I.  Chapter Overview

This chapter provides an introduction of the supervisor. The supervisor is the first-level manager responsible for coordinating the work of nonmanagement employees, or employees who provide the products and services for the customers of the organization.

The skills required of the supervisor are similar to the skills required of both employees and managers. Supervisors need technical skills common to their employees, but they also need conceptual, human relations, knowledge skills, and decision-making skills. Human relations skills enable the supervisor to work effectively with other people. Conceptual skills enable the supervisor to see the relationship of parts to the whole. Knowledge skills enable the supervisor to manage and distribute data. Decision-making skills enable the supervisor to analyze information and reach good decisions. Supervisors usually have ample technical skills, which may have to be held in check. On the other hand, they may have to develop better human relations, conceptual, and decision-making skills.

Growing diversity in the workforce resulting from increasing proportions of women and ethnic and racial minorities is challenging the supervisor’s role. Differing perspectives on situations faced by the organization are an advantage when competitive forces increasingly require flexibility and innovation. However, most individuals, including supervisors, usually feel more comfortable with those who are most like themselves. Supervisors need to learn to value diversity for their own success and for the success of the organization.

General functions of the supervisor include planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling. Planning involves setting goals and determining how to meet them. Organizing involves determining how to utilize the workforce and allocate resources to meet goals. Staffing is a broad task that may include identifying, hiring, and developing the employees in the work unit. Leading involves getting employees to do what is expected of them. Controlling consists of monitoring performance and making needed corrections.

Supervisors are responsible for getting the work assigned by their boss accomplished through the use of the employees who work for them. They are also responsible for communicating instructions, requirements, and expectations of the organization to their employees and dealing with them fairly. Supervisors are responsible for informing their managers of concerns of employees. They are also responsible for cooperating with coworkers in other departments to assure the effective and efficient operation of the organization.

Most supervisors start out as employees within the department Their promotion is based on performance and skill levels. To be successful, supervisors must leave the role of employee and develop the required skills of the supervisor. A successful supervisor is usually someone who has a positive attitude, is loyal and fair, communicates well, can delegate, and wants the job.

 

II. Teaching the Concepts by Learning Objectives

Learning Objective 1.1: Define what a supervisor is.

1.   Key term.

Supervisor: A supervisor is a manager at the first level of management, which means that employees reporting to the supervisor are not themselves managers.

Two federal laws also define a supervisor. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 defines the supervisor as “...an individual having authority, in the interest of the employer to hire, transfer, suspend, lay off, recall...discharge...responsibility to direct them...” The act also prohibits supervisors from joining a union that represents the production or clerical workers in the organization, but they can join one that represents only supervisors. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 specifies that supervisors be paid a salary and limits the amount of time spent doing the same kind of work as the people they direct.

In addition, union-labor contracts may further describe what supervisors may or may not be allowed to do in their job.

2.   Teaching notes.

Organizations have managers responsible for seeing that its goals are met. Commonly, managers are divided into two groups: (1) top managers are responsible for setting the short- and long-term direction for the organization and securing resources for its operation and (2) supervisors, or first-line managers, are responsible for employees in a particular department and the work they do in making their contribution to the organization’s goals. Supervisors usually focus on day-to-day problems and on goals to be achieved in one year or less.

3.   Teaching example for defining what a supervisor is.

Students may not be familiar with the structure of an organization and the functions of its managers. Use an organization chart to show where the supervisor is placed in the organization. The organization chart is covered in greater detail later, so use a very simple chart at this point.

The organization chart illustrates where the supervisor is in the hierarchy of the organization. It also illustrates the variety of work groups that include the position of supervisor.

The organization chart developed for this learning objective may be used again for later learning objectives. For example, Learning Objective 1.5 explains how supervisors are responsible to higher management, employees, and co‑workers. On the chart, include at least four levels of employees and at least three divisions of management such as human resources (or personnel), purchasing, and a sales or production unit By so doing, you have two divisions with which a supervisor interacts.

