Cases on management skills with solutions. How to solve cases during an interview. Business case. What is more important: to be able to solve or to be able to write cases?

“Personnel decide everything,” said the father of all nations I.V. Stalin. We can agree with this only if the processes in the company are clearly regulated and controlled. What happens when a smart specialist comes to a company, begins to act within the framework of his competencies, but in the process of collective work finds himself in a situation of “chronic coordination” and the presence of “black holes” in management?

Situation: Alexey, the project manager, was hired at the construction management company. He must organize the design and construction of a technologically complex medical facility. And now the moment comes when Alexey needs to conclude contracts with designers, medical equipment suppliers, builders, electricity suppliers for the site, etc. And if the decision-making processes are not regulated, then Alexey begins to worry. And the larger the company, the higher the level of anxiety.

It happens that a decision on a transaction takes weeks, or even months, to agree upon within the company. After all, it is necessary to check all the terms of the transaction - involve lawyers, financiers, security specialists, procurement specialists... Since the decision-making processes are poorly regulated and chaotic, he spends a significant part of his working time monitoring their progress - making lists of tasks, calling department employees to clarify the stage of document approval, runs around offices to get some information, requests it in writing. Decisions often get stuck, the sequence of approvals is not regulated, so “manual” control becomes a necessary measure.

Such thankless work is highly demotivating and becomes a catalyst for stress for each participant in this process.

Example: The head of the procurement department, Ivan, is constantly “inundated” with business, because... located at the end of the transaction route. Before transactions get here, they are reviewed by the finance department. Important transactions, when submitted for consideration to the financial department, can “hang there for a long time” and then be transferred further at once. “Stuck” is the least that can happen to a case - often cases simply get lost, and no one in the department can explain why. In reality, this is due to the fact that the head of the financial department, Svetlana, is overloaded with tasks, the delegation procedure is not streamlined, and the deadlines for reviewing cases are not regulated. Important things often go out of focus due to large quantity less important tasks that could be handled by the deputy head of the financial department. The finance department acts as a “black hole”. It is not surprising that with such a “system”, emergency situations and stress for all participants in the process are normal.

But then a miracle happens - the decision is finally made, all competent persons have agreed on the terms of the deal, and the contract is signed. The stage of implementing contract obligations begins and the management company begins to receive a huge amount of working information from contractors. Most Russian companies do not have a reliable system for managing tasks and assignments; the manager has to manually set tasks and constantly monitor them to the detriment of important matters that only he can deal with. Considering the volume of information received by the manager, this is a strong demotivator and a constant source of stress (see). It is important for every manager that tasks are completed on time and that emergency situations do not occur.

Example: The head of the company, Dmitry, receives a large amount of incoming information every day during the implementation of all current projects. He issues instructions to specialists in the hope that the instructions will be executed on time. But after some time, Dmitry receives a claim from the contractor about failure to fulfill obligations and failure to meet the deadlines for the project due to the fault of the management company. How did this happen? The designer of the facility, according to the contract, requested the management company to provide initial data for the design. Dmitry issued an order to the head of the technical department, Sergei, to provide the initial data to the designer. Sergey, in turn, receives a large number of project tasks every day, and sometimes these tasks fall out of his focus due to the lack of a reliable task management system. This happened this time too, the letter “Provide initial data to the designer” was lost somewhere in Sergei’s mail, as a result, the initial data was not provided, and the designer could not begin to fulfill his obligations and complete the work on time.

It is obvious that the situation has become urgent and has become a source of stress for the head of the company and his subordinates.

A common source of concern and decreased staff performance is limited access to corporate information that is necessary for making certain decisions.

Example: Project manager Alexey wants to know how similar technical solutions were implemented in previously completed projects, which contractors were hired to complete the projects, how the budgets of completed projects changed and what influenced these changes. To obtain this information and move on, he needs to make a request to the corporate information storage service and wait for the request to be fulfilled. And if the deadline for fulfilling such a request is not regulated, then this creates an additional source of stress for the employee, because the request can be fulfilled from several days to several weeks.

Our case for organizing effective work - How did we solve these problems in our company?

Company profile:

Production of pharmaceuticals, design, construction and equipment of medical facilities. Distributed structure: head office and production - in Moscow, branch in St. Petersburg. 150 employees.

Situation:

The enterprise was a classic example of an enterprise with traditional post-Soviet management processes, frequent occurrences were running around offices with papers, emergency situations and stress among staff.

For example, orders for documents were issued like this: the secretary, receiving an incoming document by e-mail, printed it out on a printer and made a note in the registration journal, then attached a sheet of paper for the resolution to the document, took it to the director, and he put the resolution on the document with the appointment of an executor. This piece of paper with the document was then returned to the secretary, who scanned both the resolution and the document and sent the file to the designated executor by email.

With such a system for issuing orders, there could be no control over their execution (see). Files sent to responsible executors by mail flew to nowhere, and the phrase “I didn’t receive anything” was heard more and more often. We had to waste time and nerves to prove that the files were sent after all.

Decision-making processes were also not regulated and occurred chaotically. The initiator of the process submitted a printed draft contract for approval and constantly called departments to find out the status of his business. Sometimes documents were lost and the procedure had to be repeated.

This “system” served as a source of constant stress and decreased staff performance.

Way out:

It was decided to implement automated system process management (see). To avoid staff inefficiency, it was necessary to create a reliable corporate system in which process participants would not have to worry about what they need to do and when. The system, based on the rules embedded in it, was supposed to automatically assign tasks to all participants in the processes and automatically monitor the progress of their execution. The employee initiating the transaction would always know that the process is under constant control of the system and would not worry about his affairs being stuck.

The participant in the process always had to see in what time he needed to do his part of the work.
It was necessary to provide a convenient system for delegating tasks that would allow less important matters to be removed from the focus of department heads.

The head of the company had to always be sure that the instructions given to him were carried out on time, because the system controls deadlines and does not allow employees to lose focus on important matters.
Consumers of corporate information must have instant access to the data they need to make decisions. Employees don't have to worry about their request taking weeks to process.

Having implemented all these requirements, the system was put into operation in September 2016. We have achieved the following results: into a single information space Remote structural divisions of the enterprise have been merged with the central office, the degree of interaction between enterprise employees in the process of approving documentation has been increased (the timing of document approval has been reduced by 6 times, the timing of processing incoming documents and issuing instructions on them has been reduced by 10 times), the possibility of loss of documents in the process of their approval, the security of access to information has been increased, and the degree of executive discipline of employees has been increased due to improved control mechanisms. As a result, we were able to significantly increase work efficiency and reduce stress levels among staff.

Brief description of the project to organize the company's work

Project status: put into commercial operation.
Project implementation timeline: December 2015 – September 2016.

Company profile:

Production of pharmaceuticals, design, construction and equipment of medical facilities. Distributed structure: head office and product production.

Project goals:

— Make the processes of preparation, approval, and execution of documents transparent;
— Organize optimal access to corporate information;
— Prevent loss and unauthorized modification of documents at the stage of their approval and transfer for execution;
— Increase performance discipline.
— Reduce stress levels among staff.

Project results:

— The degree of interaction between enterprise divisions in the decision-making process has been increased;
— The possibility of losing and changing documents during the process of their approval is excluded;
— The degree of performance discipline of employees has been increased due to the automation of setting and monitoring the execution of tasks.
— Increased work efficiency and reduced stress levels for process participants.

Time costs of the company

Privacy issue

The result of work on the case can be both an oral discussion of the formulated problems and written reports from students. The advantage of written answers to case questions is that it is easier for the teacher to track the logic of how students solve a problem, their ability to use theoretical models, etc.

