How do you think a manager should handle the case where a company forces the manager to select one person from the team for a bogus (in bad faith) PIP?

From the view of the team the ideal manager is a shield overhead protecting them from the crap coming down from above, the manager should refuse and push back.

From the view of “is this good for the company?” the manager should push back on bogus bad faith tasks and the structures which make them exist.

I understand that from the manager’s own perspective their income might be priority one - but then I wonder if they are just a conduit for senior management crap to flow through, harming their team morale, what are they actually doing that’s worthwhile?

If it is bogus, hopefully it still won’t be out of the blue - warning to the team that it’s coming to someone - and they could try and arrange it as an encouragement to leave, with payout, with recommendation, before it’s a total surprise. The manager must know whom they would and would not fake-PIP, and from Yossi Kreinin’s assertions that employees know their managers’ minds better than they say, the employees likely know who is in favour and who isn’t.

https://www.yosefk.com/blog/people-can-read-their-managers-m...

This would almost certainly get me fired, but I would simply refuse the request. If I truly don't believe anyone on my team has earned themselves a spot on a PIP I wouldn't put anyone on one.

I have to expect the response would be either (a) threatening to fire me or (b) threatening to force my boss to make the decision with less knowledge of each of my reports' performance. In either case, though, those aren't my decisions to make and I can only take control of whether or not I'm willing to PIP reports that I don't think deserve it.