe in this section the new organizational design of thebank as a result of the strategic transformation mentioned earlier For acomprehensive discussion of the strategic transformation efforts of the bankand salient features of its new organizational structure and managerial rolessee Das (1994 1996) The structural arrangements are outlined to facilitatebetter appreciation of the nature of the various managerial roles

Broad organizational frameworkThe organizational framework provided for control by the central office whichwas the corporate headquarters At the next level were the regionalheadquarters called local head offices each of which controlled severalhundred branches within designated sections of the country called circles Thebankrsquos customers were classified into four major groups namely

(1) commercial and institutional customers comprising the larger unitsengaged in trade and industry including institutions such asuniversities clubs societies etc

(2) small-scale industries and small business customers

(3) agricultural customers and

(4) individual customers

All banking transactions business budgeting and bookkeeping were carriedout in accordance with these broad customer groupings Figure 1 gives anabbreviated organizational set-up of the bank

BranchesThe organizational set-up at branches was oriented towards the type ofcustomers served instead of on the traditional and more prevalent delineationof work according to the nature of the activities and services like depositsloans remittance of funds collection of checks and other instruments In otherwords the bankrsquos efforts were geared to meeting the total range of the bankingneeds of each of the four broad categories of customers A separate divisionwas created depending upon the volume of business to cater to each customergroup The accounting procedures were fashioned to elicit data about the majorcustomer groups in order to facilitate market-oriented policy making

Local head officesThe bank was divided into several circles (their number has been growing overthe years) each administered by a local head office A chief general managerwas the top executive of a local head office with a general manager each for theoperational side and the planning or ` specialistrsquorsquo side

The general manager (operations) had under him two or more regionalmanagers located at the local head office each of whom was responsible for alloperational aspects of around 75 branches situated in specific geographical

Journal ofManagementDevelopment207

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regions The general manager (planning and staff) was assisted by five seniorofficials designated as development managers to look after each of thefollowing banking segments commercial and institutional banking small-scaleindustries and small business banking agricultural banking personal andservices banking and international banking These development managerswere responsible in the main for formulating policies and programmesrelating to their particular market segment We should note that the generalmanager (planning and staff) and the officials under him did not have anydirect authority over the branch managers This arrangement was intended toprovide for a unified command for the entire operations wing of the bank fromthe chief general manager to the general manager (operations) the regionalmanager and the branch manager

Central officeThe principal tasks of the central office were strategy making and control ofthe various local head offices The chairman was the chief executive officerwho was assisted by a managing director and three deputy managing

Figure 1Organizational structureof the bank

Training formanagerial role

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directors The deputy managing directors had under them various chiefmanagers each looking after different aspects of the bankrsquos activities such asindividual market segments planning personnel premises public relationslaw internal audit economic research management information systems etc

The organizational milieuWe note here certain distinctive features of the organizational setting of thebank in terms of its culture and values These were incidentally more or lesstypical of Indian banking organizations One has to remember however thatsome variations existed in the organizational culture and values among thedifferent geopolitical regions of the country

The hierarchical tradition in administrative behaviourThe most pervading characteristic of the bankrsquos organizational set-up was itshierarchical pattern This pattern was evident in the organizational structureauthority delegation management style reporting relationships superior-subordinate interactions and the general behaviour of all bank officials Theunwritten norm for instance was that an official who was junior to hisimmediate boss by even one rank was expected to address him as ` Sirrsquorsquo and notas ` Mr Xrsquorsquo or plusmn what was almost unthinkable plusmn by his first name (we will use themale pronoun in the paper to stand for both genders) This was true even whenan official was junior to his immediate boss by only a few months

Now there was nothing wrong in this and this practice like others is on itsway out But the point is that this impersonal form of address remains alegitimate expectation of the senior in regard to the behaviour of his junior Itwas particularly intriguing to an outsider that far from first names evenreferring to onersquos boss as ` Mr Xrsquorsquo in a conversation was usually avoided by asubordinate rather like the Hindu wife avoiding her husbandrsquos name thesuperior was ordinarily mentioned by his official designation (like ` the generalmanager has not yet released the filersquorsquo or ` the regional manager wants iturgentlyrsquorsquo) although the form ` X Sahibrsquorsquo has gained some currency in someregions of the country The situation becomes slightly ludicrous when it isobserved that two officers who were until the other day exchanging officegossip and banter suddenly adopted two entirely different kinds of behaviour(based on a strict superior-subordinate relationship) when one of them receiveda promotion Moreover such was the hold of informal role prescriptions thatboth these officers felt quite comfortable in their new behavioural patterns

In the same category is the case of a subordinate official being made todiscuss matters with his superior continuously in a standing position (becausethat was what was expected unless the junior was told to take a seat) for aperiod anywhere up to an hour while the boss was comfortable in his swivelchair This sort of thing of course happens when the subordinate has acomparatively junior status (say a clerk or a junior officer) and the superior issomewhere say in the middle management level The practice of summoningsubordinate officers every so often on the slightest of pretexts plusmn and usually

Journal ofManagementDevelopment207

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through office messengers ignoring the intercom system altogether plusmn wasquite common and probably had more votaries in the upper reaches of theorganizational hierarchy

Intolerance of criticismAnother aspect of the hierarchical culture in the bank was concerned with therelative lack of tolerance of criticism Many officials especially if they happened tobe quite senior did not approve of any critical evaluation of their views by theirsubordinates in spite of the formerrsquos protestations to the contrary Both sides(superior and subordinate) found nothing extraordinary in that attitude of theboss The junior official expected (on the basis of his past experience) that thesenior would not be really tolerant of contrary opinions of others (although hemay like to appear open-minded) The question of actively soliciting suggestionsbased on a critical assessment of his views did not arise the junior was supposedonly to carry out orders of his senior not gratuitously offer suggestions forimproving matters