Project cases as a tool for the successful launch of automated systems

It often turns out to be useful. with the combination of both forms.

It should be noted that the use of cases during the exam does not contribute to the integration of theory and practice in the learning process.

The greatest effect from using this tool is achieved when students have sufficient time (for example, a week) and have the opportunity to discuss the problems formulated in the case in groups.

Description of the business situation

Address: http://www.cfin.ru/itm/excel/pikuza/16.shtml

Circuit solutions in business

When opening new business lines, restructuring and analyzing existing ones, specialists (businessmen, financiers, lawyers) draw diagrams on paper or a board before making any decision.

Management tests with solutions

These diagrams necessarily contain arrows - showing the sequence and direction of movement of material and financial flows, as well as various "squares" - certain stages of these flows passing through some key points, without which the movement of flows further is not possible due to some circumstances .

The squares can be various organizations with which the enterprise, by the nature of its activities, comes into contact: banks, other enterprises, regulatory organizations (customs), points associated with the processing or transportation of products (services), places in which these flows can change completely or partly yours physical state: product - money; money - bill of exchange, bill of exchange - services, etc. The passage of each "square", as a rule, is associated with the loss or acquisition of any material or financial resources.

The arrows connecting these squares, in addition to the sequence and direction of movement of material and financial flows, are associated with the loss of certain temporary resources. This can be minutes or months, depending on the specifics of the business. Sometimes, drawn arrows are associated with the loss of financial and material resources, for example, transportation of products.

These same diagrams also contain simplified calculations showing the profitability or unprofitability of the operation being carried out, as well as possible options for carrying out the operation on the “what-if” principle.

The development of such schemes undoubtedly has the advantage of the simultaneous participation of a group of specialists in the development of possible scenarios for the development of events. But if the developed scheme is accepted for execution, then in the future a more in-depth analysis of working out possible scenarios is necessary. This analysis is associated with more accurate calculations, since the often inherent “game of numbers” may not have been noticed during the collective development of the scheme and can lead to undesirable consequences.

In-depth analysis, as a rule, consists of creating tables whose task is to show the profitability or unprofitability of an operation. Quite often you encounter the fact that such tables are created manually, using a calculator and pencil. The disadvantage of this method is obvious - manual calculations that require a lot of time, a high probability of introducing errors and the difficulty of creating multiprobable scenarios.

This chapter will describe a simplified approach to creating a proposed operation flow chart model using Excel.

Description of the business situation

Suppose some enterprise, for example, JSC "Glass blower" known to us, decided to open a new line of business, the essence of which is to purchase a batch of goods with the aim of delivering it to an import partner. Receipt of foreign currency proceeds from the sale of goods, according to the terms of the contract signed between them, and preliminary calculations, is expected a month after the shipment of the goods.

The expected costs of the enterprise under the executed contract consist of:

cost of purchasing the goods;
the cost of freight forwarder services for transporting goods;
cost of customs services;
the cost of the bank's services for converting the foreign currency earnings received.

Let's assume that the company does not have its own free working capital to purchase this batch of goods and the costs associated with its delivery to the buyer. Therefore, he signs a contract with the bank to receive a loan in national currency for the period of the operation (let’s say one month). The lending rate for a loan provided for a specified period is 3%. The entire loan amount is transferred to the bank account of JSC "Glassblower" on the day the goods are shipped to the buyer. Repayment of the loan and interest on it is carried out after converting the foreign currency proceeds received from the buyer. Payment for the bank's currency conversion services is made from funds received from the buyer.

Reimbursement of export VAT is carried out some time after settlements with the buyer and, as a result, this amount cannot be used to repay the loan. Payment of income tax and turnover tax occurs later and it is assumed that by this time the export refund will have already been made.

A case is a description of a company, organization or institution. The student’s work on the case consists of reorganizing the information presented in it through the use of analytical tools, making assumptions and making certain recommendations/conclusions.

Chapter 1. Case: Definition

Three types of cases can be distinguished.

Illustrative case (or descriptive). It is designed to make it easier for students to understand theoretical concepts.

Open case. This case does not contain specific questions. An important part of the students' work is to identify the problems facing the company being analyzed and determine possible ways their decisions.

Interactive case. When working on an interactive case, students, in addition to familiarizing themselves with the information provided to them, have the opportunity to conduct direct interviews with the managers of the enterprise under study, and visit the company to get acquainted with the production process. Thanks to this, students have the opportunity to collect additional information.

The advantage of case studies that describe the activities of a local company is that students, as a rule, already have an understanding of its activities. They may know people who work for this company or be consumers of its products.

Of course, interactive cases should be developed based on local companies, since they require direct interaction with enterprise managers. For illustrative purposes, a case drawn up based on materials from any company, including foreign ones, can be used.

Chapter 3. Management case solving

Cases developed based on materials from local and foreign companies

First of all, it is necessary to identify the main problems and issues that will be the focus of the case (for example, problems of strategic management of the enterprise, financial problems, marketing activities of the company, problems of personnel management, etc.)

After defining general direction follows the stage of more clearly identifying the information that should be included in the text of the case. This will also help to draw up an outline of an informal interview between the teacher and enterprise managers.

Before conducting the interview, it is also recommended to decide on the general structure of the case. The information in a case may be presented in chronological order, according to an interview plan, or according to some model or diagram (e.g. Short story company, ownership structure, organizational management structure, production process and product range, etc.).

Information can be presented in different sequences, but it must be remembered that structuring and reorganizing information is one of the tasks of students working on a case. Facts may be accompanied by the opinions of managers and quotes from their statements.

Responsibility for the quality of the case lies with the teacher. To ensure its sufficient level, the teacher himself can meet with the manager of the enterprise and, based on the results of this meeting, prepare a case. You can invite students participating in the interview with the teacher to do this. Based on the notes obtained during the interview, they can prepare a draft of the case. An educational problem situation can also be prepared on the basis of information collected by students during their compulsory internship or during the writing of projects and diploma research.

Chapter 4. The process of writing a case

The choice of company for developing a case can be carried out different ways. Initial information can be obtained from newspapers, television advertisements, personal contacts, chambers of commerce and industry associations.

When preparing problem situations, business managers typically ask teachers four basic questions:

How long will it take them to help prepare a case?

What data will be required from the company?

How will confidentiality be ensured?

What will their company gain as a result of cooperation?

Time costs of the company

The amount of time managers spend helping prepare a case depends on the type of case and the availability of printed information about the company. Below are data on the time spent at each stage of preparing a case. It is assumed that the case is developed by a teacher who has some experience in this activity. Those who are encountering case development for the first time spend, as a rule, 25-50% more time.

Table 1. Time spent on developing a case (in hours)

The teacher can select some of the best student reports and give them to the plant manager for review. After this, a meeting between the students and this manager can be arranged, during which he will express his opinion on the results of the students’ work.

Thus, taking into account the time spent by managers on reading student reports, they will be required from 5 to 15-20 hours to participate in working on one case.

Information required from the company

Often the teacher and company managers believe that developing a case requires detailed and often confidential information. In reality this is not the case. Students with limited experience practical work, unable to use specific, detailed information. In the case of management students, general information is required. For example, with regard to profit, a subjective assessment by the manager of its level and the dynamics of change will be sufficient.

Hypothetical information may be used to study some special calculation and analysis methods that require detailed data.

Privacy issue

Students and teachers should not provide information collected during the work on the case to the company's competitors, as well as other companies and organizations. This should be regarded as unethical behavior, which also destroys the relationship between the university and enterprises.

It may be advisable to avoid working with companies that place undue emphasis on privacy. This is often a consequence of insufficient competence of the company's management. As already mentioned, providing detailed information is not necessary; moreover, the company's competitors usually have the data that is most important to them. Therefore, the danger of disclosing confidential information is low.

