A day in the life of a district magistrate

Abstract

This case covers a day in the life of a public administration leader holding the position of District Magistrate ( DM) in a province of India with a population of 2.2 million. The DM is a powerful position in the Indian public administration, akin to the Chief Executive Officer of a company, and is responsible for the smooth functioning of a District. The extensive job scope of District administration and wide-spread penetrating span of control that a DM enjoys, provides an appropriate platform for interesting questions on tasks, roles and behavioral complexities that a leader demonstrates. The case chronicles the tasks and roles that a DM performs in a day, which can be analyzed, categorized, and synthesized to develop insights about the managerial-role theory and leadership behavioral theory. The case invites students to consider varied dilemmas that a DM faces in his day to day tasks which involve taking balanced decisions that have lasting consequences.