Page 1 of 23

RESEARCHREPORT

2020

Author

Dr. Ashish Ghosh

Prof. Inderpreet Bhogal

Page 2 of 23

Acknowledgement

Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the

more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.

This endeavour would remain incomplete without thanking the few individuals who helped me in publishing

this manuscript. This study is built on the title “What makes up a good subordinate, applicable to fresh or

maximum one year experience executive.”

Our study was supported by Mr. Akshat Jain, working with Asian Paints (Iperian) and Ms. Shikha Sharma,

placed with HDFC Bank Ltd. (Iperian), who provided their insights that greatly assisted the our project. I am

deeply grateful to both of you for your constant and sincere efforts for supporting me during this research.

I also extend my gratitude to all the respondents for sharing their insights.

Prof. Dr. Ashish Ghosh Dated 30-9-2020

Institute of Professional Education & Research

Prof. Inderpreet Bhogal

Institute of Professional Education & Research

Page 3 of 23

.”

Introduction

Contents

Introduction

Research Methodology

Analysis Of Data

Findings

“Data collected through questionnaire method

“A study on what makes up a good subordinate, applicable to fresh or maximum one-year experience executive in the corporates and business houses of India”.

This paper empirically analysed the concept of superior subordinate relationship and the impact of an efficient subordinate in the growth of a business. An organization is a sum total of various inter-related activities and relationships that leads to achievement of a common goal. Every individual in an organization is involved in a superior subordinate relationship. It is possibly one of the most important relationship and interaction that define the success of a business concern. Mary Parker Follett has defined management as "the art of getting things done through people".

Human resource is considered to be the most important asset of an organization. It is the pillar on which all other resources of a firm are dependent and effectively utilized. This definition of management where it is considered to be an art of getting things done through others is a clear reflection that the manager does nothing on his / her own but gets it done by his subordinates who are the foundation of any business organization. And hence, it is of great importance to know and to have the best set of employees who not only are an effective employee but a better subordinate and helps in the achievement of overall objective of the organization.

Page 4 of 23

The purpose of this study is to examine what characteristics makes up a good subordinate

specially, applicable to an executive who is a fresher or has an experience of one year or more. This study

focuses on identifying the qualities and traits of a subordinate that are of utmost importance in ensuring

the success and sustainability of the company as well as an individual respectively. This study has helped

us to explore those untapped areas of improvement where a fresher or newly appointed individual can

work upon to not only achieve his set targets but also meet the expectations of the senior management

that can help him in

his personal growth.

ResearchMethodology

This research has been conducted using primary research technique where data is directly collected from

the respondents rather than depending on data collected from previously done researches. We wanted to

carry out research that addresses a certain problem and which requires in-depth analysis. Our motive is to

highlight and find out the key factors that distinguish between a subordinate and good subordinate. This

primary research has helped us to directly communicate with the target respondents and get the first

hand feedback and their opinions on the problems and concerns related to the research. Since, this

research emphasizes on the relationship of a superior-subordinate, we have selected mid to senior level

managers to be our target respondents, who are leading a business team. The respondents include

country head, regional managers, project managers, human resource managers and other distinguished

officials holding authorities in the reputed organizations. The responses and feedbacks of these

respondents has successfully and immensely assisted us in arriving to conclusions that would surely

help the budding managers and the subordinates at the various levels of organization to develop and

Page 5 of 23

polish the necessary industry skills that can assist in boosting their career goals and self-development as

well.

Page 6 of 23

During tough times like today (outbreak of Covid-19), we took necessary precautions while collecting the

data supporting our research by drafting a well-structured questionnaire consisting of a formalized set of

questions on the subjects pertaining to our research. The questions were created by using “Delphi

Method” in three rounds. The respondents were asked to give their subjective replies to the series of

questions about what makes a good subordinate. We have chosen subjective form of questions to avoid

limiting the scope of the research by providing the options for each questions. The questionnaire was

virtually sent to all the respondents via e-mail on their official e-mail id's (and google form tool) and the

responses were received in the same order. After collecting the desired responses, we then finally

interpreted and analysed the data to arrive at the concrete and fruitful decisions that will help business

concerns while hiring the premium quality candidates for the desired profile as well as assisting the study

and preparation of a management student to become an effective subordinate in their corporate

career. To measure the attitude of respondents towards the given questions by asking them the extent

to which they agree or disagree, we have used “Likert Scale method” to find out the level of agreement or

disagreement with the statements related to the questions asked in the questionnaire.