Some firms may even insist on signing a non-disclosure agreement. This is most often explained by psychological reasons. As students work on the case, managers come to the conclusion that their concerns about the confidentiality of information are unnecessary.

Benefits received by the company from their participation in working on the case

Of course, the university cannot guarantee that every company taking part in the work on the case will receive certain benefits from it. However, the participation of managers can be beneficial for their enterprises.

Managers receive a systematic description of the general situation in the enterprise. It can be used to distribute to new employees to familiarize themselves with the activities of the enterprise, to prepare an annual report, to write a company history, etc.

In the process of working on a case, company managers may be asked questions that are important for the operation of the enterprise, which they have not thought about before.

The company can gain new ideas from student reports.

Enterprise managers have the opportunity to get acquainted with new theories, not in their abstract form, but in relation to their company.

Chapter 5. Relationships with the company

In combination with lectures conducted as part of training courses, cases can be used in three main areas.

The case, offered to students at the beginning of the lecture course, will allow them to become familiar with the issues and problems that are expected to be considered in future lectures.

Using a case at the end of a lecture course allows students to understand how they can apply the theoretical models and approaches learned during the lectures to solve a specific problem.

The teacher can explain the problems discussed during the lectures throughout the course using the example of specific companies.

Cases can be used for oral and written examinations. During the oral examination, the student may be asked to discuss a short case using theories covered in the lecture course. A written exam lasting 4-5 hours can be carried out in the form of writing answers to questions posed in the case.

The skills of compiling and working with cases will help students in their research work on coursework and diploma projects.

Chapter 6. Using cases in the learning process

Chapter 1. Case: Definition

Three types of cases can be distinguished.

Illustrative case (or descriptive). It is designed to make it easier for students to understand theoretical concepts.

Open case. This case does not contain specific questions. An important part of the students’ work is to identify the problems facing the company being analyzed and identify possible ways to solve them.

Chapter 3. Cases developed based on materials from local and foreign companies

After determining the general direction, the next step is to more clearly indicate the information that should be included in the text of the case. This will also help to draw up an outline of an informal interview between the teacher and enterprise managers.

Before conducting the interview, it is also recommended to decide on the general structure of the case. The information in the case may be presented in chronological order, according to an interview schedule, or according to some model or diagram (for example, a brief history of the company, ownership structure, organizational management structure, production process and product range, etc.).

Chapter 4. The process of writing a case

Selecting a company to develop a case can be done in various ways. Initial information can be obtained from newspapers, television advertisements, personal contacts, chambers of commerce and industry associations.

When preparing problem situations, business managers typically ask teachers four basic questions:

How long will it take them to help prepare a case?

What data will be required from the company?

How will confidentiality be ensured?

What is a case in business? Examples

What will their company gain as a result of cooperation?

Time costs of the company

Table 1. Time spent on developing a case (in hours)

Thus, taking into account the time spent by managers on reading student reports, they will be required from 5 to 15-20 hours to participate in working on one case.

Information required from the company

Often the teacher and company managers believe that developing a case requires detailed and often confidential information. In reality this is not the case. Students who have little practical experience are unable to use specific, detailed information. In the case of management students, general information is required. For example, with regard to profit, a subjective assessment by the manager of its level and the dynamics of change will be sufficient.

Hypothetical information may be used to study some special calculation and analysis methods that require detailed data.

Privacy issue

Benefits received by the company from their participation in working on the case

In the process of working on a case, company managers may be asked questions that are important for the operation of the enterprise, which they have not thought about before.

The company can gain new ideas from student reports.

Enterprise managers have the opportunity to get acquainted with new theories, not in their abstract form, but in relation to their company.

Chapter 5. Relationships with the company

In combination with lectures conducted as part of training courses, cases can be used in three main areas.

The case, offered to students at the beginning of the lecture course, will allow them to become familiar with the issues and problems that are expected to be considered in future lectures.

Using a case at the end of a lecture course allows students to understand how they can apply the theoretical models and approaches learned during the lectures to solve a specific problem.

The teacher can explain the problems discussed during the lectures throughout the course using the example of specific companies.

It should be noted that the use of cases during the exam does not contribute to the integration of theory and practice in the learning process. The greatest effect from using this tool is achieved when students have sufficient time (for example, a week) and have the opportunity to discuss the problems formulated in the case in groups.

The skills of compiling and working with cases will help students in their research work on coursework and diploma projects.

Chapter 6. Using cases in the learning process

Case- this is a specifically described situation (problem) that occurred in the life of the company, which contains all the information about the problem that has arisen, aimed at solving it: the moment the problem appeared, materials, discussion and organization of tasks, search for a goal, persons involved in solving the problem, the processes involved, and a description of the resulting results.

The case can be compared to a person’s photo album, which contains all the details from his life: birth, learning about the world, growing up, plans for the future, etc. In addition to the person himself, the photo album depicts relatives and close people who, one way or another, influenced his upbringing, development and life in general.

Where is the case used?

Case teaching was introduced at Harvard about a century ago and is still relevant today. This method has been used in management subjects. The teachers invited people who had achieved considerable success in business to tell in detail the history of the creation of their companies.

Management Cases

Based on these stories, teachers came up with problem situations for which students had to find solutions.

This training method is highly effective, and even today HR managers offer candidates applying for a job to take a case study.

Already in 2010, ACM technology (adaptive case management) was introduced, with which you can quickly find the best solution to any obstacle. People who use ACM use templates to fit a specific situation. That is, they come to the aid of solutions that have already been used previously for similar problems.

In the field of marketing, a case is an effective tool, the proper use of which helps increase sales. It allows you to see the results BEFORE and AFTER.

What is the case diagram?

The situation is described in detail.
The problem is identified.
Tasks are set to overcome it.
The process of solving problems and achieving goals is described directly.
The final result is presented and compared with the initial indicators.
Feedback is provided.

What types of cases are there?

Cases in marketing differ in the form of presentation and the volume of text.

By shape

Text. The text itself, but it is also possible to add tables, images, animations and graphs.
Presentation. Text, pictures and other materials are presented in the form of a presentation, which has a more colorful design and special effects.
Video. This type of case is fraught with the greatest expenses, because it is necessary to write a script for the plot of the video, as well as pay for expensive design and camera work.

By volume

Brief. No more than 2 thousand characters.
Average. Approximately 2-6 thousand characters.
Long. From 7 to 10 thousand characters.

According to numerous studies, it is large stories with a fascinating plot that people like the most.

Why do you need a case in marketing and advertising?

The case contributes to more effective SEO promotion of the site, increasing the need for certain goods or services, as well as increasing interest in them. This tool allows you to demonstrate how a project, service or product works in life and how it helps solve a problem. He gives clear answers to all the client’s questions and concerns and convinces him of the advisability of purchasing the product.

The case, which describes in detail the strategies for creating and implementing projects, and also justifies the cost of services or goods, allows potential buyers to be convinced of the qualifications and professionalism of the company’s employees. So, the case is aimed at:

show clients the process and stages of work aimed at overcoming difficulties;
prove to clients the professionalism of the company’s employees, demonstrate successful experience in achieving the goal.
show that the actions taken by the company produce the desired result.

Companies often create cases for themselves in order to analyze a certain period of work and understand which of the methods used are effective and which are not.