Another example was that of a superior refraining from calling a subordinateand explaining to him as to how he would like a particular item of work carriedout instead he preferred writing out small slips of paper indicating hisinstructions piecemeal every time a similar matter came to him This was indeedhappening in an erstwhile administrative department at headquarters in thecase of scrutiny of various statistical reports from branches The nature ofdeviations inaccuracies and irregularities was easily categorizable under a fewbroad heads However almost every such report which was put up to theadministrator by a junior official indicating the points calling for further actioncame back invariably with a yellow slip of paper containing an instruction tocheck whether a certain aspect of the subject matter had been duly scrutinized

This was the system accepted on both sides it never struck either of themthat some general guidelines about scrutinizing these reports could bediscussed among the two officials to reduce the number of slips passing backand forth The same administrator was given to marking nearly every letterreceived from branches to one or the other of his two senior subordinate officerswith the added words ` urgentrsquorsquo Imagine the situation where the majority ofincoming letters was marked with `Mr Arsquorsquo or ` Mr Brsquorsquo and the word ` urgentrsquorsquowhen the two officials had clearly defined functions which did not overlapwhen the officials sat right outside the administratorrsquos room and when both theofficials were being called in by the boss several times daily Now one mightcontend that this particular superior did not represent the typicaladministrator and this may well be the case The examples are however citedhere to make a somewhat different point namely that the subordinates did notmake any representation to their boss about the inefficient practices because plusmnand this was the essence of the situation plusmn they thought that such action ontheir part would be unconventional that it was unbecoming of responsibleofficers like themselves to get worked up about such minor details that it wassomething that was just not done in the bank

Training formanagerial role

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585

Status and authorityThere was also in general considerable deference to authority in theorganization authority being defined as seniority in rank We have alreadynoted some aspects of rank-based deference while discussing the hierarchicalculture In addition however the age of an official was also an important factorin determining the extent of deference that a person commands the older anofficer was the more respected he was among his subordinates and juniorsother things such as official position remaining the same

By general reckoning the more delegated authority one had in a particularposition the more was the status one was accorded This authority wasusually reflected in the maximum financial powers that a person had forapproving credit proposals of customers Normally but not always the level ofseniority determined the ceilings of financial powers delegated to an officerHowever certain other positions also commanded considerable status such asworking in a job which was closely or directly connected with a very highofficial of the bank Of course there were more tangible status symbols in thebank the most important being the allotment of a separate office this wasusually restricted to heads and deputy heads of headquarters departments Atbranches status generally goes with the number and overall seniority ofpersonnel a manager had working for him Also an officer engaged in credit orforeign exchange business was popularly deemed to have a higher statusamong his colleagues than one who looked after say deposits or in-countryremittances

However expectations also arose in areas which are not directly relevant tothe job content of a position These related to personal attributes and culturalvalues For instance the peculiar culture in the bank required that officersshould wear neckties and even jackets especially in the administrative officesand while in the presence of the senior officials The discomfort this sartorialnorm entailed when the weather was warm or when air circulation was notsatisfactory in the workplace was not particularly relevant when it came toconforming to this behavioural standard expected by the senior officersFortunately in line with the general trend toward less formality and morepragmatism in the country these dress requirements have been graduallychanging the author is aware of a few senior officials in the bank who activelyencouraged their subordinates to use more comfortable apparel suitable in awarm climate This comment may smack of some levity but if one pondersover the revealing fact that with the transfer of these enlightened officials (whogave the lead for a more appropriate dress in Indian conditions) there was animmediate change back to the formal pattern one can gauge the inherentstrength of the prevailing organizational culture Nobody had written down therequired behaviour in this regard to wit the very formal clothing but evenoutsiders who were inducted into the bank found out overnight that it wasimpossible for them to disregard this norm and in no time at all learned toorient their behaviour to fall in line with tradition

Journal ofManagementDevelopment207

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Informality and trustIn spite of the norms of behaviour delineated above there was a substantialdegree of informality and mutual trust among the employees of the bank Thiscan be easily explained by the fact that the nature of the work in the bankinvolved a considerable amount of dependence upon other persons Everyonehad to rely implicitly on others for efficiently carrying out their own specificactivity It was not possible for instance for an officer to carefully scrutinize allthe numerous details of scores of small loan proposals or statistical returnsbefore affixing his signature ias a token of correctness or approval he hadperforce to trust the subordinate for accurate work although the banking rulesand procedures explicitly makes the officer responsible for all details involved

This was not as problematic as it might appear because all employees wereaware of the delicacy of banking work in the area of customer relations andlegal requirements Moreover the vast majority of the officer cadres was filledup by internal promotions from the clerical ranks (the rest recruited directlyfrom the outside on the basis of competitive selection procedures) so that themutual trust and understanding developed over several years of workingtogether stood in good stead in cementing a cordial relationship amongdifferent levels of officials despite the superior-subordinate hierarchicalstructure that formally existed The high morale was partly evident by theextremely low turnover of the bankrsquos employees (although turnover generallywas low in all businesses owing to the difficult employment situation) Therewas thus an informal working atmosphere in the bank even while the businessof banking made it imperative to have strict rules elaborate checks andbalances and of personal accountability in financial matters

All these behaviour patterns reflect the informal but very real expectationsprevalent among the officers However one should not get the impression thatthe extant behavioural expectations among the officers were totally lop-sidedand completely inimical to managerial efficiency In actual practice the effect ofthese unsatisfactory norms was somewhat less depressing than they mightappear from the illustrations given above The reason was that people wereused to the traditional behaviour patterns and the imperfections did not impedethe administrative process in any drastic manner Moreover things werechanging gradually so that one could look forward with some optimism to amore ` sensiblersquorsquo organizational milieu

The above discussion should serve to illustrate the pervasive influence of ahierarchical organizational culture in the role expectations of the bankrsquosofficials The illustrations may appear to be somewhat trivial but to theofficials who were involved in the situations during a major part of theirworking lives they were of considerable significance The effort to changemanagerial role behaviours therefore was all the more problematic Thecultural milieu briefly described here should be kept in mind whileunderstanding the nature of the content of the training programmes to changemanagerial role behaviour The objective of the training programmes was notto try to overturn the traditional hierarchical culture with a new one Rather