This research has constructively helped us in identifying the attributes and characteristics that makes a

subordinate efficient and resourceful to the organization. We believe that an able subordinate can only

become an exceptional and a top-notch leader tomorrow if he/she had performed well when

being a subordinate. The research has shown that at the beginning of the career managers wants

their subordinates to be aggressive while delivering their roles and responsibilities effectively and timely

manner specially sales and marketing division. Almost all the respondents agreed that a somewhat and it

should be self-motivated and recognition like monetary or non-monetary both helps the subordinate to

boost the morale while achieving their set targets in the company. Surprisingly managers want their

subordinate to be flexible in decision making and should not depend solely on their reporting managers to

take decisions on their behalf. Several other conclusions have been derived while researching on what

makes up a good subordinate different from an ordinary subordinate in usual life of business.

Page 7 of 23

AnalysisAnd Findings

How much level of aggression do you think the

subordinate should have in completing the work

allotted as per the target?30% 22%

• 74% of the Managers want their Subordinate

to be Aggressive towards completing their

targets.

• 22.22% wants their Subordinate to

be moderately aggressive.

• The remaining managers are fine with low

level of Aggression.

Finding: Managers want their Subordinate to be

aggressively aligned with their daily targets which

will help them to achieve it as per the

projections given.

44%

Low Moderate Considerable

High Very high

Page 8 of 23

Which function should have maximum aggression?

32%

18%

9%

16%

23%

The functions taken into consideration are Finance,

Production, Marketing, Customer Care, Sales and

Human Resource and aggression levels are 9%,

16%,

23%, 18%, 32% and 2% respectively

It is evident from the investigation that Sales,

Marketing and Production requires Maximum

aggression levels

Human Resource and Finance requires the minimum

Finance Production marketing

customer care Sales HR

level of aggression

Findings: Subordinate seeking career in Sales and

Marketing should be aggressive, adaptable to

the changing consumer demand and behaviour and

hence should be in – line with the Organization’s

expectation. Human Resource and Finance related jobs

require more of Conceptual application.

How much should a subordinate follow the system process (SOP) even if

it creates bottleneck in performing the work?

Page 9 of 23

• 66.67% of the Managers want their subordinate to follow the Standard Operating Procedure even

if it creates gridlock in performing a work

• While 33% of the managers feel that the System process can be bypassed if the situation demands.

Findings: Apparently, Subordinates are expected to follow the Standard protocol laid down by the

organization. With much dynamism in economy, however, some managers want their subordinate to

bypass the SOP and be flexible in taking their calls.

3 5%2 4%

15 28%

13 24%

21 39%

Low Moderate Considerable High Very High

Do you think a subordinate should be self-motivated to perform at

workplace? How can this self-motivation be generated by the manager?

Page 10 of 23

Investigation shows that 99% of the respondent wants their

6% Subordinate to be self-motivated in work cultures

5%

24%

15%

46% 46.30% feels that the self-motivation can be attained

by recognizing the work and efforts instilled by the

Subordinate, whereas 24% of the Manager feels that motivation

can be infused by providing regular feedback and through

performance appraisal

technique

Recognition

Learning and Development

Performance Appraisal/Feedback

Goal Setting

Work Environment

No View Point

14% of the managers perceive that through systematic learning

and development programs, they can keep the

subordinate motivated, while 5.56% managers feel that

keeping a healthy work environment can establish self-

motivation in the

subordinate

Findings: Recognition, in any form, like monetary, non-monetary, praising the Subordinate can

really inject the needed motivation in the employees whereas regular feedback and performance

appraisal system can help the motivation intact.

“According to an article published by Monster, a Leading Web Based Job Portal, Employees who

are self-motivated look beyond the bare minimum of what’s required. They know what their goals

are, strive to find more efficient ways of getting things done, and don’t require constant hand –

holding or reminders about what tasks need to be completed.