6 rules for writing a successful case study

Write an attractive title. This could be a problem headline, for example, “How to quickly make money online?”, or a result headline: “Earned $2,000 online in just 1 month!”
Take the problem your client is facing as a starting point. Tell us about the problem and describe in detail how you solved it.
Provide visual information in the form of graphs, tables, etc. Show the benefits of your products or services.
Write in simple language that is understandable to an incompetent person. No one needs your professional terminology, and few will understand it.
Compare the situation BEFORE and AFTER. Tell us about some of the nuances that occurred in the process of solving problems, show the final successful result. Don't forget to provide numbers.
Add positive customer reviews who have already used your services or purchased your product.

Through cases, you can talk about the activities of your company, analyze the effectiveness of its work and demonstrate your professionalism to potential clients, as well as convince them that they should choose your products or services.

Alexander Ovsyannikov

I have been promoting and making money on websites since 2009.

Business case. What is more important – the ability to solve or the ability to write cases?

About the rules for writing tactical business cases and the importance of following them.

The concept of Business Case comes from the Latin “casus” - a confusing or unusual case. The method of teaching using real and fictitious cases from business life is soon 100 years old - case study was used at Harvard Business School back in 1924. Students successfully analyzed practical cases, and when they later encountered a similar situation in their work, they had a ready-made response template.

Since then, solving business cases has firmly occupied its niche in education, including MBA, and in self-education. The Internet is replete with links offering to take part in the decision and create your own case. And the game is quite entertaining and exciting. As long as it's a game.

In a real company, every day managers are engaged in solving business cases. Large and small, strategic and tactical, and more often tactical. Their main difference from educational cases is that the future of the deal, the employee, and sometimes the entire company depends on each specific decision made.

In this article I will not touch on business cases at the strategic level; we will leave them for seminars, the Internet and boards of directors. This article is about the very daily routine in which a leader’s day passes. Situations, situations, situations... With external clients there are case situations, with internal clients there are also case situations. And it’s good when such a case concerns employees of the department that is under our direct subordination. I thought a little, asked clarifying questions, made a decision, conveyed it to the performers - ready.

But a company is a mechanism in which many elements interact. And if you have more than one manager in your company, then the chain of solving the case begins to lengthen. Business processes for interaction between departments appear, and failures occur in this interaction every day.

I often hear the opinion of employees that failures occur only in those companies where “everything is poorly organized”, and in a “real company” there should be no failures. And every time I ask them - do they know at least one company that works without failures? This is a genuine interest, because if such a company exists, I certainly want to study the experience of its work, because I do not know such companies.

But I know one good rule: the one who does nothing makes no mistakes. In companies where employees work hard and with high dedication, there will be failures. And in solving them, managers need to take a well-thought-out position so as not to overdo it with demotivation and, most importantly, to distinguish regular failures from one-time failures.

Failures are one-time - individual cases, can be resolved privately at the approval level. But if we have determined that the failure occurs periodically, and it is associated with the inefficiency of the business process or its absence, then it’s time for everyone affected by this business process to work to change and improve it.

If these two conditions are met, then the company's efficiency increases. If they are not observed, it also increases, but not efficiency, but conflict. A magic phrase appears: “Well, how much can you say. Even the Chukchi doesn’t step on the same rake twice,” and the employees’ lack of faith in their own strengths and the company.

In theory, everything sounds simple and straightforward - regular to the right, private to the left, the company becomes prettier, and conflicts are reduced. What in practice?

In the office of the director of the company “Company”, which is engaged in complex supplies of canned food, a bell rings. The voice of one of the heads of sales departments is on the phone.

Head of Sales: We can't work like this anymore! Our logistics department again disrupted the delivery, and now in order to maintain relations with the Chocolate client, we urgently need to organize delivery of the goods, but we do not have transport. Help me send the goods urgently. The client is angry. He said that if he doesn’t have the goods in two hours, he will go to competitors and won’t buy more from us.

Director: When was the delivery supposed to be?

Head of Sales Department: Today until 12:00.

Director: What are we bringing?

Head of Sales Department: A batch of canned food.

Director: The price of the issue?

Head of Sales Department: About 30 tons

Director: What do logisticians say?

Head of Sales Department: No cars.

Director: We'll figure it out now.

The director calls the head of the logistics department.

Director: What are we doing with the delivery today to the client “Chocolate”

Head of Logistics Department: I don’t know. And what happened?

Director: Did the head of the sales department talk to you about this delivery?

Head of Logistics Department: No

Director: Find out which of yours he spoke to and call back. The delivery to the customer needs to be made today. Solve the question.

A call to the director from the head of the logistics department.

Head of Logistics Department: Found out. The head of the department talked with my deputy while I was at lunch. We offered them the car in the morning, but the sales people themselves refused to take it. The goods from the supplier did not arrive completely. They didn’t want to take some of them.

The director calls the purchasing department.

Director: What’s going on with our client “Chocolate”, why are we disrupting the delivery, why did the goods not arrive from the supplier and what can we do?

Head of Purchasing Department: Most of their supplies are in stock in our warehouse.

But the shipment of rare goods has not yet arrived in Moscow. She simply isn't physically anywhere. And we already informed the sales manager about this this morning. The remaining stock will not be available until Friday.

Call from the director to the head of the sales department.

Director: And what are you saying there? They gave you a car, but you yourself refused to drive it.

Head of Sales Department: Who refused? Did we refuse? (Calls the manager and asks him about the refusal). Yes, we refused because the shipment was not complete, and we did not want to pay twice for delivery to one place. And now we already want to drive, because the client is in conflict, and now they don’t have a car.

Director: So it’s not the logistics department that is messing up, but you didn’t want to bring it?

Head of Sales: Sorry, I just found out about this myself.

Director: The client agrees to deliver part of the goods today and part next week?

You can hear the head of the sales department asking the manager about the client’s consent.

Director: Give the phone to the manager... Does your client agree to supply part of the goods?

Manager: I don't know. He shouted so loudly into the phone that I was afraid to ask him.

Director: Why did he start screaming?

Manager: So he waited for the goods until 12:00, but we didn’t deliver them.

Director: What time did you know that there would be no delivery?

Manager: At 11:00 the purchase informed me.

Director: Did you warn the client?

Manager: No. We already detained him last time, he was very unhappy.

Director: Pass the phone to the boss... Call the client yourself, sort it out, apologize. Discuss the possibility of partial delivery, and then we will decide what to do next.

Director to secretary: Anechka, give me some valerian.

etc

This is the classic case of the ubiquitous “broken phone”. And the thought comes - yes, fire both the manager and the director... And... the director? How much effort and time wasted on empty chatter. The request initially sounded like “We can’t work like this anymore. Logisticians are constantly disrupting our deliveries,” that is, to correct the business process. But it turned out?

How can we minimize the occurrence of such situations? In practice, I know only one recipe - to train company managers in a standard form for submitting information on failures, and explain to them why they need it. If a failure occurs, the manager writes or voices a business case based on the following parameters:

Rules for preparing a business case:


In the header of a business case (letter)	Request priority. (Urgency, Importance) Title of the case (what will be in the subject line of the letter, so that the subject line makes it clear what will be discussed)
In the body of the case	Interaction between departments. External/internal clients affected by the failure. Document (if there is a document significant for resolving the issue) The department in which the failure occurred. Deadline (Date of failure. How much time has already been spent on the solution. Justification for the urgency of the solution) As it should be according to company rules. How it happened (is happening) in this case. What has already been done. Your request for action: individual approval at a tripartite meeting, financial claims, request for business process correction.

If the transmission of information about failures occurs correctly, then top managers from secretaries to assistants and coaches who skillfully ask clarifying questions magically turn into problem solvers. And everything is in its place: heads of line departments draw up business cases, and TOP managers solve these business cases.

Of course, the ideal solution to the issue of transmitting information about failures is an internal CRM, a standardized information delivery system. But in a world where excel still dominates, the right to call and Email, a simple standard form for submitting business cases may well be a suitable solution.

