Detailed Explanation:

The correct answer is C. Area managers must align their area goals with the corporate plan.

Policy deployment means translating the organization’s strategic objectives into aligned goals, actions, and measures at every level of the organization. For policy deployment to be effective, managers at each level must ensure that their local objectives support the overall corporate direction.

That is why alignment by area managers is essential. Without this alignment:

departments may pursue conflicting priorities,

resources may be used inefficiently,

and improvement efforts may fail to support the organization’s strategy.

Why the other options are incorrect:

A. Employee goals and department goals must be considered independently.

This is incorrect because policy deployment depends on alignment, not independence. Individual and department goals should support broader organizational objectives.

B. Supervisors must specify goals for individual employees.

Supervisors may help define or communicate goals, but this is not the key requirement of policy deployment. The critical issue is alignment between all levels of goals and the strategic plan.

D. Senior management must review individual employee and department goals annually.

Senior management should review strategic progress and deployment effectiveness, but direct annual review of all individual goals is not the essential element of policy deployment.

From a Quality Management and Organizational Excellence perspective, effective policy deployment requires:

cascading strategic priorities through the organization,

vertical and horizontal alignment,

clear communication of goals,

and managerial responsibility for converting strategy into action.

This ensures that improvement activities, operational goals, and employee efforts are all connected to the organization’s mission and strategic objectives. That alignment is a core principle of organizational excellence.