This, in turn, is good for business. Goals are often met or exceeded, employees are more

engaged in their work, and new goals can be set. This engagement leads to higher employee

retention, productivity, and sales. And all of this is good for a company’s bottom line and growth

potential.”

In the first six months of joining, which three skills are the most important for a subordinate

Page 11 of 23

to sustain in the organization (i.e. cementing his place in the company). Please list your

answer in terms of importance, starting with most important a) Most important b) Second

important c) Third important?

Through this question, the skill quotients that are required for a fresh

recruit in their first 6 months in the organization were captured.

Manager have different viewpoint about the skills the

Subordinate should possess in the embryonic stage. The most

important skill, according to managers is ‘Willingness to Learn’.

26% of the managers perceive this skill as the most important

skill a subordinate must possess, 20% of manager feels that

‘Fundamental Knowledge of

System’

28%

11%

22%

39%

15% of the Managers think that a Fresh Subordinate must be a ‘Team

Player’

Skills like Communication, Feedback Seeker, Proactive, Positive

Mind-set, Adaptive and Hardworking are also some of the

desired skills a subordinate must possess

Willingness to learn

Team Player

Proactive

Fundamental knowledge of system

Findings: Willingness to Learn, Fundamental Knowledge of the process, Team player and Reactiveness

are some of the most desired skills a manager looks for in their subordinates.

Page 12 of 23

After six months i.e. from 7 to 12 months of joining, which three skills are the most

important for the subordinate to sustain in the organization (i.e. cementing his place in the

company). Please list your answer in terms of importance, starting with most

important a) Most

important b) Second important c) Third

4 36%

7 64%

The Subordinate who has spent considerate amount of time in an

organization should be Result Oriented, answered by 7 out of 24

respondents, that means 30% of the manager’s desired skill

has shifted from Willingness to Learn to Result Oriented

Subordinate

16% of the Managers still perceive that a Subordinate must be a

Team Player

Result Oriented Team Player

Other most required skill were Smartness, Interpersonal Skills,

Hard Working, Adaptive nature, Discipline et al

Findings: The manager’s interest shifts from Learning to

Application of learning once the Subordinate is well versed with

the functioning. Team Player still remains the second most

preferred skills by the Managers.

How much important is work-life balance do you attach for these fresh / 1 year experience

Page 13 of 23

subordinates? (Rate in scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is least and 5 is maximum)

88.89% Manager perceive that for a Subordinate to fare well

in the organization, he/she must have a high or considerable

Work

– Life Balance

The remaining 11% of the Manager feels Work – Life balance

does not really matter in work cultures

Findings: According to Forbes article dated May 27, 2018, by

Alan Kohll, Work – Life balance is an important aspect

of healthy work environment. Maintaining work – life

balance helps reduce stress and helps prevent burnout in the

workplace

89% of the managers feel the same about the work –

life balance. If the workplace environment needs to be

good, a proper work – life balance is required of the

Subordinate.

9%23%

38%

Low Moderate Considerable HighVery High

28%

Page 14 of 23

Of the two type of subordinates, which one will you prefer:

24%

76%

• Mr. A – As target completion can be a factor to many

things, and if the sub-ordinate has a good work ethic a

minor course correction can help him drive

a good performance

• Mr. B who is neither dedicated, hard working

and enthusiastic but completes his targets on time

With this investigation, it is quite evident that 75% of

the managers want a dedicated, hard working subordinate who

may or may not complete the task on time

A B

Whereas 25% of the Managers feel completing the given task

is more important that dedication and hard work

Findings: Though completing a given task is important for a

subordinate to be in the lime light of the management,

the managers still keep dedication and hard work over and

above the task assignment. Subordinate are expected to be

dedicated and enthusiastic in learning new assignments given

to them

Do you prefer a fresher / 1 year experience subordinate should have the flexibility in

taking some calls imperative in nature OR a subordinate should stick to whatever is

instructed to do.