I would like to pay special attention to the point “What has already been done”, which is often omitted and not indicated as mandatory. The lack of this information leads to the fact that almost all employees involved in resolving an issue, when deciding to resolve it, follow the same path, questioning others about what was done on their part. This is exactly what the director did in our example. This means repeated labor costs and marking time.

How to train employees to write cases correctly? Most The best way– joint work to improve the efficiency of a real business process. To do this, we are drawing up a common table in which all departments will enter information on failures in the work of the department (divisions), where they will be able to see feedback on what has been done. Column headings are required fields in the business case. We are learning and adjusting processes at the same time.

It is worth considering the resistance of many employees to such projects. The principle of “sandbox brotherhood” works - I won’t tell about you, and then you won’t tell about me. In this case, when conducting an internal PR campaign, you can indicate that it is aimed at improving the process, and demotivation of employees of all departments taking part in the project as a result of the described failures will not be carried out until further notice.

Economic situations in the discipline of management (cases): Textbook

After such joint activities, failures in the transmission of information and conflict in the company are significantly reduced.

To ensure effective collaboration, it is important that each of its participants fulfills its role with maximum efficiency:

· The task of the company’s line managers is to do everything possible action to resolve the situation. If you couldn’t solve it yourself, write a correct description of the situation and pass it on to the TOP for solution.

· The task of TOP managers is to resolve the situation in accordance with its priority and determine the actions that need to be taken based on the results of the business case:

1. business process reorganization

2. organizing a new business process

3. individual approval is sufficient

And when company employees consider situations from the point of view of resources: human, time, information, financial, fixed assets, analyze their capabilities and transmit information correctly, the resolution of work issues and the efficiency of interaction between departments increases significantly.

Tested by practice.

Get ready for cases that will help you get your dream job

The best employers from a variety of industries from retail to oil production have recently sought to hire only candidates with high potential - and to identify it, they put applicants through multi-stage selection procedures. As a result, not only those who want to get into management consulting will have to face case interviews. We have collected information about how case interviews work and what you need to do to prepare for them.

If you want to work in a well-known company and in a good position, you need to understand that sooner or later you will encounter a case interview - if not during the selection process, then at the stage of promotion in the company.
During a case interview, everything becomes clear: the interviewer sees how you know the industry, how you know how to search for information and analyze, what experience you have, and what you are like in general.
It is really necessary to prepare for solving cases: an uninitiated person can easily be unsettled by this type of task. A business case is a real situation from the life of a certain company, which needs to be analyzed comprehensively in order to offer your own effective and, preferably, original way to improve the situation. Moreover, recruiters will expect that you will deal with the entire mass of information received, penetrate to the very essence of the problem and find the right path as quickly and confidently as possible.
All types of selection during which cases are used can be divided into five types: 1) online tests based on cases, 2) brainteasers, 3) individual cases, 4) team tasks given at assessment centers, 5) case - championships. All of them are designed to test you in practice, and you need to prepare for each of them with all responsibility.

Are you planning to participate in the selection process for a top company this year? Please note: preparation should begin at least 3 months in advance. You'll spend a week or two studying the theory, researching and reading books, spend another couple of weeks doing mock interviews, and then you should practice interviewing at companies you don't really want to get a job at.

Theory

3. Learn to break down complex things into simple parts. The interviewer will closely follow your train of thought, and success here depends precisely on how you know how to break down the most complex case into simple components.

5. Have a broad outlook. You can understand all the principles of solving cases, but without great erudition you will get nowhere. You must have a good understanding of geography, the economic situation in the world and individual states, and correctly assess the demographic characteristics of different countries and regions. This is perhaps the most difficult thing: you cannot remember such a volume of information even in a couple of weeks. Follow the news of politics and economics, play quizzes on your smartphone, flip through school textbooks on geography, watch documentaries, and most importantly, read more. This is the only way to become a true erudite.

6. Be able to count quickly in your head. To solve the case effectively, you need to develop good math skills. During the interview you will have to think very quickly, they may not give you a calculator, and doing calculations in a column on a piece of paper will look unprofessional. You can use any free minute for training - for example, adding up car numbers in your head when you walk down the street, or solving problems in comfortable mobile applications Elevate type.

7. Read the best literature about cases. First, check out Preplonge.com, which we linked to above. The Consulting Skills tab contains all the information about completing a case interview: in BootCamp you will find articles, and in the Media Library you will find videos. Also be sure to read:

Kenichi Omaye. “The mindset of a strategist. The Art of Business in Japanese" (Kenichi Ohmae, The Mind of the Strategist: The Art of Japanese Business)
Meister D., Galford R., Green C. “The Trusted Advisor” (David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, Robert M. Galford, The Trusted Advisor)
Minto B. “The Minto Pyramid Principle” (Barbara Minto, The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing, Thinking, & Problem Solving)
Alexander Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur. “Building business models. A handbook for a strategist and innovator" (Alexander Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur, Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers)
Mark Cosentino. “About cases” (Marc Cosentino. “Case In Point”)
Carl Stern, Michael Daimler. “The BCG Approach to Strategy” (Carl W. Stern, Michael S. Deimler. “The Boston Consulting Group on Strategy”)
Ethan Rasiel, Paul Friga. McKinsey Tools. Best practices for solving business problems” (Ethan Rasiel, Paul N. Friga, The McKinsey Mind: Understanding and Implementing the Problem-Solving Tools and Management Techniques of the World’s Top Strategic Consulting Firm)
Victor Cheng. “Repeat after me” (Victor Cheng, Look Over My Shoulder)

Practice

Practice. Practice. Practice! Having mastered all the theory, you should definitely devote the next couple of weeks to solving cases and test interviews, including quite real ones - however, in those companies where you really don’t really want to go. The latter is important because not everyone succeeds in a case interview the first time, and in some companies, such as McKinsey or BCG, this chance only comes around a couple of times in a lifetime. It’s better to fill all the details in advance, when selecting for a completely different company, so that during the decisive interview you can be as confident as possible in your abilities.

1. Solving cases independently. Be sure to look at examples of cases on the websites of the companies themselves - for example, BCG cases with their analysis can be found here: http://careers.bcg.com/join/practice_cases.aspx. There are also independent collections - for example, from Wharton and Kellogg business schools, in addition, student clubs at Harvard and Stanford publish their own case books with real examples every year. Your practice should under no circumstances be based on memorizing cases. Be sure to write down your decision, have it checked by a knowledgeable person, and get detailed comments from him.

2. Mock interviews. For the most persistent candidates, there are special services that allow you to train under the guidance of a real consultant, for example - it is paid, but you have the right to take advantage of a discount from Changellenge >>. In the Case Practice > Meet Candidates section, you can meet experienced consultants, choose a mentor, contact him on Skype and try to solve a case. Only in this case can we say that you have really moved from theory to practice - but most importantly, you will receive detailed feedback and be able to take into account all your weaknesses and strengths in further preparation.

3. Interviews in companies with lower priority. Apply for all possible development programs, to get into which you must go through several stages - a test, an assessment center, an individual interview... What does not kill us makes us stronger, and those interviews that we could not pass prepare us to the next successful interviews. You will not lose anything except time, but you will gain invaluable experience and will panic much less before the most important interview and case decision for you.

If you dream of the major league of consulting (BCG or McKinsey, for example), then there is a high probability that you will not have time to prepare in three months. Remember that in fact, you can only get into such companies as a final year student, a fresh graduate, or someone who has already received an MBA. In order not to miss your chance, start serious preparation 2-3 years in advance. Immerse yourself in business, learn about different industries, learn to be a team player and speak in front of top managers at case championships - both those conducted by consulting companies themselves and independent ones. This practice is generally very effective because it helps you learn everything in advance and not fail the most important interview of your life.

