Once upon a time, a manager wanted to employ certain
changes in his department. He prepared a detailed report of
what those changes were, how they were supposed to be
implemented, what was the cost involved, and what were the
risks and benefits of the changes. Then reviewing the report
a couple of times and eliminating any mistakes in it, he
submitted the report to the management.
The management asked how the changes would affect
employee performance, employee relations, employee
turnover, and employee retention. The manager prepared
and submitted another report, detailing the answers of the
questions asked.
Then, the management asked how the cost of the
proposed changes, would affect the budget of the concerned
department. The manager once more submitted another
report, answering the questions asked.
Then, the management asked how the perceived risks of
the proposed changes, could be eliminated or minimized.
Again, the manager submitted another report.
Then, the management asked how the benefits of the
proposed changes, would benefit the image of the company.
Once more, the manager submitted an additional report.
Then, the management asked how the proposed changes,
would affect the marketing and the sales turnover. The
manager was getting impatient, but he again submitted a
report.
Then, the management asked justifications for the
proposed changes, detailing why they should be
implemented. By this time, the manager had lost all hope of
implementing the changes; nevertheless, he summarized all
the previous reports as its justification and submitted
another report.
Finally, the management agreed to some of the proposed
changes.
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Excerpt from the book “Once Upon A Time: 100 Management Stories” by Rajen Jani