Abstract

This case is about a mid-sized company DrugPharmz which was in the process of re-launching its operations in West Bengal. The newly appointed regional manger, Barun was struggling with the high attrition rate in his region. During these tough times, Barun recruited Rohit as an area manger for Siliguri. There was a marked difference between the management style of Barun and Rohit. Barun soon realized that even though they did not see eye to eye on various issues, Rohit was effective in holding his team together and also delivered good results. Unfortunately, Rohit met with an accident and the company insisted that he resign as he was not entitled to long leave during the probation period. Rohit felt that Barun too failed to support him and puts in his papers. Soon Barun found himself in a difficult situation as more than half of Rohit’s team resigned from the company. He was also unable to get suitable replacements. Barun was forced to go back to Rohit, but Rohit was no longer interested in rejoining the company. This case deals with the issue of people management in a sales team. It highlights the importance of attracting and retention of talent. The case also covers the conflict that may arise due to a difference in working styles and expectations between the boss and subordinates.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Appreciate the importance of HR (people skills) in attracting, retaining, and motivating employees Understand the theories such as, employee motivation theory (McGregor’s Theory X, Theory Y, etc.)
• skills required by managers at different levels (technical, people, conceptual)
• halo effect
• management styles
• values

Keywords

Employee turnover, Motivation, Pharmaceutical Industry, Management style, Attrition, Management development program, Re-launch, Sales organization, Recruitment, Training, Sales force management, values, Work ethic, Boss subordinate relationship, Micromanagement