And, of course, take part in case championships. They will teach you how to solve cases, and the cost of a mistake is very small. Making mistakes at the championship is generally useful - they will point out the flaw and explain to you in which direction you should develop. And if you show an excellent result, the company whose case is decided at the championship can immediately invite you to the case interview stage, without wasting time on other stages of selection.

Online tests based on cases

Problem Solving Test (PST) and its analogues are a kind of correspondence case interviews with multiple-choice answers. PST allows the recruiter to know in advance the extent to which the candidate is prepared to handle real-life business situations, while also allowing him to see whether the participant is good at absorbing information in writing and in large quantities. Such tests are conducted in different ways - for example, when selecting for McKinsey, you will need to come to the office and answer the test questions there, and BCG sometimes arranges online testing for candidates directly at universities.

How to prepare? Applicants with experience are advised to first of all practice their calculation skills and be sure to take a couple of practice tests. You can find them on the pages of the companies themselves - for example, from the McKinsey website you can download a document from detailed description Problem Solving Test and sample problems (), an example of the BCG Potential Test can also be found in the public domain (link >>). Trial options will help you understand the basic principles of this stage and will not let you get confused during the testing itself. You can hardly expect other advice on preparation, since all tests are different, and they primarily test your general business outlook, the ability to count and draw conclusions from data.

Brainteasers

Brainteasers are small tasks involving non-standard calculations. For example, in ordinary life, no one would think of counting how many ping-pong balls will fit into a Boeing 787 - that is, the candidate will obviously be faced with a problem unfamiliar to him. When you are given a brainteaser during an interview, greater accuracy will not be critical. The main thing is to demonstrate several atypical approaches to solving a problem, impeccable logic of reasoning, and the ability to think in non-standard situation and quickly count in your head. The same problem about Boeing and tennis balls can be solved, and without knowing the exact figures about the dimensions of the aircraft and the diameter of the balls, it is enough to estimate everything well and make all the necessary calculations, and out loud, so that the interviewer can hear you reasoning: “The width of the cabin is Let's say 6 meters, that is, the cross-sectional radius is 3 meters, and the area is 3 * 3 * 3.14 - approximately 28 meters. The length of the cabin is 60 meters, which means its volume is approximately equal to 1,700 cubic meters, or 1,700,000,000 cubic centimeters. The radius of a tennis ball is 2 centimeters, which means the volume is approximately 33 cubic centimeters. It turns out that you can fit about 50,000,000 balls in the cabin - and let's remove 15%, since there will be empty space between them. I think the answer is 38 million marbles."

How to prepare? You can search for brainteasers on the Internet - collections with some of them roam around the world from year to year. social networks, because they seem like funny absurdity to the uninitiated. But they should be taken seriously, and you should definitely start training your mental counting skills. As we said above, it’s worth practicing every free minute - adding and multiplying house and car numbers in your head, estimating the number of passers-by per square meter, using the Elevate application (link >>). You can come up with your own brainteasers - for example, calculate how many leaves will fall from the trees in the park in the fall, estimate how many cars cross a particular intersection per day, and so on. You can also search for new problems on Facebook Preplounge (

Date of publication: 05/14/2012

Problem

In the modern economic situation, a large number of surprises are presented to the manager not only by the wayward actions of employees, but also by the machinations of competitors, and the “innovations” of the authorities, and in recent years, global crises.

But human intellectual capabilities develop poorly. This is especially true for managerial competencies in terms of making the right decisions. As the author’s experience shows, since 2005, university courses such as “Development of management decisions” do not provide such competencies.

Western business schools use the case method, but it is very ineffective. Cases are usually large in volume and require time to study. But there is no methodology for developing the right decisions. It is believed that discussing a problem situation is enough for the student to gain experience in finding solutions.

Can be formulated problem: The need for the right decisions is increasing in all areas of activity, but human capabilities and personnel training systems remain the same. What is required is an “upgrade” of decision-making in all spheres of human activity - a transition to more advanced technologies for developing, making and monitoring the correctness of decisions.

The need to improve the efficiency of decisions is already recognized in the highest authorities.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy initiated the creation of a Commission on measuring economic efficiency and social progress under the leadership of Nobel laureates Joseph Stiglitz and Amartya Sen.

The head of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation, Sergei Stepashin, defined “assessment of the effectiveness of the activities of executive authorities” as the most important area of work his institutions.

The Message of the President of the Chuvash Republic for 2011 said:

“in difficult economic conditions it is important to take timely, competent and effective management decisions».

Thus, it can be argued that the need for the right solutions that guarantee the efficient use of resources has already been formed. It remains to find ways to satisfy it.

Solution

The successful use of Inventive Problem Solving Technology (TRIZ) since 1946 by specialists of the International TRIZ Association in Russia and abroad convinces: you can not only look for solutions by trial and error, but also “calculate” them, approximately in the same way as quadratic problems have been solved for more than 400 years equations using Cardano formulas.

The algorithm includes 7 steps:

Description of the situation is the first step towards its analysis.
Identification of “actors” (subjects and objects)
Identification of connections, relationships between “actors”
Formulation of the problem
Determining the cause of the problem
Setting goals and objectives to eliminate the cause (the actual solution)
Checking the solution for correctness according to the criteria.

A distinctive feature of the algorithm is the introduction at step 3 of graphical notations that make it possible to classify the connections (relationships) of actors as:

Useful;

Weak (insufficient);

Harmful;

Necessary but missing.

Thus, graphics have been introduced into the practice of making management decisions, similar to how it is done in engineering and scientific activities. Graphic models allow you to “break down” complex situations into simpler ones and more accurately determine the causes of emerging problems, as well as set goals for eliminating them.

Algorithm testing

In the process of training students in the specialty “organizational management”, it was found that the use of an algorithm and a system of increasingly complex cases makes it possible to quickly find the right solutions - and, importantly, check them according to the following criteria:

- efficiency(for compliance with the laws of farming);

- environmental friendliness(for compliance with the laws of Nature);

- ethics(for compliance with the laws of human relations).

Thus, students get the opportunity not only to “create, invent, try” by trial and error, but also to develop a solution according to the rules and evaluate it according to the criteria of reasonable activity. The further development of their decision-making skills depends only on the intensity of application of the algorithm and the criteria for evaluating the solution.

Analysis of the results showed that a stable skill is developed in 20% of students after 4-5 solved cases.

Continued work

At the next stage, it is necessary to test the algorithm in field conditions, in the real practice of existing managers and specialists. This requires cooperation with organizational leaders who are aware of the need for the Right Solutions for the organization’s prosperity and who are committed to introducing advanced technologies into practice.

Possible forms of cooperation with organizations:

Joint formalization of situations of employees and managers (formation of a mini-case) and application of the Algorithm to find the right solution (examples of mini-cases are given in the Appendix);

Training managers in using the Algorithm through the training “Correct decisions in management.”

Expected results

It can be expected that the widespread introduction of technology for producing Correct Solutions into the activities of organizations and society will help solve many problems, both global and local.

ANNEX 1

Examples of mini-cases

Three “good” mini-cases are given. A good case has the following features:

small in volume (printed text is about half A4 size);
contains enough information to obtain a solution, or part of the information can be obtained in the process of analyzing the situation;
the description is made without a large number of special and rarely used terms, or they are explained;
the description of the text directly indicates the undesirable phenomenon or it can be detected during the analysis process;
From the description it is clear who exactly is interested in obtaining a solution.

The professional content of the situation is practically irrelevant, since most emergency situations arise at the intersection of specialties.