Training formanagerial role

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587

the aim was to gradually modify that hierarchical way and make it moreresilient through a self-appreciation of managerial role dynamics The point tonote is that the programme emphasized self-knowledge of role concepts as thecritical element in achieving that modification and resiliency As we will see inthe evaluative remarks this role-concept approach has been successful ingenerating that behaviour change through knowledge of role-related conceptualinput

Role concepts adapted for the training programmesA large body of bank managers had to be trained to function effectively invarious newly designed roles as part of the organizational transformation Oneof the components of the management development effort was to educate themanagers about the nature of role behaviour through written material andseminar discussions on a number of role concepts In this section we discussthese role concepts as they pertain to the task of management development forthe bankrsquos new organizational arrangements

Managerial roles have many facets each of which has been explored by roletheorists in their chosen ways (Fondas and Stewart 1994 Hales 1986) Weadopt here a relatively straightforward approach to understanding roleconcepts one that best held promise for internalization by the bankrsquosmanagerial cadres We will not for instance concern ourselves with how theworking environment of a person (namely the characteristics of the group andthe organization in which he works) affects his behaviour at work although thenature of this environment does have a significant bearing on his performancein terms of say physical and mental health Our purpose is to define certainterms and attempt to understand how various roles were involved in theeffective working of the bank The definitional content of the ensuingdiscussion largely follows the approach adopted in the chapter on ` A theory ofrole dynamicsrsquorsquo in Kahn et al (1964 pp 11-35) Given space limitations only afew of the role-related concepts provided to the participants as trainingmaterial are discussed below in summary fashion for illustrative purposes

Managerial rolesIn the organizational context the concept of roles finds its relevance in the needfor different people to perform different tasks and different roles in the sametask so as to achieve the goals of the enterprise Obviously each person has toengage in activities which in their individual ways are related to numerousothers leading to the performance of the total task as planned Various rolesare thus necessary in order to perform various tasks and these roles exist in theform of a network of functional relationships with other roles ` Roles describespecific forms of behaviour associated with given positions they developoriginally from task requirements In their pure or organizational form rolesare standardized patterns of behaviour required of all persons playing a part ina given functional relationship regardless of personal wishes or interpersonalobligations irrelevant to the functional relationshiprsquorsquo (Katz and Kahn 1978p 43) When for instance a branch manager received an application for a large

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588

loan he was required to process it according to his ability and experience andto send it with his recommendations to his superior for approval or otherwiseWhen the branch manager did so he or she was merely meeting his rolerequirements

One of the essential characteristics of an organization is that it consists of anumber of activities performed by people occupying certain positions or officeswithin the organization and the relationships between them The activitiesassociated with any position in the organization constitute the role of theperson occupying the position For example a branch manager has to engagein a number of activities to carry out the tasks and responsibilities entrusted tohim When he engages in those activities we can say that he is playing the roleenvisaged for his position as branch manager

Role conceptsOne of the ways to understand the nature of managerial roles is to discuss indetail various aspects of role theory as applicable to a business enterprise Suchan approach however would be too ambitious for our present purpose for weare not interested in any theory per se but only to the extent that it can provideus with useful insights for appreciating the dynamics of roles in the revisedorganizational structure of the bank We therefore describe some selectedconcepts and define certain technical terms involved in role theory andillustrate these with examples from the bank By employing these definitions asconvenient pegs to hang relevant illustrations from the bankrsquos workadayactivities we will hopefully be able to understand the various factors involvedin the new managerial roles

Role theory is a relatively new field of study and even today it is notuniversally acknowledged as a separate specialized discipline This is perhapsbecause the literature is strewn over various disciplines An integration of allresearch findings and the evolution of a distinct perspective have yet to takeplace (Graen 1983 Ilgen 1991) Certain concepts were developed in the 1930sand the construction of a language in the role field has been going on apace inthe post-World War II period (Biddle and Thomas 1966) We are however notso much concerned here about the academic maturity of role theory as such buthow and to what extent the theoretical knowledge can help in understandingthe new managerial roles

Man in his life has to act in many roles such as husband father friendmember of a football team business executive Hence according to theparticular character of the situation in which he finds himself a person has tochange his behaviour in order to play his role appropriately For instance thebehaviour of a branch manager would be different for the various rolesrequired in relating to family other relatives superiors peers and subordinatesin the office the branch managers the bankrsquos customers and many othercategories of persons Thus the regional manager as any other individual hasto step in and out of an endless procession of roles which demand differingbehaviour patterns in consonance with the varying characteristics of changingroles

Training formanagerial role

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589

Role setNow no position in an organization exists in isolation each position isconnected to several other positions either directly or indirectly in terms of themethod of working the nature of the tasks the reporting relationship and soon Hence a personrsquos immediate superior and direct subordinates as well as anyother officials belonging to his own or other departments with whom he has afunctional relationship form a network of positions All these positionstogether constitute a role set pertaining to the position of the person we aretalking of Thus to take the example of a regional manager in the reorganizedstructure of the bank the network of related positions pertaining to his or herposition would include the general manager (operations) the other regionalmanagers the officials in his department certain officials in the specialist wingat the local head office and of course the branch managers in that particularregion (see Figure 2) Hence all these positions make up the role set for theposition of the regional manager Strictly speaking the role set of a positionwould also include persons outside the organization having some influence onthe behaviour of the incumbent eg customers

In the above example of a role set the regional manager around whom thematrix of roles has been built up is known as the focal person The role of the

Figure 2Role set of regional

manager

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focal person can be called the focal role In order to identify a role set thereforeit is necessary to know the focal person that is the individual whose role (focalrole) or position is central to the relative role set It is important for an officer toclearly identify his role set so that in performing his role he will be able to usethis knowledge for interacting with the proper persons and also fordetermining the persons most likely to be affected by his own actions

