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Interviewer: Saikat Roy
Roll No: 1401117
Interviewee: S
Company: Garden Reach Shipbuilders &Engineers (Ministry of Defence)
Work Designation: Project Manager
Years of Experience: >=25 years
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Interviewer: Good Evening, Sir.
Interviewee: Yes.
Interviewer: Can you give us a brief background about yourself; where you have worked; the work culture at that place and the designation which you hold?
Interviewee: I am a project manager in Central Design Unit of Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers. I am the project manager of a naval base project and I have been assigned a group of 3 engineers and 6 supervisors. When a new project comes, we sit together with our boss and the subordinates; discuss various aspects of the project, try to incorporate every one’s opinion and try to make the project a success.
Interviewer: Can you elicit one occasion where you felt the trust in the relationship which you had with your peers or subordinates was developed over time. How did it happen?
Interviewee: As I have told you, we are always trying to develop a cordial relationship by sitting together discussing various aspects of the project, taking the views of subordinates and boss, then my boss and I sit together and chalk out the program and then as a project manager I assign the job to everyone. Normally I work hard and I try to be honest with subordinates so that everyone is encouraged to do hard work and complete the work in time. It increases the efficiency of the organization as a whole. I try to maintain an informal relationship with subordinates by trying to solve their personal problems, celebrate every birthday with a little party. Such small things enhance the relationship between the various entities of an organization and enhance work productivity.
Interviewer: So Sir, how is this relationship developed? Is it a natural process or does it has to be cultivated over time?
Interviewee: Relationship develops with time. When my subordinates see me working hard and trying to be honest, they also work hard. I try to create an atmosphere in the company where everyone feels a sense of belonging and develops a feeling that they are working for their own betterment.
Interviewer: So Sir, do you feel that building a successful relationship is important for the successful functioning of your company?
Interviewee: Surely, mutual trust with boss and subordinates is required for successful completion of a project job.
Interviewer: Is it required to maintain this relationship only with your managers and peers or maintaining a relationship with subordinates is also of paramount importance?
Interviewee: No it is required to be maintained with both.
Interviewer: But Sir, what are the barriers in maintaining the relationships with our subordinates? They are below your designation. Are there no barriers in maintaining that relationship?
Interviewee: If you want to be successful in a big project, ego and hesitation would not work. From my experience, I feel personal relationship is more important than formal relationship. It’s imperative to have a trusting relationship. Keeping a cordial relationship, solving other’s problems to an extent will nurture the relationship.
Interviewer: Can you give an example where you have solved the problem of a subordinate and that has nurtured the relationship between you and the subordinate?
Interviewee: 3-4 months ago a subordinate was facing some family problem. His mother was ill and there was a crunch of money which was required for her treatment. We contacted our cooperative arranged a loan for him. We gave the cooperative the guarantee that the loan will be repaid. We also took the pain to visit his mother in the hospital.
Interviewer: So building such a trusting relationship which goes beyond the prescribed organizational norms, does this help the organization as a whole? Does it help in coordinating the various aspects of an organization?
Interviewee: Yes, it reduces the communication gap required for doing a particular job. It increases the work efficiency. In our organization, it’s our motto that we are making cordial relationships between different groups of an organization.
Interviewer: You talked about communication barriers. Can you give an example where the communication barrier was actually detrimental for the organization?
Interviewee: I would like to elicit on the mail system present in our organization and there is a norm that when a mail is sent it should be replied to. This however doesn’t work always. If we talk to a particular person, the problem can be solved easily in minimum time. This we are doing frequently with other departments. The relationship is not good between the project department and the finance department. We do the work and send a formal mail. If they don’t trust us, they will put notes in the files and send it back to our department. The again we have to write something and send it back. This process will unnecessarily delay the process and the project. It is always better to talk personally to the person concerned, make them understand about the gravity of the situation and ask their help for fast completion of the project.
Interviewer: 25 years ago, you entered this organization; it has been a journey, a long journey. So how did the relationships develop over time? Did it happen naturally or did you have to make a conscious effort?
Interviewee: Relationship can’t be developed in one day. In Public Sector Units most people are working over 10 years. Also there is good relation maintained between new people coming in and the old people. Sometimes problems do occur but its better not to remember the bitterness and try to maintain cordial relationships.
Interviewer: So you are suggesting that it is better to forget the bitterness in relationships and move on as it is a formal place and you have to keep relationships to get the job done?
Interviewee: Exactly, it is good from the company’s point of view that you forget the bitterness in relationships and move on. You have to try and maintain informal relationships.