Page 15 of 23

55.55% of the Managers want their Subordinate to be flexible in

taking their own decision if they are stuck as crucial cusp of task

completion process

25.95% Managers feel that their Subordinate must follow

the instruction given to them by the management

While 16.67% of the managers feel that decision making process

can be situation based, where situation can be non-availability of

managers, Nature of the Job et al

Findings: Managers want their Subordinate to be Smart enough

to take their own decision if they are stuck in a situation

imperative in nature. Whereas 25.95% wants the subordinate to

follow the status quo instead of challenging it.

9 17%

30 55%

Follow Instructions Flexible

Situation Based Null

14 26%

Some of your subordinates have communicated directly to a senior management person

without looping you in between. Is this acceptable?

Page 16 of 23

15 28%11 20%

28 52%

It was evident from the investigation that 51.78% of the Managers want their Subordinate to follow Set Hierarchy and not to breach it

While 20.73% of the Leaders thinks its fair enough for Subordinate to reach out to higher authorities to get their bottlenecks resolved

Whereas, 27.78% feels that practicing OPEN DOOR POLICY is purely situational based, situation wherein subordinate’s immediate managers are not available, or are not able to resolve their problems, Subordinate can reach higher authority for the resolution

Practice Open Door Policy

Follow Set Hierarchy

Situational Based

Findings: It is evident that most of the managers would like their subordinate to consult their issues with them instead of escalating the matter to higher authority. Subordinates can escalate the issue in case there is no solution provided by his immediate boss.

Do you think that a subordinate should always come up

with a probable solution to a problem as opposed to

leave

their problem on you to resolve?

Situation al Based

6 11%

Manager Depend ent 2 4%

68.52% of the Leaders want their Subordinate to be a Problem

Solver instead of relying on the managers.

Whereas 27.67% of Managers perceive that this scenario is

situational based. If the managers are not able to find a solution,

they should be smart enough to resolve it.

Neutral9 17%

Problem Solver Neutral

ProblemSolver

37 68%

Situational Based Manager Dependent

Page 17 of 23

Only 3.70% of the Managers feel that their Subordinate should rely on the managers for the resolution.

Findings: For a new Subordinate to be successful, Managers want their Subordinate to solve

the problem or at the least give some inputs that will help the manager. Only handful of Managers feels

that

the subordinate must be dependent on them for the resolution

“Do you

prefer a

subordinate

to have

openness to

share ideas

or techniques

in place of”

existing

ones?

On investigating 54 Managers, 100% of them want their

Subordinate to Share the ideas and techniques so as to

have different view of completing a task

Managers feel that when Subordinate shares the ideas,

more innovative ideas are put on the table and hence the

task completing becomes easy and effective

Findings: The Subordinate must be open and keep sharing

ideas on completing a task, it will be a good learning for them

and Management will have more than 1 solution to a

problem at work place system

Of the two types of subordinates, which one will you prefer?

Page 18 of 23

• Mr. A who is creative, high risk taker, don’t follow SOP but

achieves targets always.

• Mr. B who in neither creative nor risk taker but always

follow the process and most of the time misses the targets

On examining, nearly 67% of the Managers across

different organization and functions wants their Subordinate to be

risk taker, creative and status quo challenger who effectively

completes their targets and task on stipulated time

18 33%

36 67%

33% of the Managers want their Subordinate to follow the system

procedure and ignore the traits like creativity and risk taking

capacity even if they flunk on completing their targets

Findings: The more creative, risk taker a new Subordinate is, he/she

becomes more desirable to their Managers. Manager feels that if

these traits are in built, they will be able to given any task on time,

while the rest think just the opposite.

Creative thinker Process Follower

What should a subordinate do to get your trust?