Role behaviourWe may state in a general way that role behaviour is what the focal person doesin relation to his position which is at the same time relevant to the system ororganization We may draw a distinction here between those activities whichcan be said to appertain to his role and those which do not When the branchmanager asks one of his subordinate officials to attend to a customercomplaint he is behaving in consonance with his role because this particularaction of his is relevant to his position Even when the branch manager doesnothing about the complaint and decides to ignore it or is grossly negligent hisaction is still within his role The question whether he was thereby performingbadly is not pertinent here The essential point involved is whether theseactivities form part of the role of a branch manager or whether they have norelevance to the role To illustrate whether he habitually comes late to theoffice or stays very late or says some prayers before starting work or is veryhot-tempered or vacillating are all extraneous facts insofar as his role isconcerned as these activities and behaviours are irrelevant to his role as abranch manager and do not therefore form part of his role behaviour

In many respects role behaviour can be looked upon as an individualrsquoscontribution to the achievement of organizational goals Role behaviour is thehuman output in organizations whether the behaviour is in relation tothe opening of a new savings bank account the authorization of a personalloan the establishment of a letter of credit the renting out of a safe depositlocker dealing with a customer complaint or the appointment of an employeeWhether all these functions are carried out efficiently or not is immaterial solong as the officer concerned has behaved according to the standard orinstitutionalized pattern of behaviour relating to his role However rolebehaviour may not necessarily conform exactly to role expectations but it isalways related to them in some way as we will see presently

Role expectationsThe various members in any individualrsquos role set are affected by hisperformance either directly or indirectly depending on the work flowauthority structure and so on Being members of his role set means that inorder to do their work properly it is necessary that the focal person performshis role well This dependence of different members of a role set on theperformance of the focal person (for the completion of their own tasks)generates in their minds some beliefs and attitudes about how the focal roleshould be played In other words various members begin to form prescriptions

Training formanagerial role

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591

for the manner in which the focal person should behave what he should do andwhat he should not do The term used for these prescriptions of the members ofa role set is role expectations (or alternatively role prescriptions) Roleexpectations constitute the expected standards of behaviour on the part of themembers of the role set from the focal role incumbent An illustrative list of roleexpectations is given in the Appendix concerning the position of the regionalmanager (about which we will have more to say in the next section)

The nature of these role expectations is conditioned by what idea themembers have of the position of the focal person and of his capabilities Theseexpectations may quite naturally differ among members of the role set andcertain problems may thus be created For instance in regard to the role of thegeneral manager (planning and staff) it may be that the development manager(commercial and institutional banking) desires from him intensive guidanceand explicit instructions whereas the development manager (personalbanking) may be more self-motivated and wants a free hand in his workseeking only general support for his function from his superior The twodevelopment managers evidently have very definite ideas about how thegeneral manager should relate to each of them It might well prove difficultin such a case for the general manager to decide upon the best method ofsupervision

The role expectations such as those mentioned above are related to the jobMost of these expectations are in fact generated in the work situation by rulesand regulations top management policies business strategies positiondescriptions procedural instructions etc To the extent these expectations werefamiliar as in the bankrsquos earlier structure there was usually no difficulty inperforming the role but when these became ambiguous and uncertain as in thecase of some roles in the new design there was scope for tension and anxiety

Role pressuresThe transmission of role expectations is usually with the purpose ofinfluencing the focal person to conform to the expectations of the role sendersHence the various acts performed in role sending can be called role pressuresSome of these pressures are of course official such as the directions from thesuperiors to their subordinates regarding the achievement of organizationaltasks Other pressures however may be primarily aimed at creating andmaintaining a work climate that is comfortable to the role sender himself It isno matter in such situations if the performance of the focal role is adverselyaffected so long as life could be made pleasant for the role sender The sourcesof these pressures may be formal or informal legitimate or otherwise thenature of the pressures may be subtle or explicit encouraging or discouragingsuggestive or directive

The precise form or combination of ways in which the pressures are broughtabout will depend on the kind of influence exerted over the focal person Themost commonly observed form of role pressures in organizations is that ofsanctions that the role sender uses to influence the behaviour of the focal

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person through gratifications and deprivations for conformity (that iscompliance with the requirements of formal organization) or otherwise It isdesirable that these sanctions are clearly visible to all personnel in anorganization for effectiveness in a formal organization

Role conflictWe have seen how different members of a role set may hold different roleexpectations concerning the focal person When these different roleexpectations create incompatible pressures on the focal person it becomesdifficult even impossible for the latter to respond to all these pressuresbecause one kind of pressure may be diametrically opposite to another Each ofthese role pressures moreover gives rise to internal role forces Obviously thefocal person when subjected to such opposing role pressures generatesopposing role forces within himself and becomes a victim of psychologicalconflict Role conflicts may therefore arise both because of differing roleexpectations in the external environment as well as due to internal forces(psychological conflicts)

Role ambiguityAn important concept we need to consider along with role conflict is known asrole ambiguity which generally arises when a job is not clearly defined Therewill be considerable scope for role ambiguity when management policies arenot clearly formulated or instructions not clearly conveyed Also whenresponsibility boundaries are not clearly delineated plusmn who is responsible forwhat plusmn there is every possibility of role ambiguity It may be that a personthinks that a particular task is the responsibility of another and therefore doesnothing about it Or what is equally problematic two or more persons maybelieve independently that a particular task is his own individualresponsibility so that more than one person lays claim to the same taskUsually however it is the former case that creates difficulties

Every employee in an organization requires adequate informationpertaining to his position so that he can play his role effectively The kinds ofinformation required are concerned with both his professional work and hispersonal wellbeing and include his duties and responsibilities authority vestedin him methods of working he should follow the resources at his disposal thekind of behaviour he should adopt the rewards and punishments provided forin the organization and the kinds of behaviour which attract them theopportunities available for advancement the likely threats to security ofservice and so on Without all this information an employee would feel ill atease and would find it difficult to adjust himself psychologically for peakperformance

Certain kinds of information of course may not be possible to be obtainedsuch as future assignments Other kinds of information may be deliberatelywithheld from a particular person as a matter of administrative policy such asthe contents of the annual confidential report submitted by his superior