Develop the organization chart by using the following method:

• Ask students to help develop an organization chart for a local business they are familiar with such as a grocery store. Include at least four levels; for example, a CEO, managers, supervisors, and line workers. (Use a flip chart or black (white) board to illustrate a traditional organization chart)
• In developing the organization chart, ask students to describe what has to happen in the organization to ultimately deliver products and services to the customer--for example, hiring people, buying goods and materials, paying the bills for goods and materials, waiting on customers, and so forth. Add the position of division manager if it is useful to your discussion.
• Discuss the general responsibility of each level and the relationship of other positions to the supervisor, including positions higher, lower, and peers.
• Discuss how the supervisor’s responsibilities, behaviors, and attitudes differ from the line worker and the boss of the supervisor. Remind students that the supervisor has a role in the organization that is different from those who are higher in the organization and the employees who will work in the supervisor’s work unit, even though there is a sharing of certain skills.

Typical organization chart, simplified:

4.   Exercise for defining what a supervisor is.

Draw on the experience of students in the class. Ask them to describe what supervisors do by using knowledge they have gained with work experiences or talking with other people about supervisors.

• Ask students to think about supervisors they have worked with or information about supervisors they have gained by talking to other people. Have them list what supervisors do on the job and how they fit into the total organization. Allow two to five minutes for them to individually write their list.

• Ask students to share the comments on their lists with the class.
• Write comments on a flip chart or black (white) board. Separate the comments by tasks of the supervisor, organization fit, and any other general categories that emerge.
• Discuss the comments by responding to those that are common to supervision, misconceptions, and those that will be covered in the chapter.

 

Learning Objective 1.2: Describe the basic types of supervisory skills.

1.   Key terms.

Technical Skills: Technical skills are specialized knowledge and experience used to carry out particular techniques or procedures.

Technical skills are most likely to be associated with the skills required of employees working for the supervisor. They are not necessarily mechanical or scientific. For example, the specialized skills of a waitperson may include order taking and order writing, carrying food, and placing food on the table for the customer. For a salesperson, technical skills may include the ability to carefully describe a product or service, write up orders, calculate total cost, and a persuasive communication style.

Human Relations Skills: Human relations skills are skills that enable the supervisor to work effectively with other people.

Human relation skills may include communication skills, friendliness, and the ability to understand others, make employees feel appreciated, and deal with difficult people.

Human relations, or interpersonal, skills apply to supervisor-employee interaction, communicating with your boss, and dealing with all other persons in and related to the organization.

Conceptual Skills: Conceptual skills enable the supervisor to see the relationship of the parts to the whole and to one another.

Supervisors must be able to see how their work and work unit fits into the whole organization. They must be able to judge how the output of their department will affect the ability of other departments in realizing their goals. Within the work unit, supervisors require the skill of coordinating all work efforts to meet schedules or other planned targets.

Knowledge Skills: The ability to utilize e-mail, voice mail, fax, intranet, and Internet to manage and distribute continuous streams of data.  Supervisors must have knowledge skills to deal completely with the rewards and challenges of communication today.

Decision-Making Skills: Decision-making skills involve the ability to analyze information and reach good decisions. Supervisors must be able to gather facts and decide among alternatives. Decision-making is often used in combination with technical, conceptual, and interpersonal skills. Knowledge of and a high level of proficiency in the other skills make decision making easier.

• Teaching notes.

 

Managers, including supervisors, need skills to effectively handle their job. These skills fall into five basic categories: technical, human relations, conceptual, knowledge, and decision-making. Technical skills are related to the tasks performed in the department. Human relations skills are used in dealing with people. Conceptual skills refer to the ability to see the interconnections of various tasks and processes and the overall goals of the organization. Knowledge skills refer to the ability to utilize the latest communication technology such as e-mail, fax, intranet, and Internet to manage and distribute data. Decision-making skills help supervisors choose between alternative ways of accomplishing goals.

These five skills are not independent. Rather, they are used in combinations. For example, decision-making and technical skills are used in selecting new equipment. Interpersonal skills and technical skills are necessary for effective training of employees. When selecting a new employee, a supervisor uses all four skills. Technical skills are used to determine whether the applicant is able to perform the job. Interpersonal skills are used in the interview process. Conceptual skills are used to stress whether the person will fit in and complement other skills within the department. Decision-making skills are used to select the best applicant from a group of potential employees.

