Qualification versus Experience

Annabhau Damle, 50, has worked on this shop floor for the past 32 years. He is now Supervisor. He has always been popular in the factory. The management looked at him whenever any cultural event had to organized. He took on the responsibility happily. Over the years he had become the unofficial arbitrator for any disputes, quarrels or disagreements on the floor. Before taking any step, the management always consulted him to pre-empt the response of the employees.
This was till a few months back. Over the past few months there has been a marked change in his demeanour and attitude. He is irritable and angry often. At other times he is glum and quiet. He gets offended easily. His friends in the factory tell you in hushed tones that this started when the new, young 25-year old supervisor joined the company at a higher grade. The young manager was now his immediate boss. He had to report to him.

So is Damle wrong in feeling this way? Or is the young manager not giving him enough status and space? And by doing that could he be jeopardizing his own role or responsibilities? Or does the ‘mistake’ lie not with either of the two men but somewhere else?

I think over this real-life situation and wonder if there is a solution. I believe that if Damle and his colleagues were sensitized to the changes in the management structure earlier, may be things would have been different. I feel that instead of dropping the bombshell – read spanking new manager- on the shop floor, an orientation exercise should have been conducted. In the absence of such an exercise everyone stands to suffer: the older workers feel endangered and naturally resent the new fellow; the new fellow for no fault of his has to wade through the resentment and difficult vibrations in his work place.

Companies have grandiose growth plans. But rarely are people’s issues addressed right from the start of such plans. More often, solutions to such issues are afterthoughts and hastily put together. Change management training is done but seems more like a routine, mandatory requirement rather than something that actually focusses on the emotional quotient required for a bunch of co-workers to stay together in spirit.
But change management after all can’t be only for direct profit-making. Your thoughts?