Training formanagerial role

behaviour

593

However as much related information as possible should be made available toeach employee if role ambiguity is to be minimized and his productivity andmorale improved The reason for this is quite obvious the more an employee isunsure about what he is expected to do and how the greater will be the tensionand anxiety experienced by that person

Depending on the personality characteristics of a particular individual thedegree of anxiety will differ for any given state of ambiguity Some personsfind it extremely difficult to function without clear-cut directions and guidanceOthers are not overly perturbed by a large amount of ambiguity in their rolesWhatever the reaction however it has been found that role ambiguityinevitably results in varying degrees of strain Some of the important areas inwhich ambiguity may be experienced by a person working in an organizationare

lack of clarity about range of responsibilities

ignorance about how to go about a job

vague and inconsistent expectations of role senders

inability to distinguish between legitimate role senders and ` extraneousrsquorsquopersons

lack of clarity about long-range organizational consequences of onersquosactions

uncertainty about short-range effects of onersquos behaviour on theachievement of group goals or on the wellbeing of onersquos associates

doubts about whether others are satisfied with onersquos performance and

onfusion and uncertainty about information supplied because the messagescommunicated are unclear fragmentary garbled or contradictory

The most cogent illustrations of the tension and anxiety created by roleambiguity were the newly-introduced positions of the general manager(planning and staff) and the development managers These positions were non-existent in the previous organizational structure within which the new roleincumbents learnt their trade When switching over to the new design thesame persons who had developed themselves to perform well in the old patternof management were abruptly expected to carry out purely specialist jobsThere was understandably some feeling of being at a loss and a desire to getback to the old situation Also a kind of ` grief reactionrsquorsquo was evident for beingdeprived of the prized possessions like past experience and competence oldworking norms known performance evaluation criteria and so on

A typical training programme using role concepts changing the rolebehaviour of regional managersWith the introduction of the reorganized set-up in the bank the incumbents ofthe new positions had naturally to face certain difficulties in adjusting to theirroles In order to identify and analyze the important problem areas the bank

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594

decided to undertake a series of semi-structured interviews (based upon abroad questionnaire-based protocol) with the general managers developmentmanagers regional managers and other role occupants at the local headoffices Training programmes were designed to attend to the issues andproblems that emerged from the interviews A number of training programmesand seminars were held to cover all incumbents in the top managementpositions at the regional headquarters (local head offices) with selectedadditional participation by officials at both the corporate level (central office)and the field outlets (branches)

For obvious space limitations it is not possible to describe even briefly allthe different programmes targeted for the different functional and othercategories of officials such as general managers development managers etcIn this section we discuss only the training programmes for the regionalmanagers to illustrate how the bank went about developing these managerialroles consistent with the organizational transformation that occurred Thecontribution of this paper in terms of delineating the role-concept approach tochanging managerial behaviour can we believe be appreciated substantiallythrough the case of the regional manager

The role of the regional manager being of the crucial importance in the newdesign was particularly open to significant adjustment difficulties Theproblem areas pertaining to the role of the regional manager were over work(especially a lot of paperwork) lack of role clarity relationships with certainsignificant officials coping with role pressures overlapping work areas andineffective control of branches Accordingly the training programmes weredesigned with an emphasis on the following

role clarity in relation to authority responsibility boundary control etc

identifying and coping with role pressures

exploring and understanding the nature of the relationship of theregional manager with significant individuals in his role set

team building with the general manager (operations) and examining thenature of mutual help and support

raising mutual expectations with branch managers and negotiating fortask performance on the basis of help and support team buildingamongst the regional managers budgeting techniques and behaviouralaspects and

work-flow planning and exploring new areas

Conceptually the performance of an individual in a specific role in anorganization depended upon the degree of integration achieved by him betweenhis own personality structureneeds and roletask demands The wider the gapbetween the two kinds of demands the less effective he would be in his roleTherefore the focus of the training programme was to understand these two

Training formanagerial role

behaviour

595

factors by analyzing personality demands and role demands and then locatingareas of conflict on the basis of this analysis

The expectations raised by the participants on the basis of four particularelements in the role of the regional manager came up for special attentionThese were

(1) knowledge of things

(2) skills with things

(3) knowledge of people and

(4) skills with people

To illustrate although achievement of budgeted levels of business meant usingresources etc this was possible only with the help of people working towardthese objectives As such knowledge of people and the development ofappropriate skills was indispensable for effective performance

Interpersonal dynamicsTo understand interpersonal dynamics it was thought necessary to have aclose look at onersquos own personality In that context a short exposition of theconceptual framework of Eric Bernersquos transactional analysis (Berne 1967) wasincluded in the programmes Briefly this approach is based on the fact thatincidents that happened in the life of a person years ago remain recorded in thebrain and what one experiences as a child of five or six years has a lastingeffect on a personrsquos personality structure even when he grows up Thepersonality can be seen as being composed of the three ` ego statesrsquorsquo of parentadult and child that are the basis of transactional analysis

There are two aspects of an individualrsquos personality his own self and therole which he performs in life For his own self he maintains a set of prioritiesand sets of ego states However the priorities are compromised if they do notemanate from the proper ego state In performing his role the individual is infact a person in a particular position and the role he has to perform depends onexpectations emanating from that position in conjunction with the expectationsof his superiors subordinates and peers Persons who send expectations are therole senders and constitute the role set for the regional managers In ahierarchical organization although roles are fairly well defined at junior levelsroles can not be taken for granted as one advances and occupies moresignificant positions As such roles have at least partly to be evolved by therole occupants themselves