On

subordina

follow

W

Or

5.56%

se

Page 19 of 23

examining, it was found that 53% of the Leaders want their te

to be Integral player, should be loyal to the company and5% organization’s policy and procedures

54%

Result Oriented Integrity

Feedback Seeker

41%

hile 40.74% of the managers wants their Subordinate to be

Result iented and should complete the given task on time

of the Manager feels that their subordinate must by

feedback eker and should work on the feedback provided

Findings: For a subordinate to be desirable, he/she should work with

Integrity, should be loyal towards the organization and must complete

the given task on timely manner. Feedback is the backbone

of improvement and Manager perceive that their Subordinate should

seek

feedback whenever possible

How much importance do you give to persistence in

a subordinate? (Rate in scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is least and

5 is maximum)

On investigating the fact behind subordinate being persistent, 98% of

the manager wants their Subordinate to be persistent with the

work

completion

20 37%

0 0%

19 35%

13 24%

37.04% Leaders feel it is very crucial for a Subordinate to be

persistent with the task completion, while 35.19% feels that it is a

must Practice

Not Needed Can be Managed

Important Very Important

Crucial

Page 20 of 23

24.07% feel that the Subordinate must practice Persistence in considerable amount of time

Findings: For a Subordinate to Fair Well in an Organization, persistence is the key. Persistence in task

uptake, work hygiene, Integrity is a must for every Subordinate to survive in work cultures

Which type of subordinate will you prefer?

44%

56%

• A multi-tasking subordinate whose output is average

• A subordinate who works only one at a time but

performance is excellent

On examining, it was found that 55.54% of manager wants their

subordinate to work on only one assigned work at a time and be

more effective in it

One Task Master Multitasking

While 44.44% perceive that even if the Subordinates are average

in the outcomes of the task, they should be multitasking

Findings: Of the samples collected from 54 Leaders, more than half of the leaders would like to

work with Subordinate who is good in completing one task and doesn’t necessarily has to be multi

tasker. Whereas the other 44% feel that their Subordinate must be multitasking since with such

dynamism in work culture, leaders seeks for talented, risk taker and creative Subordinate who can

perform more than one task at a given time

Page 20 of 23

CONCLUSION

This research paper entitled on ‘What makes up a good subordinate, applicable to fresh or maximum one

year experience executive’ is our smallest yet a sincere effort in scrutinizing and recognising the highly

looked traits and characteristics that makes up the best subordinate in current corporate atmosphere

specifically for Indian corporate industry. This research paper has successfully highlighted the nature and

breed of human resource that Indian business Industry demands.

The aim of this dissertation was to bridge the gap of demand and supply of an apt and industry-friendly

human resource required by Corporates in India and to assist the preparations and selection of young

candidates aspiring to make their corporate careers in business management.

This study will surely help all the beneficiaries of the research to learn and inculcate all the skills

and competencies that have been shared to us by the esteemed and distinguished respondents holding

the key authority positions in their respective companies. Some of the significant conclusions of this

exploration are shared below-

For our research, we ensured that all our respondents are either working as a top-level or middle level

managers in esteemed organizations like HDFC Bank, Microsoft, Oracle etc.

1. Out of all the respondents, 67% respondents waved a big yes to presence of ‘Aggressiveness’ in a

freshly appointed employee in executing his professional duties.

2. Among all the business function i.e. sales, production, Human resource, finance etc, ‘Sales’ function

demands highest level of aggression work. Since, Sales professionals are key responsible individuals

for generating revenue and increasing the customer base, ‘Aggression’ is among the highly looked for

and demanded characteristic when it comes to hiring a sales professional.

3. Also, Recognition for tasks done and regular feedback boosts the morale of an employee- A key point

to be noted by any employer reading this!

In our Research we bifurcated different time periods of employment cycle and the different skills

and competencies that a manager looks for in an employee in order of most preferred to least preferred skills.

Page 21 of 23

4. First 3 months of joining- For the initial period of joining, first 3-6 months, The most preferred skill that a

manager appreciated in a newly appointed employee is ‘Willingness to learn’, followed by basic

understanding of ‘Fundamental knowledge’ of the job and lastly, ‘Team spirit’.

5. During 7-12 months of joining- Every employee at this period of employment, is provided with certain set

of tasks and duties that he is expected to diligently perform and not just perform but, deliver results. Hence,

at this time period, the manager wants his subordinate to be ‘Result-Oriented’. Being an efficient ‘Team

player’ is among the all-time favourite quality that manager seeks in an employee at all the managerial

positions.

6. A subordinate expert at managing and having work-life balance. As having a solid peace of mind at work

requires a subordinate to have a peaceful and happy personal life as well.