1. Case “Chipping ice in the port”

In autumn there are often storms in the port. Water floods the quay wall and freezes. And the pier is covered with a thick layer of ice. In this case, mooring the ship to the wall becomes impossible.

The port administration tried to send workers to chip away the ice. But it ended sadly - workers were injured, and one worker almost died. Then they decided to make a machine for chipping ice. It turned out to be ineffective.

The port manager again faced the question - what to do?

A comment

The situation is interesting because it demonstrates two “wrong decisions”. It is typical for everyone - costs are incurred, but there is no result. Moreover, costs are rising, but there is no progress towards a solution. This situation refers to “emergency situations”: something needs to be done, but “experience” and “common sense” cannot suggest anything.

The problem that has arisen is difficult to attribute to any specialty. It is clear that the chief engineer of the port was assigned to deal with it. But he was not taught to deal with the consequences of storms.

The situation is real and the solution proposed by TRIZ Master G.I. Ivanov has been implemented. The costs were “meager”.

The use of the case in teaching practice showed that without preparation it is impossible to find the right solution here. According to the popular classification, this is an “unsolvable problem.”

2. Case "Sustained decline in income"

The Obmen company has been operating in the market for providing intermediary services in real estate transactions since 1995. Since the founding of the company, the branch network has been developing and the number of employees has been increasing.

Currently, the branch network of the secondary housing department includes 28 branches throughout the city and occupies about 25% of the market in terms of transaction volumes. Each of the departments is practically a separate company, with its own administrative, technical and production divisions.

Since September 2008, all branches of the department have seen a decrease in profits. The peak of the decline in income came in December 2008 and to date no positive dynamics have been observed.

The company administration conducted an analysis and found that there was a decrease in the number of newly concluded service contracts and an increase in the number of terminations under newly concluded contracts across all branches.

The question arose: what to do?

A comment

A competent analysis of the situation should, first of all, answer the question: what and at what point was not done in a timely manner by the Administration, which led to the problematic situation.

The situation can be classified as abnormal, since the Administration has not encountered anything like this before and does not have “experience” in solving such problems.

3. Case of Norbit "Modernization of the sales department"

You have headed the sales department of a company that has been operating in the market for a long time and has an established sales department with three employees. One of them works with 70% of the company's clients, the second with 20%, and the third with 10%. Sales results are highest for the second employee (50% of the total volume), and worst for the third (10%). At the same time, the first employee has the most new clients (70% of all new clients are attracted to the company), while the third does not work with new clients at all.

It is obvious to the company’s management that this team of salespeople could achieve better results, and they set this task for you with the condition that you will not dramatically change the existing work rules, redistribute clients between sellers and reclassify sellers by sales stages - now they are all are engaged in working with the client from the first call to the shipment of products.

The following questions need to be answered:
. What opportunities for improvement do you see in this situation?
. Establishing what standards would help in the future improve the performance of each salesperson and the sales department as a whole?

This material presents some successful cases on management and tasks for assessing managers (cases on management skills). Including tasks for assessing sales department managers.

1. There is an employee in your department who has gone through all stages of career development. At the moment, no one knows the specifics of the unit’s activities better than he. However, you understand that after a while he will get bored of working here. What will you offer him?

2. A specialist came to you to discuss the situation: he was offered to move to another department, he is interested in it, he sees prospects, but understands that the situation on the labor market is difficult and finding a replacement for him within even a quarter is not an easy task. What will you do?

3. After the training you provided, it became clear that one of your subordinates was unable to put the course material into practice. Find a way to tell him about it.

4. Your subordinate is an older lady, so she prefers to do many things sedately and in an orderly manner, which, in your opinion, does not always correspond to the rhythm of the company’s activities. How will you tell her about this?

Answer to the first 4 cases:

Such cases allow managers to consider in detail difficult situations often encountered in management practice:
. related to the formation of motivation or management of an employee’s career (situation 1);
. related to resolving issues of retaining a specialist in the company for a long time (i.e. working with counterproposals) or for the period of searching for a replacement (situation 2);
. consisting in finding a way to transmit information and choosing a channel for data perception (situation 3);
. requiring a clear identification of the problem and the provision of feedback by the manager to subordinates (situation 4).

5. Appearance.

The secretary comes to work wearing a too short skirt and heavy makeup. Do you understand that appearance subordinate does not comply with the company dress code. Your actions?

Answer: Desired answer options: “I will make an oral remark,” “I will ask you to re-read the requirements for the dress code in the company.” After answering the first question, you can ask the following: “What will you do if your subordinate does not respond to your remark?” Desired response options: “I will reprimand”, “I will apply disciplinary action.” But the answer “I’ll complain to higher management” should be alarming; it may indicate a lack of management and communication skills.”

6. Delegation of powers.

We invite you to consider an example of a case, with the help of which you will evaluate a manager’s ability to delegate authority, skill in organizing work, and ability to rationally use working time.

Fable. The head of the design department went on maternity leave. Victoria D was appointed in her place. Her responsibilities, among others, included checking reports and calculations of department employees. In addition, every month she had to submit a statement for the payment of bonuses. By nature, Victoria was very responsible and scrupulous. She carefully checked all reports and calculations of employees to the point. And even knowing that some of them do not make mistakes, I still studied all the data in detail. This took a lot of time, she did not have time to complete other duties and often stayed late. The leading specialist suggested that she give some of the reports to him for verification, and the calculations and drawings to the chief engineer. But Victoria did not agree. As a result, several times in a row she did not draw up a statement and the employees did not receive a bonus, which worsened the atmosphere in the team.

Exercise. Are such scrupulous checks of employee performance necessary? How to properly organize Victoria’s work in the department?

Answer options	Interpretation
He believes that the work of subordinates must be checked carefully and that this cannot be trusted to anyone, since the boss is responsible for the results of the department’s work. And in order for Victoria to have time to do everything, employees need to avoid mistakes and submit reports and calculations earlier	This answer shows that, on the one hand, the person correctly determines the need to check the work of subordinates, and on the other hand, he does not know how to trust his colleagues and delegate authority, and believes that only he can complete the task best. He also does not take into account that if you reduce the time for preparing reports, employees will rush and start making mistakes, which will only increase the verification time. Thus, a person is process-oriented rather than result-oriented
He proposes to remove Victoria from her position if she fails to cope with her duties. This is normal, because she lets down the whole team, because of her people don’t receive bonuses	The answer shows that the person does not analyze the situation and immediately proposes drastic measures, although the solution requires logical and consistent actions. And the situation shows that Victoria has problems only in organizing her working time, and this is not a reason for dismissal
He believes that the work of subordinates needs to be checked one way or another, but there is no need to go to extremes. He invites Victoria to learn to trust employees and delegate her powers, especially since her subordinates are ready to help her	This answer shows that the person adequately assesses the need to check the work of subordinates. Tends to delegate authority in order to optimize the work process and will trust his subordinates

7. Teamwork.

An example of a case that will help you evaluate the skill of interaction in a team and conflict-free communication, as well as the ability to discuss the problem that has arisen.

Case “Annoying newcomer”

Fable. A new employee, Irina M., came to the personnel department. The head of the department introduced her to her colleagues, gave her a tour of the office, showed her where to get sample documents, and set tasks for the week. After some time, the girl turned to department employee Yulia D. for help, who explained to her all the nuances in detail. A few hours later, Irina again asked about what Yulia had already told her in detail. But, despite this, Yulia calmly repeated everything that had been said and once again explained where to get the necessary documents. A few days later, requests to clarify something were repeated, and then it got to the point that Irina began to tug at Yulia on any very insignificant issue. One day, Yulia could not stand it and was rude to a new employee, and Irina complained to her manager that she was not helping her adapt.