The regional managers were asked to list their behavioural characteristicsas well as their strengths and weaknesses They attempted to match thesecharacteristics with role demands some of which were identified as

ability to analyze the banking problems and the market

training skills

motivating skills

Journal ofManagementDevelopment207

596

understanding the personnel problems and cultivating patience indiscussing those problems

accepting higher authorities

public relations skills

ability to take decisions under conditions of ambiguity

being frank firm and courageous and

being responsive and sensitive to others

A substantive segment of the programme was devoted to identifying the roleexpectations of the regional managers Another important activity was team-building exercises with superiors and subordinates namely the generalmanagers (operations) and the branch managers Significant data weregenerated from these interactions A sampling of the points made by theparticipants is listed in Table I It is clear from the table that the problemsencountered by the regional managers were varied and complex in natureencompassing both substantive business and administrative ones Also theparticipants were clearly trying to learn to function in a new role and within aset of new managerial roles created by the reorganized structure a market-based business approach and a performance budgeting system

A session in the programmes dealt with Rensis Likertrsquos (1967) popularconcept of management systems which were classified as exploitativepaternalistic consultative and participative The participants were required tofill in a questionnaire in advance the results of which were summarized andgraphs plotted to indicate generally the nature of the system that prevailed inthe bank By and large it was observed that the bank was moving from apaternalistic to a consultative system of management In the language oftransactional analysis this could be taken as an indication that the participantswere attempting to operate from their ` adultrsquorsquo ego states

Team buildingParticipants were also helped in acquiring insights into their own personalityand inter-personal relations behaviour through exercises such as role-playingand team-building This was done in conjunction with some widely-used paper-and-pencil training instruments (such as the Johari Window and Bill SchutzrsquosFIRO-B (Schutz 1958)) Toward the end of the programme participants drewup their individual action plans to improve their effectiveness as regionalmanagers Using Lewinrsquos (1951) well-known three-phase model of unfreezingmoving and refreezing a regional manager recognized his existing level ofeffectiveness as a quasi-stationary equilibrium in a field of facilitating (ordriving) forces and restraining forces He was then required to suggest actionsteps for himself which would increase the strength of the facilitating forcesand reduce the strength of restraining forces so that he could be more effective

Top officials from corporate headquarters such as the deputy managingdirectors typically joined a session or two of every programme These

Training formanagerial role

behaviour

597

Table IRepresentative

comments by trainingparticipants

(A) Primary activities of the regional manager as seen by incumbents(1) Direction and control of branches(2) Knowledge of areas of operation resources bankrsquos policies and self-development(3) Close rapport with the general manager (operations) and keeping him informed of

important developments in the region(4) Consultation at peer level

(B) Primary activities of the regional manager as seen by the general manager (operations)(1) Determining challenging annual business budgets and assisting branch managers in

achieving them(2) Touring of branches discussions with borrowers employee unions(3) Suggesting changes in policies and procedures introduction of new business

schemes using services of specialists and controlling expenditures to carry outbanking operations at optimal levels

(4) Audit and inspection reports

(C) Changes desirable in the primary activities of the regional manager according to thegeneral manager (operations)(1) Major portion of regional managerrsquos time and energy should be devoted to

developmental functions(2) Senior personnel in the department should be made to play more effective roles(3) Discussions with employee unions should be systematic(4) Direct discussions with the branch borrowers to be discouraged(5) Retention of control functions with regional manager and no delegation to officials

in his department

(D) Expectations of the regional manager from the general manager (operations)(1) To recognize regional manager as head of his region(2) In dealing with the regional managers general manager (operations) should recognize

the need for motivation rather than for interference and control and judging theregional manager by the totality of performance rather than individual actions

(3) Create an atmosphere where the regional manager feels free to present hisdifficulties and mistakes and be constructive in advice rather than be punitive

(4) They should devote enough time to the concerns of the regional manager(5) Proper understanding of the regional manager in industrial relations matters and

support vis-aAacute -vis employee unions(6) To consult the regional manager while dealing with senior officers in the region(7) Helping bring greater co-ordination between operating and planning wings at headquarters

(E) Changes desirable in the functioning of the regional manager according to the branchmanagers(1) Frequent meeting with branch managers(2) Quick decisions and disposal of correspondence and loan proposals(3) Providing resources to the branch as per agreed budget(4) Avoid faulty communications through his departmental subordinates(5) Staff the department with officers who have worked at branches(6) Appreciation of special constraints faced by the very large branches(7) Should personally sign all letters containing instructions(8) Should personally speak to branch managers over the telephone instead of asking

other functionaries to do so(9) Frequent meetings in small groups of branch managers to discuss personnel problems(10) Build a new culture of frankness by more frequent tours of branches

Journal ofManagementDevelopment207

598

corporate executives were a valuable resource for discussing significant issuesand for providing clarification on important problems This author also fromcorporate headquarters participated in most of these programmes as resourceto the participants and faculty both to facilitate proper implementation of theprogrammes and to evaluate their effectiveness in order to considermodifications in evolving training strategies

Evaluating the programmeIn sum the training programmes recognized the crucial role of the regionalmanager and focused attention on his problems While role clarity of variouspositions was largely achieved it was felt that the roles were still in the processof evolution and that much depended on what was made of the roles ratherthan on what prescriptions were given for the roles In any event even in caseswhere role transitions were difficult it was considered worthwhile toconcentrate on the ` dorsquosrsquorsquo rather than the ` donrsquotsrsquorsquo Among other things it wasnoted that more emphasis was required to be placed on the developmentalactivities of the regional manager Furthermore there was a need to recognizethe mutuality of role relationships to foster team-building activities among theregional managers and various significant officials in their role sets A lot moresharing of common goals information and participation was deemed essential

Concluding remarksWe have discussed how the new roles have their genesis principally in therevised organizational structure of the bank These roles had to be shaped insuch a manner that administrative efficiency was maximized with due regardto the concepts undergirding the new design (market segmentation unity ofoperating command boundary control separation of operating and specialistfunctions etc) and the operational demands of the institution Just as thecorporate goals management policies and business operations of the bankwere subject to change in response to changes in the environment and thebusiness mix the character of the various managerial roles was also similarlyliable to corresponding modifications Thus there was a need for the new rolesto have an in-built capacity for change

