MGT502 Assignment#2 Question Paper June 2010

Transition to Leadership:
Mr. Fahad, Imran and Ibrahim were promoted within their organizations into management
positions. Each one of them found the transition as a challenge.
Mr. Fahad was promoted as director of catering for the Decent group of restaurants. With the
promotion, he realized that things would never be the same again. As a matter of fact he would no longer to able to participate in gossips and chit-chat with colleagues. He explains his new role as director as demoralizing. “At first I was very harsh, making statement like you can either work my way or take the highway to home. In all this I was forgetting that my friends and colleagues were also in transition”. He admitted that his style alienated about everyone with whom he worked.
Mr. Imran was promoted to technical manager from being a junior programmer. He talks about the uncertainty he felt: “It was challenging to be suddenly giving orders to your peers, when just the day before you were one of them. You always try to be careful not to offend anyone. It’s really strange when you walk into a room and suddenly the whole conversation changes. People don’t want to be open when you are a boss”.
Mr. Ibrahim is promoted as the president of Adamjee Insurance Company. He started as a customer relation officer in the company and then left behind his colleagues in number of promotions to the present position. It is his quick rise which created problems. He says “colleagues would say different things and only God knows what they talked about behind my back.”
These are some issues which need to be solved. At this condition,

Q.1: What will you suggest for these three persons? What leadership style they should adopt for the
smooth transition. Please explain in your own wards with valid reasons and points. (Marks: 15)
Q.2: Explain the advantages and disadvantages associated with promoting internally to a leadership
position. (Marks: 15)