Case Analysis Nitish @ Solutions

Unlimited
Problem statement: How can Nitish ensure that the strained relationship
between himself and Meena of HR department does not hinder the work
environment at Solutions unlimited?
ANALYSIS:
Environment:
Economic: - Shifting from Jamshedpur to Hyderabad for the new job actually
created all the problems faced by Nitish and his HR team in the current company.
Because he felt that the same lifestyle could not be maintained with a similar
salary, he asked for an increase before joining. This was a first for Meena
because no one asked for such a demand earlier. This revealed the
inconsistencies in the functioning of the HR because they were used to recruiting
only coders and basic level engineers who were easily replaceable and hence
never negotiated.
Technological: - Solutions unlimited is shifting from a solution provider company
to a IT consultancy firm. This brings along with it a number of changes in
working style, roles and culture in the organization.
Cultural: - The regional bias is evident in the functioning of the HR department.
Meena and Alagu make directed comments at Nitish in the coffee room.
SWOT ANALYSIS:
Strengths: Solutions unlimited has a very high reputation built up over the years.
The clients are diverse and now because they are expanding into the
consultation services, Nitish and his background in finance and computer
systems is an invaluable asset for the company. The company also has an
informal working culture which is suited to Nitish.
Weakness: India operation MD Manish Chawla is completely dissociated from the
working of the HR team. He trusts the judgement of Meena and her team as well
as the referral system that the company follows in selecting new recruits. The
current employees have not understood the roles and the changes in policies
that are in effect because the company is in flux.
Opportunities: The Company is in the transition stage with a large number of
external clients. This demands a newer set of workforce who is competent in
technical as well as managerial skills. The growth opportunity is immense.
Threats: The regional biases developed due to referral system for hiring new
talent as well as the lack of proper training in handling additional responsibilities
can hamper the companys prospects.

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FACTORS:
The current situation in solutions Unlimited had a lot of factors contributing
to it:
1. When Nitish was being interviewed for the first time by Venkat, he felt
dissatisfied with the offer that was given to him. This prompted Venkat to
forward the issue to his senior Meena. Meena came with a slightly better
offer but Nitish promptly denied saying he is asking only for what he thinks
he deserves. This comment did not go well with Meena.
2. After the interview Arvind, Nitish and Mr. Kapoor talked about the offer
made to Nitish in the coffee room. Meena noticed this.
3. Mr. Kapoor made sure his thoughts were clear when he met with Meena
the next day. Meena had to apologize to Mr. Kapoor saying she made a
mistake in judging the qualifications of Nitish. Even though Nitish did not
know about this until his friend Arvind told him about it, it made him feel
uncomfortable because already the mood in the company had turned for
the worse because of him.
4. Venkat had promised Nitish of certain reimbursements on joining that
could not be met because Venkat misinterpreted the company policy. So
when Nitish came to know of this he met with Meena who immediately
discarded the request saying it is not company policy.
5. The closeness between Nitish and Mr. Kapoor the director of Marketing,
with Manish chawla and Mr. Khuranna did not go down well in the minds of
Meena and Alagu. Alagu made bad comments against him when the met
in his office. Even though the faulty was with venkat regarding the
reimbursements Nitish was asked to make a final decision on what the
company must do. This put nitish out of his comfort zone because he felt
he was asking only what he had been promised and now he was made to
choose between alternatives which in any way is going to cause foul mood
in a lot of people.
6. Finally two other incidents made for the strain in the relationships
between Meena and Nitish. When Mr. Kapoors team members were asked
to come to New Zealand as part of a project, Nitish was also asked to
come along. But Meena responded that as a new recruit Nitish was not
part of any team so he couldnt go. Because of this Nitish got himself
engaged in a project with Mr.Khuranna his mentor. The client they were
working for was so impressed with nitish that they asked for his expertise
in the field of finance. Here also Meena interjected saying the scope of the
project had changed and that Nitishs service was no longer required on
that project.

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Misunderstandings and errors lead to a sequence of events

that strained the relationship between Nitish and Meena. Meena felt
offended because her authority in the selection process was compromised.
Even though in a very professional way she could have admitted her
mistake and moved on. This was expected of her also because she was an
Mphil in psychology from a reputed institute. But this rarely happens in an
organization. Emotions overrun our thinking capacity. Because of this her
attitude towards Nitish changed and she began to behave like a hostile.
This was why Nitish began thinking of other options that he could take in
order to relieve the pressure he felt.

The options available to Nitish are as follows. The analysis of each option
is also given:
(a) Go to Nagpur on the current project: This way he can stay away
from the current tensed situation and expect that by the time he is
back things can settle down a bit. But the duration of the project is
unknown. He may be gone for only a month or maybe for a year. The
other fact remains that maybe on his return even though the company
may have went through a lot of reshuffling the situation with meena
and Alagu may remain unchanged as before. So in the long run he is
not solving the issue at all.
(b) Think of other offers: he can try for jobs elsewhere in other
companies because this situation is not conducive to work. This option
has a negative side in the fact that any new recruiter will ask the HR
division of their opinion about Nitish and in the current situation the
possibility of him being recommended is slim. Also the face that he has
worked for so little a time in the company can send a bad impression to
outside recruiters.
(c) Wait for Manish to return and discuss with him: Manish still isnt
aware of the incidents in the organization. So he can hope that if
Manish returns and he is able to speak to him then the problem can be
solved. Manish being the MD may also be able to take an authoritative
decision on how the issue can be solved and even make nitish work
directly under his command thereby eliminating the issue because then
Nitish and Meena may not have to cross paths.
(d) Ignore the whole issue and continue in his work: He is already
able to create a rapport with others in the organization and his
achievements are recognized. He can bank on this and stay in the
organization without thinking too much about the current friction with
Meena. This option is not professional as maybe even though the
mistake was not completely his, HR can actually hamper many of his
activities in the company out of sheer hatred.
(e) Settle the issue informally with Meena: This approach will work
only if both parties involved in the discussion are professional in their
approach and not carrying any biases. This may be difficult in the

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current scenario because a lot of emotions are at play. Also currently

the company is undergoing a rigorous image shift so already Meena
may be burdened with a lot of responsibility and so is Nitish. So the
atmosphere may not be the most conducive.

RECOMMENDATION:
We feel that changing company and speaking about the issue in person is
currently not going to help. The interpersonal issue between Nitish and Meena
also has to be solved and cannot be ignored going forward as it is imperative
that all employees gel together in the situation that the company is currently in.
So we recommend that Nitish waits for Manish to return and discuss the matter
with him. Manish is a great leader and has a great knack for identifying talent. So
Nitish should trust his judgement and if the matter is solved by a higher
authority in the organization Meena will not feel as if her importance is being
diminished in any way. Even though the run of emotions among the employees
cannot be completely solved by this way this is according to us the most
professional way in which the issue can be solved and the entire workforce can
concentrate on the important things in the company.

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