• Teaching example to describe the basic types of supervisory skills.

 

The purpose of this teaching example is to illustrate how two skills--technical and conceptual--are required to be a successful supervisor. Use Figure 1.1 to show how the skills are related in achieving the goals or purpose of the organization.

• Figure 1.1 represents a garage to repair cars. The chart illustrates the organization’s overall purpose or goal in the box at the right. The four boxes at the left of the chart contain tasks or activities that take place in a typical garage. For example, a person drives his or her car to the garage and talks to the service person at the service desk about a problem with the car. This is referred to as “customer intake.” Next, the car is evaluated to pinpoint the exact problem, and then the car is repaired.

 

In order for the garage to have replacement parts, someone in the business must order parts and put them in inventory or stock when they are delivered to the garage. The garage must also make up a bill and collect money from the customer. Obviously, other tasks are involved in running a business like this.

Figure 1.1

Supervisory Skills

Activities to Achieve                                                              Purpose of Organization

 

• Discuss the chart with the students by explaining that the activities are the tasks that happen to accomplish the purpose of the business--repair cars and make a profit from doing it.
• Knowing how to do the task in the box is the technical skill that supervisors need to know, whether they are a supervisor of the service desk area or any of the other areas. When supervisors are perceived as not having the technical skills to answer employees’ questions, they lose credibility with the employees.
• The conceptual skill is related to being able to see how the work of one department is related to another. For example, an error in customer intake may result in extra work or the wrong work being done in the repair department. That is the reason the intake form must be filled out correctly and completely. If information given to the billing department is illegible, incomplete, or incorrect, the business may not collect the right amount of money. Incorrect information on paperwork from the repair department sent to the order department for the replacement of parts may result in the lack of parts for a future repair job.

Supervisors must be able to see these connections. In addition, within their own department, supervisors must be able to see how separate tasks fit together.

4.   Exercise for describing the basic types of supervisory skills.

• There are statements in the “Review and Discussion Questions” section of the text that ask students to identify the type of skills illustrated.
• The following statements refer to the teaching example above. Technical, conceptual, human relations, and decision-making skills are included. Have students indicate what type of skill is illustrated by the question. Some statements may illustrate more than one skill.
• The ability to describe the method of filling out the bill for the customer. (technical, human relations)
• The ability to see what is causing delays in repairing cars. (conceptual, technical)

• The ability to select the best tools for the mechanics. (technical, decision making)
• The ability to determine the best way to handle the need for training for new equipment. (decision-making, technical)

 

Learning Objective 1.3: Describe how the growing diversity of the workforce affects the supervisor’s role.

1.   Key term.

Diverse workforce: A workforce that has groups other than white males.

Often the term diverse workforce is coupled with the statement that diversity in the workforce is increasing, meaning that there are increasing numbers of women, blacks, Hispanics, and Asian workers.

2.   Teaching notes.

By the year 2006 the proportion of white males in the workforce is expected to drop to 38 percent In 1986, 45 percent of the workforce was white male. The share of black, Hispanic, and Asian workers is expected to rise. Women are entering the labor force at about the same rate as men, and now make up over 46 percent of the adult labor pool, holding a majority of the jobs in the 151 occupations. The workforce is also aging; that is, there is a growing proportion of the over-65 segment is expected to be 17 percent of the U.S. population by 2020.

While diversity in the workforce is not new, the greater diversity coupled with new laws and policies intended to ensure various groups are treated fairly means that supervisors will have to be able to work successfully with a wider variety of people. Some of the challenges facing supervisors include overcoming behaviors such as

• subtle forms of discrimination that may result in behaviors such as ignoring the input from women.
• mistaking an African-American professional for someone with a less prestigious job such as a receptionist or janitor.

Supervisors will have to deal with their own biases based on stereotypes that influence behavior plus the attitudes and behaviors of over employees in the work group.

