Page 162 - DMGT518_TRAINING_AND_DEVELOPMENT_SYSTEM

Unit 9: Trainer’s Style

Notes


Case Study Supervision in Action

T he Case of Mohan’s Indoctrination. A case study in human relations involving
employee training, with questions for you to answer.

When the Polar Refrigerator Co. switched over from batch spray-painting to a continuous
automatic-spray line, the number of painters were reduced from 23 to 5. All the displaced
painters were placed in other jobs within the plant. One of the 18 displaced painters, was
assigned to the cabinet department to learn the job of a class B spot-welder.

When Jagdish reported to the cabinet department, Mohan, his new supervisor, said to
him, “I don’t know whether you’ll stay here for long. We’re a little slow now, and we
really don’t need an extra welder. But in the meantime, I’ll see that you get a bench to sit
upon.” So for the first few days, all Jagdish did was stand around and watch the other
welders. Finally, at the end of the week, Mohan told Jagdish “I’ve got news for you, work
is picking up in our department and we’ll be able to put you to work for real on Monday.”
On Monday, Mohan assigned Jagdish to a welding machine. It was a very simple rig. All
the operator needed to know was how to slide a metal refrigerator panel into a jig, clamp
on the holding mechanism, and punch an electric switch. The welding was done
automatically. When the weld had been, an air blast automatically ejected the panel onto
a moving belt.

“Here,” said Mohan to Jagdish, “watch me do this operation. It’s as easy as ABC. A moron
could do this job if he’d just learn these three steps. In fact, I sometimes think a moron
would be better at it than a normal person.” Mohan demonstrated the three steps very
slowly to Jagdish. As he did each step, he explained what was happening. After he’d
repeated the operation a half dozen times, he got up from the machine and said to Jagdish,
“Now you try it.” Jagdish did it right the first time he tried. With Mohan standing by, he
welded 20 panels without mishap. “There,” said Mohan, “I told you there was nothing to
it. You’ll be able to do this job in your sleep.” That was the last time he saw and spoke to
Jagdish until Friday.
Between Monday morning and Friday, these things happened to Jagdish: The air ejection
mechanism jammed twice, and he had to get a co-worker to show him how to free it.
Several panel sheets came to him that looked slightly shorter than the others, but he
welded them just the same and sent them ahead to the next operation. On Friday, as he was
sliding a sheet into the machine, a sharp edge caught the fleshy part of his thumb and
ripped a one-inch gash in it. That was when Mohan found time to talk to Jagdish again.

Questions
1. How do you think Jagdish feels about his new job and his new boss?
2. In what way were the incidents that happened to Jagdish between Monday
morning and Friday afternoon related to his training?
3. What was wrong with the way Mohan trained Jagdish to operate the welding
machine?

4. If you were Mohan, what would you have done that he did not do?

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 157