As the delineation of the new roles ultimately depended on the people whooccupied the different managerial positions it was important that the bankrsquosmanagers had a working knowledge of some of the fundamental role-relatedconcepts By briefly explaining these concepts with constant reference to theorganizational set-up of the bank we attempted to describe how the bankundertook to educate its managers about the practical ramifications oforganizational role performance Without this appreciation of the nature of thenew managerial roles it would have been difficult to adjust to the new rolebehaviour for achieving effective performance Also the knowledge of role-related concepts on the part of the bank managers was consideredindispensable for the proper reshaping of the roles in subsequent times whenorganizational conditions changed

Training formanagerial role

behaviour

599

References

Berne E (1967) Games People Play The Psychology of Human Relationships Penguin BooksHarmondsworth

Biddle BJ and Thomas EJ (Eds) (1966) Role Theory Concepts and Research Wiley New YorkNY

Das TK (1994) ` Strategic transformation of large organizations some lessons from practice in adeveloping countryrsquorsquo International Review of Strategic Management Vol 5 pp 187-232

Das TK (1996) `A counsellor role for developing bank branch managers experiences in adeveloping countryrsquorsquo Journal of Management Development Vol 15 No 4 pp 63-75

Fondas N and Stewart R (1994) ` Enactment in managerial jobs a role analysisrsquorsquo Journal ofManagement Studies Vol 31 pp 83-103

Graen G (1983) ` Role-making processes within complex organizationsrsquorsquo in Dunnette M (Ed)Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology Wiley New York NY pp 1201-45

Hales CP (1986) `What do managers do A critical review of the evidencersquorsquo Journal ofManagement Studies Vol 23 pp 88-115

Hinings CR and Greenwood R (1989) The Dynamics of Strategic Change Basil Blackwell NewYork NY

Ilgen DR (1991) ` The structure of work job design and rolesrsquorsquo in Dunnette M and Hough LM(Eds) Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology Vol 2 (2nd ed) WileyNew York NY pp 165-207

Kahn RL Wolfe DM Quinn RP and Snoek JD (1964) Organizational Stress Studies in RoleConflict and Ambiguity Wiley New York NY

Katz D and Kahn RL (1978) The Social Psychology of Organizations 2nd ed WileyNew York NY

Kilmann RH and Covin TJ (1988) Corporate Transformation Revitalizing Organizations for aCompetitive World Jossey-Bass San Francisco CA

Kimberly JR and Quinn RE (1984) New Futures The Challenge of Managing CorporateTransitions Dow Jones-Irwin Homewood IL

Kochan TA and Useem M (Eds) (1992) Transforming Organizations Oxford University PressNew York NY

Levy A and Merry U (1986) Organizational Transformation Approaches Strategies TheoriesPraeger New York NY

Lewin K (1951) Field Theory in Social Science Harper amp Row New York NY

Likert R (1967) The Human Organization Its Management and Value McGraw-Hill New YorkNY

Mohrman AM Jr Mohrman SA Ledford GE Jr Cummings TG and Lawler III EE (1989)Large-scale Organizational Change Jossey-Bass San Francisco CA

Schutz WC (1958) FIRO A Three-dimensional Theory of Interpersonal Behavior RinehartNew York NY

Torbert WR (1987) Managing the Corporate Dream Restructuring for Long-term Success DowJones-Irwin Homewood IL

Appendix Role analysis of a regional manager

10 Purpose of the position

11 The position of the regional manager is required to direct and control the businessoperations in the branches under his command within the limits prescribed by thegeneral manager (operations) and the bankrsquos overall policies When the work of theregional manager is done well the branches under his jurisdiction will have achieved the

Journal ofManagementDevelopment207

600

expected results developed capabilities for penetration in the particular markets theyserve and accumulate a body of knowledge for a range of services most suited to theirbusiness environment

12 The effectiveness of the role of regional manager will be in terms of the following

(a) achievement of the bankrsquos targets as set out by the circle management

(b) creation of growth potential while carrying out the business operations

(c) building up a cadre of trained branch managers endowed with improved decisionmaking abilities

(d) developing good relationship with branches with sufficient evidence that theserelationships will be sustained and

(e) maintaining cost of carrying out banking operations in the branches at an optimumlevel

20 Prescribed element

21 The regional manager is immediately responsible to the general manager (operations)and is the head of the regional manager department for a particular region

22 After obtaining the annual budget estimated from the branches and relevantinformation about their operations he has to jointly review with the planningfunctional and staff specialists these estimates and recommend to the general manager(operations) the expected level of performance and other resources together with thenature and extent of personnel and other resources that would be necessary

23 He has to take corrective steps and issue suitable instructions to branches in all matterswhich require supervisory action

24 He has to ensure that the system and procedures appropriate for the work to be done areinstituted at the offices in his region This should result in ensuring the necessarysecurity in banking work performed at optimum cost In this respect he has to furtherensure that his policies as well as those of the higher authorities are explicit and thatsuch changes as are necessary are brought about for achieving the results expected ofthe branches in his region

25 He has to give his approval to business proposals which lie beyond the level of authorityof the branch managers and decide on such business matters as are prescribed for hisposition in the organization

26 He has to ensure that appropriate training and counselling are provided to the personnelin his department and at the branches in order that they can carry out their own worksatisfactorily and that those of his subordinates who show distinct potential for growthare given adequate opportunities for learning and development He has also to ensurethat the type and quality of training provided to the personnel are appropriate and takesuch steps as might be necessary to improve these facilities at the circle or the total banklevel or through the assistance of outside agencies

27 He must work within the policies laid down by the bank as well as those established bythe general manager (operations) These policies relate to those set by legislation inpertinent areas of the bankrsquos operations salary and wages overtime holidaysaccounting and costing procedures etc In all these areas the regional manager shouldseek clarifications if necessary and report immediately to the general manager(operations) his inability if so perceived to conform to these

30 Discretionary element

Within the framework of the bankrsquos policies the regional manager is required to make awide variety of decisions of which the following are the most important examples