The advantages of a diverse workforce may be overlooked. In today’s competitive marketplace, change is taking place at an ever-increasing rate. Organizations find they must be more flexible, bring new ideas on stream faster, and improve on a continual basis. Since all organizations have access to the same equipment and facilities, the workforce is their most important resource. The collective contributions of people will make the difference in meeting or beating the competition. A diverse workforce enriches the knowledge base of the organization. People from different cultures or from different life experiences can bring a variety of ways to look at a situation.

Another concern of most organizations is the morale of employees. When morale is low, lower productivity and higher turnover of employees may result. Respect for differences in work assignments, issues of fairness, and legal issues will make the supervisor’s role more challenging in the future.

3.   Teaching example for illustrating how growing diversity of the workforce affects the supervisor’s role.

Stereotypes of identifiable groups may lead to biased and unfavorable behavior by the supervisor as well as over employees. Explain the following consequences of unfavorable behavior by a supervisor that is perceived as unfair or biased.

• Perception of unfair or biased behavior can lead to morale problems.
• Individuals who feel they are undervalued may see no reason to contribute fully to the organization.
• Perceptions that bias is based on membership of an identifiable group may lead all members to withhold knowledge and work since they will not be able to escape the labels attached to the group.
• Members of other groups may avoid working with a devalued group, thus denying the organization of the best efforts to accomplish its goals.

Supervisors must be fair to all who work in their department. They must also see to it that over workers do not contribute to unfair treatment of women and ethnic and racial minority group members.

4.   Exercise for diversity in the workforce and how it affects the supervisor’s role.

A common problem of people who have had little experience dealing with diversity is that they may not be aware of their own bias and how it affects their behavior. One of the ways to help them recognize the effects of stereotypes on their own behavior is to have them carefully examine their thoughts relative to specific groups of people.

The purpose of the following exercise is to show how life experiences have shaped perceptions of characteristics of people and how perceptions shape behavior toward people who have these characteristics. Use this exercise to stimulate small group discussions of four to six students.

• Make each student a copy of Form 1.1, which contains a list of descriptions of human characteristics.
• Have each student spend three to five minutes looking over the list and jotting down notes about personal and behavioral traits of people who are in the category; for example, red heads may be perceived as having a quick temper.
• Ask the group participants to share their notes and perceptions. They will probably be surprised that others share their perceptions.
• Next, have the groups discuss how the perceptions might result in undesirable behaviors by a supervisor; for example, a supervisor warning employees to be careful what is said to red heads because they have a quick temper.
• Have the small groups report their discoveries to the larger group.
• Summarize the lessons learned on a flip chart or black (white) board.

Learning Objective 1.4: Identify the general functions of a supervisor.

• Key terms.

 

Planning: Setting goals and determining how to meet them.

Planning is a process of thinking through what needs to be accomplished to meet organizational goals and how the organization or department will meet them.

Organizing: Setting up the group, allocating resources, and assigning work in order to achieve goals.

Planning includes developing an action plan. Action plans detail who is involved, what specifically is to be done, when is it to be done, where it will be done, and the steps to accomplish the plan. Organizing is the first step in carrying out the plan.

Staffing: Identifying, hiring, and developing the necessary number and quality of employees.

Staffing in day-to-day operations may simply include identifying the appropriate employee to carry out the task. In the long run it may include identifying the skills necessary for an employee to be successful within the department or organization, involvement in the interviewing process, and contributing to the selection of the best employee. Both new and experienced employees will need help from the supervisor to develop their skills and knowledge.

Leading: Influencing people to act or not act in a certain way.

Skills in leading employees are necessary to motivate employees to do the most efficient and effective job. Leading also implies that employees follow willingly.

Controlling: Monitoring performance and making needed corrections.

Controlling is the function used to keep performance on target. Planning determines what goals are to be accomplished; controlling is monitoring the performance on an ongoing basis to determine if it is on target and take corrective action if it is not.

 

FORM 1.1

Stereotyping

Make notes on the list below indicating common notions held about persons who have the characteristic.

