The
“in-basket” exercise is a management
stimulation designed to provide skill practice in problem solving and decision
making. It is composed of a set of 15-20 items, more or less inter-related,
which have to be acted upon in a relatively short time frame under considerable
pressure. It is very flexible method and can be used in any training situation.
The trainee is presented with a situation where he must take over for a manager
who is absent. He is provided with an in-basket full of materials with which he
must deal. These materials may be phone calls, meetings, complaints to handle,
orders to make and other demands. It is used to assess the managerial ability,
ability to take on the spot decision, assessing understanding of organizational
process, and to identify a trainee with his/her own ability.
Learning Outcomes:
Ø Participants
learn the inter-relation of items awaiting action and to respect the importance
and urgency of problems.
Ø Trainees
learn to take logical action in a short period of time.
Ø They
come to know that it is too easy to over-emphasize, under-emphasize or
over-look various elements which relate to the decision making process.
Ø The
importance of utilizing staff on day to day problems is realized.
Ø Effective
time management skills are developed.
Ø New
managers may be expected to learn about the kinds of problems they are quite
certain to encounter, as well as how to go about solving them.
Modus Operandi:
- Two trays namely
in-tray and out-tray are placed on the executive table. The in-tray
contains sheet of paper in which there are highlighted problems which
require immediate decision whereas the out-tray is empty.
- The trainee sits on
the chair and is asked to dispose the papers after analyzing them as a
regular manager would have done. He is supposed to give his comments and
views on the paper, sign it and place it in out-tray.
- This entire process
should be complete in an hour.
- No one can be reached
for advice or to give oral instructions.
- It contains
situations like long period absenteeism, stealing, supervisor misbehavior,
no water on the plant due to mere negligence.
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