Interviewer: Is it always required to maintain informal relationships? There may be N number of people in our projects and it may not be possible always to maintain an informal relationship with everyone. You may not get well with everyone. So how do you maintain a relationship then?
Interviewee: However that is up to a certain extent. Maintaining an informal relationship doesn’t mean you won’t work on the project, you won’t say anything to a person who is not doing his or her job. Our motto is to work hard, be honest and solve problems of co-workers to an extent.
Interviewer: You talked about confronting people, telling people who are not performing up to their potential.
Interviewee: Sometimes you have to tell this to a subordinate who is not working properly, not performing his job. We have to take some action, some sort of punishment. However we don’t remember it in the long run.
Interviewer: I would take a different angle now. Is the relationship which you have with your subordinates the same as the relationship which you have with your managers?
Interviewee: It is almost same with the managers and the subordinates both. Sometimes it may not happen but it is our motto to make the same relationship with everyone.
Interviewer: What if the other person does not reciprocate? You want to maintain an informal relationship with someone but the other person does not want to go beyond the formal barrier. How do you deal with situations like this?
Interviewee: Everyone may not reciprocate. But majority of the people will. The person who is not reciprocating, you have to try and convince him that this is good for him; for the work environment. There may be problems even after that but then you have to manage those problems.
Interviewer: I would ask a straight question. You were talking about informal relationships. Is it not possible to have the same organizational performance while keeping a formal relationship? Would not the performance be the same with a formal group?
Interviewee: It is important to be hard working, maintain informal relationships and be an example to subordinates. They will not feel that it is their project, their company if they don’t get the proper work environment. It’s imperative to make them feel that it is their company, their own project as well. The company will also benefit from it and they will also reap benefits.
Interviewer: Can you elicit on an occasion when this trust was broken? The trust which you put in your subordinates and peers was actually broken? How did you deal with it?
Interviewee: 2-3 years back in a project, I assigned a job to Mohan and sent him to a project site. I specifically told him the day by which he had to reach there and the clients he to contact for doing the job. However he reached there after one day. Due to that, the client with whom he had to meet was very annoyed and the total work schedule was hampered. I was very annoyed with the fellow. He said that he had someone who was very ill in his family but he had not informed that to us. He had taken his own decision; not understanding the importance of reaching there in the same day or understanding the need to inform us that he cannot reach there in time. It hampered our relationship with the client.
Interviewer: How did you deal with the situation? What was your action point against Mohan?
Interviewee: Exactly after he came back, we had a talk with Mr Mohan and chided him by making him understand the gravity of the situation and the importance of doing things in time. We told him that it’s required to reach there in time, discuss the problem with a client and get the job done. We cautioned him not to repeat such incidents in future as it hampers company’s good name.
Interviewer: So was the problem solved after that? Did he realise what he did wrong?
Interviewee: For a while we did not send him to any project site. However he has improved since and has rectified his mistakes.
Interviewer: You talk about clients. How do you nurture your relationships with clients?
Interviewee: Here our client means the navy, coastguard. They are our customers. The relationships differ in whom we have to meet, discuss and solve problems.
Interviewer: So is there a informal relationship there also or is there a formal chain of command?
Interviewee: It is not fully informal but to an extent. Usually from the client side, a project officer is responsible for monitoring the functioning of the project. If you are able to maintain good relations with the project officer a lot of hassle in sanctioning the necessary requirements will be reduced. The things will get approved quickly and easily.
Interviewer: So the dealing process gets facilitated right?
Interviewee: Yes
Interviewer: The employees from client organizations who come to your organizations so you develop an informal relationship with them also?
Interviewee: Yes sometimes. It is not fully informal but well it depends on the situation and the client.
Interviewer: The breach of trust you talked about, you gave the example of Mohan, do you thing it happens due to communication gap?
Interviewee: He has not understood the gravity of the situation, the importance of the job. It is of course the communication gap responsible for the mishap. I thought he is capable and responsible. I also had the assumption that he understands the situation.
Interviewer: Do you think the relationship has to be nurtured further so that he understands your priorities and the company’s priorities?
Interviewee: You can’t always predict that this or that will go wrong. With experience people can manage things more efficiently. He had joined only 1 year back, maybe I should have explained him the situation more clearly.
Interviewer: Thank you Sir, for giving us your valuable time. It was a nice insight into what trust in an organization actually means. I may have to refer back to you for more questions which will help us in completing our project.
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