Training formanagerial role

behaviour

601

31 What policies and practices followed by the branches are appropriate and what changeshe considers necessary in order that optimum results in banking operations areachieved and capabilities for growth are developed He will have to decide in whatmatters approval for changes in polices needs to be obtained from the general manager(operations) and the chief general manager

32 How closely he needs to supervise the personnel in his department and what data heneeds to have about them as well as the personnel at the branches and sub-offices underhis control

33 How he has to judge the effectiveness with which his departmental personnel carry outtheir work If he is not satisfied he has to decide how to correct the situation by trainingadvice counselling criticism re-allocation of work or by recommending to the generalmanager (operations) that the subordinate be removed from his present position

34 In the context of the range of tasks that he has to carry out what services and advice hemust obtain and how best he can utilize the services of specialists provided by the bank

35 What recommendations to make to the general manager (operations) if his resources arein his opinion insufficient for the level of performance he is expected to attain Also hehas to recommend that policies are inadequate for him to carry out the work prescribedfor his role

36 Whether the expenditure in his department or at branches is appropriate and is thelowest possible in the circumstances and in case this is not so how it could be reduced

37 Whether the control data and analysis of operations provided to him from roles outsidehis department and region are sufficient for his performance and what changes torecommend if they are not

38 What new services the bank could undertake to achieve greater market penetration inthe different customer segments

39 What changes if any he could recommend in the policies set out by the central and localboards the chief general manager the general manager (operations) to removeinconsistencies and deficiencies which in his opinion stand in the way of reachingoptimum efficiency in banking operations

310 Recommending to the general manager (operations) any changes which are not coveredby his own area of discretion

311 What aspects of the performance of branches should he instruct his area superintendentsto investigate or discuss with the branch managers Also what should be the relativeemphasis placed at individual branches by the area superintendents in regard to issuessignificant for development of business and for development of people

40 Expectations of other roles

410 Expectations of area superintendents

411 The regional manager should make the area superintendent feel able to approach himfor consultations on all matters concerning branches

412 He should provide the area superintendent with whatever guidance is required or foundnecessary

413 He should keep the area superintendent fully informed about and policy changes that hewishes to bring about in his Regiona particular Area

414 He should arrange for all information to be available to the Area Superintendents whileat headquarters including ` circularsrsquorsquo details of major decisions performance data ofbranches etc

Journal ofManagementDevelopment207

602

420 Expectations of other regional managers

421 The regional manager should meet the other regional managers periodically to discussmatter like provision of staff amenities discussions with trade union leaders or specificsubjects grant of unusual types of loans etc in order to ensure that uniform operationalpolicies are followed in all the regions

430 Expectations of general manager (operations)

431 The regional manager should keep the general manager (operation) informed of thosedevelopment in his region which are likely to have serious operational of administrativerepercussions

432 He should advise the general manager (operations) about significant variances in budgetlevels and the remedial measures adopted

433 He should suggest for the consideration of the general manager (operations) suchmodifications as he deems necessary in the existing policies and practices of the bank forimproving efficiency and productivity

440 Expectations of the planning manager

441 The regional manager should ensure that branches in his region submit their monthlyperformance reports to the planning manager within the stipulated time

442 He should advise the planning manager about the remedial measures proposedtakenabout chronic variances so that further study may be initiated at the local head office bycalling a meeting of development managers concerned or suggestions may be made ofthe circle management committee about new strategies to meet the situation This wouldbe all the more crucial in the case of chronic variances occurring at the critical branches

443 He should assist the planning manager in improving the analysis of performance reportsand the presentation of data connected with the budgeting exercise by providing himwith comments and suggestions in the light of practical experience

444 He should bring to the notice of the planning department problems and suggestionsconcerning budget settlement eg new kinds of environmental data advice on possiblelevels of business growth in specific areas or in particular branches simplification ofbudget formats etc

445 He should advise the planning manager about the schedule of opening new branchesand the expected segment-wise business increase from these branches so that thesedevelopments can be taken into account in drafting the circle policy guidelines

446 He should consult the planning department for identification of growth centers

447 He should prepare a list of critical branches in his region in consultation with thePlanning Manager based on already agreed criteria this list will of course requirerevision from time to time

448 He should suggest to the planning manager subjects for conducting ad hoc studieswhich would be of help improving business performance

450 Expectations of development manager

451 The regional manager should meet the development managers frequently to keep themposted with the business situation in various markets segments within his region

452 He should identify the major problems in his region pertaining to various functionalareas and bring these to the notice of the development manager concerned for the jointexamination and solution

453 He should provide assistance in testing out operationally in his region the innovativeschemes formulated by the development manager

Training formanagerial role

behaviour

603

454 He should assist the development manager in reviewing the new schemes evolved by thelatter (and accepted by the circle management committee)

455 He should make available to the development manager his suggestions about thetraining needs in functional areas of personnel in his region

460 Expectations of the personnel manager

461 The regional manager should furnish the personnel manager with a realisticallyconceived annual plan of manpower requirements at the time of budget settlement andtry to avoid ad hoc requisitions during the course of a year

462 He should keep the personnel manager advised of important developments which takeplace in personnel matters with special reference to industrial rations

463 He should keep the personnel manager informed of all discretionary proceedingsinitiated in his region irrespective of whether specialist advice is sought or not from thepersonnel department

464 He should regularly inform the personnel manager about various personnel problems inhis region specially those affecting industrial relations so that an overall idea about thesiuation in the Personnel field can be formed and necessary policy changes broughtabout

465 He should maintain close liaison with the other regional managers with a view tobringing about a uniformity in decisions in the personnel area

466 He should advise the personnel manager about the training needs of various categoriesof staff in his region both as regards numbers as well as the type of training eg generalcourses in banking specialized courses in foreign exchanges agricultural finance etc

467 He should make suitable internal arrangements to ensure that the personnel in his regioncan be released for attending the different training programmes

470 Expectations of the general manager (planning and staff)

471 The regional manager should refer to the general manager (planning and staff) suchissues and problems which would in his view require the latterrsquos personal attentioneither for co-ordination between two or more functional areas of where a satisfactorysolution has not been found