Exercise. What should a leader do in such a situation? What should Yulia have done when Irina began to pester her with constant questions?

Interpretation of answers to the case “Annoying newcomer”

Answer options	Interpretation
Accuses Yulia of rudeness and lack of restraint. It was necessary to enter into the position of a beginner, help him adapt, and not be rude to him. He invites the manager to talk to Yulia and reprimand her for such an act. So she only disrupts the atmosphere and does not build relationships in the team	Such an answer shows that a person analyzes the situation one-sidedly and is inclined to take someone’s side. Does not know how to find a compromise, is categorical in judgments
He believes that Yulia is not guilty, any person could have done this. The whole problem is Irina, who cannot understand her responsibilities. She offers to study her competencies again, maybe they hired the wrong person. And if Irina can’t cope, you need to break up with her	Based on this answer, one can judge that the person analyzes the action from different sides, but at the same time is also inclined to make a unilateral decision. Does not make impulsive decisions, first tries to understand the situation
Invites the manager to talk with Yulia to find out what really happened, what questions she had to answer and how often. Ask her to be more restrained. And also talk to Irina about what she doesn’t understand. Offers to assign Irina a mentor who will bring her up to date	This answer shows that the person analyzes the situation from different angles. Tries to find points of convergence between the two sides, tries to prevent conflict and calmly discuss the situation. Does not take sides, knows how to maintain neutrality

8. Focus on career growth.

A case option with which you can assess whether an employee is focused on career growth, his readiness to perform more complex work if circumstances require, his ability to take responsibility and diligence.

Case “Earn a Promotion”

Fable. Olga F. has worked in the marketing department for several years. Recently she began to feel that her job dissatisfaction was increasing and that she was ready to take on more complex work. She realized that she could very well take a higher position, and turned to her manager with a request to consider the possibility of promoting her. The boss invited her to perform the work of a leading specialist along with her duties for three months. Her salary will remain the same, but she will receive a bonus based on her performance. After three months, a decision will be made on her promotion.

Interpretation of answers to the case “Deserve a Promotion”

Answer options	Interpretation
	This response may mean that the person is not ready to take on additional responsibility. His interest in the position is higher than in the work itself. Doesn't trust manager's decisions
I agree with the manager’s decision, but believes that Olga needs to clarify the criteria for evaluating the results of her work in order to know exactly what to strive for, as well as find out the timing and size of the bonus in case of good results	Such a response shows that the person is ready to take responsibility, interest in professional development higher than the need to occupy a higher position. Able to assess his strengths and the tasks assigned to him. Will be able to work independently
I completely agree with the boss's decision. He believes that Olga has been given a good chance to prove herself. And for this you can work even without bonuses	Such a response is either very similar to the socially desirable one, that is, the person does not reveal his true attitude to the situation, or he cannot imagine himself in a similar situation. In addition, such a response shows that the person is ready to obey the leader, but in reality will resist

9. Honesty.

And this case will help you evaluate such personal qualities as financial integrity, honesty, and lack of tendency to kickbacks.

Case “Personal reward”

Fable. Inna is the head of the secretariat of a large holding company. Among other responsibilities, she was looking for suppliers to support the life of the office. The head of the company was not satisfied with the previous supplier of office supplies and asked Inna to find an optimal replacement. She studied the needs of the departments and approved the budget. Based on demand and allocated funds, I chose two companies - “P...” and “K..”. They had a similar range and comparable prices. The organization “P...” offered Inna a personal reward. In the end, she chose this company. After the first delivery, she conducted a survey which showed that all departments were satisfied with the quality of the office supplies. A few months later she placed an order again. But this time the quality was worse. The dissatisfaction reached the manager. Inna was reprimanded and asked to change supplier. She found herself in a difficult situation, since she had already taken a reward for the third order.

Interpretation of answers to the case “Personal reward”

Answer options	Interpretation
She believes that Inna did nothing wrong. The reality is that many receive kickbacks from deliveries. This is the way to get Additional income. We need to pay employees competitive salaries, and then such situations will not happen. Offers Inna to return the money taken for the third order and change the supplier	Such an answer may indicate that the person lacks financial integrity and, at any opportunity, he can do the same as the heroine of the case. He doesn’t even try to condemn Inna’s actions even a little; on the contrary, he supports her and suggests how she can get away with it
She condemns Inna’s actions and says that she needs to confess everything to her manager and return all the money she took from the supplier. And he advises the boss to select personnel for such positions more carefully and not to trust Inna to choose suppliers	This answer is more reminiscent of a socially desirable one. Or it may be that the quality of “honesty” is too dominant in a person and then there is a danger that he will complain to the manager for any reason as soon as he notices that, in his opinion, someone is acting dishonestly
He says that the reality is that such cases are not uncommon in companies. And if Inna decided to take the reward, she had to think about what the consequences might be if someone found out about it. Is it worth the risk, because this way you can lose a good position, lose the trust of your manager and subsequently have bad recommendations	Such a response shows that the person acknowledges that such situations happen, and it is quite possible that he could do the same. But at the same time, a person appreciates the manager’s trust and will not take risks to get a kickback. It is important for him to have good recommendations, and he also cares about what people say about him

10. Communication skills.

To identify communication skills in the process of team management, the following competencies are assessed:
- self-confidence, ability to independently solve work problems;
- ability to show flexibility and avoid unnecessary conflicts;
- the ability to make rational decisions and act in an unusual, stressful situation.
Case (management skills):
The head of a small company asked the HR manager to hire the daughter of a very important partner for the company. The partner’s daughter had not worked anywhere for many years and wanted to be more around people. She didn’t show any ambitions for a career in the company. The main goal was to make the girl feel in demand. The HR manager did not propose her candidacy for line divisions and accepted the girl for the position of HR specialist. She was asked to master the simplest functions and perform them to the best of her ability. As a result, the main, highest quality skills that she acquired during adaptation were: receiving incoming documents, entering account, packaging corporate documentation into folders. For several months everyone was happy and the work went on as usual. Six months later, the position of leading document management specialist became available. While they were deciding to find a person from the outside or choose from among their own, the director called the head of the personnel department with a proposal to promote the partner’s recently hired daughter, at his request. Knowing that there were employees in the department who were more suitable for the position of leading specialist, the HR manager could not give this position to a new employee, but she also could not put the general director in an awkward position in front of her partner.

Questions:
What do you think the head of the HR department should do in this situation?
Could this problem have been avoided?
How will the promotion of the partner’s daughter affect the team if the general director insists on this decision and the head of the personnel department has to carry out this order?
Case assignment: Offer your options for solving the problem.

Answer options

1. The applicant takes the side of the general director and explains this by the fact that in companies, anyway, everyone below the head of the company does not decide anything. As the management says, that’s what everyone does. There was no way to avoid this situation.

2. The applicant is of the opinion that it would be fair to think about those who have been working in the team for a long time and offer the partner’s daughter an alternative solution. For example, he suggests that someone from the team can be promoted, and she (the daughter) be placed not in the place of a leading specialist, but in the place of a simple specialist who has been transferred. It was hardly possible to avoid it, since it is impossible to predict how events will develop.

3. The applicant assumes that the basis for refusal may be selection policy norms prohibiting the employment of relatives of the founders or partners of the company. But now that the head of the department has already faced this problem, she needs to make a decision taking into account all parties and promote someone from the more qualified ones, and offer her partner’s daughter something else. Otherwise, a decision in favor of only one side can ruin the relationship between the team and the manager.

After the answers are formulated, you need to interpret them and draw conclusions about how well they correspond to expectations.

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