Approaches to Planning – Who Decides? 🤷‍♂️

Scenario: A family vacation.

• Approach A: Dad says, "We are going to Vaishno Devi. Wake up at 4 AM. No arguments."
• Approach B: Family sits together. Kids want Goa, Mom wants Kerala, Dad wants Shimla. You vote and decide.

Approach A is Top-Down. Approach B is Bottom-Up.

Companies use these same methods! Let's fight! 🥊

1. Top-Down Approach (The "Boss Knows Best" 👑)

How it works:

• Top Management (CEO/Board) sets the goals and plans.
• They pass orders down to Middle Management.
• Middle passes to Lower.
• Flow: ↓ Downward.

Example - Traditional Indian Family Business:

• Lala ji (Owner): "This year we will sell 10,000 units. Go do it."
• Managers: "Yes, Sir." (Even if they know it's impossible!)
• Workers: Just follow orders.

Advantages:

• ✅ Fast: No discussions, no voting. Quick decisions.
• ✅ Unified Vision: Everyone marches in the same direction.
• ✅ Good for Crisis: When the ship is sinking, the Captain commands, nobody argues.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Demotivating: Lower levels feel like robots.
• ❌ Unrealistic: Top bosses sitting in AC rooms might not know ground reality.
• ❌ No Buy-in: "This is the Boss's plan, not mine. If it fails, his problem."

2. Bottom-Up Approach (The "Power to the People" ✊)

How it works:

• Plans originate at the Lower Levels (Operating units).
• Salesmen tell managers: "We can sell 500 units."
• Managers aggregate these and tell Top Management.
• Top Management reviews and approves.
• Flow: ↑ Upward.

Example - Google / Modern Startups:

• Engineers: "We have an idea for a new email system (Gmail)."
• Managers: "Looks cool, let's propose it."
• Founders: "Approved! Build it."

Advantages:

• ✅ Realistic: Based on ground reality.
• ✅ High Motivation: Employees feel ownership ("It's MY plan!").
• ✅ Innovation: Best ideas often come from the bottom.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Slow: Lots of meetings, debates, and approvals.
• ❌ Disjointed: Sales team plans X, Production team plans Y. Chaos if not coordinated.
• ❌ Low Ambition: Employees might set easy targets to ensure they get bonuses! (Sandbagging).

3. Composite Approach (The "Best of Both Worlds" 🤝)

Also called: Mixed Approach.

How it works:

1. Top Management provides broad guidelines ("We need to grow by roughly 20%").
2. Lower Levels prepare draft plans based on this ("Okay, to grow 20%, we need 5 new staff").
3. Negotiation: Top and Bottom meet.
   • Boss: "5 staff is too expensive. Can you do it with 3?"
   • Team: "Okay, but we need new software."
   • Boss: "Agreed."
4. Final Plan: Created together.

Most successful companies (TCS, HUL, Infosys) use this!

Comparison Table

Real Life Story: The Ford Edsel vs. The Post-it Note

Failure of Top-Down (Ford Edsel):

• Ford executives (Top) decided exactly what car Americans wanted.
• They ignored market feedback.
• Launched the "Edsel".
• Result: Biggest flop in history. Ugly car, nobody bought it.

Success of Bottom-Up (3M Post-it Note):

• Spencer Silver (Scientist at bottom) accidentally created a weak glue.
• Art Fry (another employee) used it for bookmarks.
• They pushed the idea UP to management.
• Management initially doubted, but approved.
• Result: A billion-dollar product found in every office!

Quiz Time! 🎯

💡 Final Wisdom: "A plan imposed is a plan opposed. A plan shared is a plan cared for. Smart managers don't just command; they collaborate!" 🤝✨

Next up: Management by Objectives (MBO) - The ultimate tool for the Composite Approach! How Peter Drucker changed the game! 📈