7. We concluded that managers prefer an employee to be more dedicated and hard-working even if

they underperform. Dedication in long run will ultimately deliver desired results.

8. It wasn’t surprising, but, managers appreciates subordinates who follow set-hierarchical system

while communicating in the organization i.e. for any request, complain, and demand or assistance,

subordinates must follow the hierarchy.

9. All the respondents gave a green signal to a subordinate who shares ideas, takes initiatives, is creative and

risk-taker than the one who simply follows SOP.

10. It was overwhelming to believe that employers and managers prefer subordinates who are master at single

task than who multi-tasks, today! Among all the respondents, 64% respondents stated that they prefer an

employee to be a single-task master than being a multi-tasker who divides his attention in varied tasks and

may dilute its efficiency.

We hope all these above mentioned findings and conclusions help every reader and user of this report. Our research

has been prepared with the bona-fide intention of serving all the stakeholders with some relevant, constructive and

first-hand information that will assist both the employer and employee, Academicians and students and

every superior and subordinate to draw benefit from this research and excel in their personal as well as professional

lives by inculcating above-stated industry-friendly skills and competencies.

Page 22 of 23

Wishing you all a happy learning and best wishes for the future!

We would also like to thank our respondents, as below, for sharing their pearls of wisdom and

valuable insights, without which this research would never be possible.

S.no Name Company

1 Akshay Kumar IFFCO

2 Abhijit Tiwari Swiggy

3 Abhishek Gadia Vijay And Company

4 Akash Jain Sundaram Finance

5 Akshay Agarwal Saffron Money

6 Amit Mehta Yes Bank Ltd

7 Amol Dharmadhikari MNC

8 Ankit SAP

9 Anurag Choubey Mondelez India Foods Pvt Ltd

10 Arjuna Rao Mikkilineni People Tech IT Consultancy Private Limited

11 Arun Venkatesh SAP Labs India

12 Ayush Verma Netcore Solutions

13 Bhuvi Bhatia Axis Bank

14 Chinmoy Roy IFFCO

15 CS Amit Kumar Jain Mentor Corporate Services Pvt Ltd

16 Dixit Vemuganti People Tech Group

17 Faiza Khan Ace Ecommerce Solutions

18 Gaurav Kumawat Analytical Consulting Pvt. Ltd (ACG India)

19 Hitesh Nandwana Analytical Consulting Pvt. Ltd (ACG India)

20 Honey Vyas Icici Securities Limited

21 Jay Soni JM Consulting Group

22 Kamlesh Pansheria Aleor Dermaceuticals Ltd (Alembic)

23 Kapil Vyas The Hackett Group

24 Kedar Sopra Banking

25 Kedar M Kate GEA BGR Energy System India Limited

26 Manojkumarro Lloyds group

Page 23 of 23

27 Maqsood Ali Sun Pharma.

28 Mayank Rana IDFC FIRST Bank

29 Neelam Batham Union Bank Of India

30 Nilesh Jain Hitachi Middleeast Wll

31 Pavan Agrawal RCOM

32 Porav Maheshwari Analytical Consulting Pvt. Ltd (ACG India)

33 Pradeep Adobe

34 Pradeep Kumar Jain Indian Railways

35 Praveen K Singh Vodafone Idea Limited

36 Samir Raj Bata India Limited

37 Sanya Maybank

38 Satyam Shrivastava Mahindra Finance

39 Saumya SAP

40 Sbagarwal SB Agarwal & Associates(Consultants AndAdvocate)

41 Shashank Batra BA Continuum India, Bank Of America

42 Shivang Mittal Adobe

43 Sumit Dhariwal Oracle

44 Suresh KumarBuhyavarapu

Peopletech

45 Tarikh Ameen Shaikh Nestle India Limited

46 Vaibhav Jain Microsoft Corp.

47 Vishal Jain PT TRI MITRA SHAKTI

48 Vishal Sapre Righill

49 Sharat Menon Anglo American

50 Aji Jacob Godrej & Boyce

51 Sujeet.Sharma JIO

52 Sumit Kumar Bajaj Auto Ltd

53 Abhishek V Bakre Bharti Airtel

54 Saurabh Kumar Srivastava Fouress Synergy FZC