 

• Blind

 

• Red hair

 

 

• Bald man

 

• Speaks English as a second language

 

 

• African-American man

 

• Single parent of a young child

 

 

• Hispanic woman

 

• Blonde woman

 

 

• Asian man

 

• In a wheel chair

 

• Teaching notes.

Managers, including supervisors, are responsible for seeing to it that the organization realizes its goals or purpose. The basic functions or tasks that move the organization along the path to success include planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling.

Planning is the first step. (See text Figure 1.3.). It is the process of deciding what needs to be done and what it will take to do it. Organizing is the next step to realize the objective. It is the process of setting up the group, allocating resources, and assigning the work to achieve the goals efficiently. Staff or employees are assigned to the required work. Staffing activities include identifying, hiring, and developing the necessary number and quality of employees. Employees need more that just an assignment to assure excellent outcomes. They need to know what is expected and feedback on their performance. Leading involves letting employees know what is expected of them and influencing them to do good work in a certain way. Finally, work is controlled by monitoring performance and taking corrective action as needed.

The sequence of planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling may be within a short time frame, such as the amount of work to be completed in one day. In this situation, the general plan may be very similar from day to day. Organizing, staffing’ and controlling will be emphasized the most. Organizing and staffing may go on almost simultaneously. The staffing activities will focus on identifying and developing employees. Controlling will assure the activities are timely and meet all standards of quality and effectiveness.

Projects requiring weeks or months to achieve--such as developing and implementing a new training program, preparing for a new line of products, or developing a new sales campaign--accomplish the goal through the same set of functions. The application will likely be more complex. Staffing may include identifying and hiring employees. Controlling may include the monitoring of budgets, the delivery of equipment, the progress on sales campaign materials, and so forth.

Supervisors spend most of their time on day-to-day concerns or short-term projects. Departments contain several employees doing a variety of tasks. Departments produce several products or services for customers or other departments within the organization. It is likely that many plan-organize-staff-lead-control sequences will be ongoing simultaneously. In addition to the multiple jobs being carried out at one time, the supervisor may be involved in one or more projects utilizing the same basic functions. “E-supervision technology,” which uses both the Internet and audio-video technology to monitor store operations for safety, customer service, stock level, and other supervisory issues.

Typically supervisors spend most of their time leading and controlling because they work directly with the employees who are producing or selling or providing support services. In contrast, higher-level managers spend more time planning and organizing.

• Teaching example to describe the basic types of supervisory skills.

 

The purpose of this teaching example is to provide another illustration to help students understand the combination of the five managing functions to each other.

 

Use Figure 1.2 (refer to text Figure 1.2) to illustrate the planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling sequence and the relationship of the parts to the whole.

Each of the five functions and a definition is shown in the top part of the chart with an arrow between functions to show the sequence of the process and how each function on preceding functions. At the bottom of the chart are three organizing concepts with arrows indicating the relationship of the concepts to each other.

• Planning sets the target; controlling monitors and corrects activities to achieve the target.
• Organizing, staffing, and leading are actions taken to achieve the target.
  
• Exercise for the basic types of supervisory skills.

The following list of statements is an example of the five functions related to a single topic. Have the students determine which function is represented in the statement

• The supervisor looks at the sales forecast and determines more employees will be needed in six weeks. The first steps are taken to meet the needs of the organization.

(planning)

• A request for six employees is sent to the human relations department

(staffing)

• The new employees will require training. The supervisor requests six copies of the employee handbook, reserves the training ram, and uses the employee orientation video.

(organizing)

• The supervisor carefully monitors sales and staff schedules over the next several months.

(controlling)

• After the employees are hired and trained, the supervisor talks with them daily about the expectations for the day and coaches them to help them learn the details of the job.

(leading)

Learning Objective 1.5: Explain how supervisors are responsible to higher management, employees, and coworkers.

• Key term.

 

Accountability: The practice of imposing penalties for failing to adequately carry out responsibilities adequately and of providing rewards for meeting responsibilities.

It isn’t enough to assign a job to someone. The assumption is made that the task will be carried out. Supervisors and others within an organization will be monitored and rewarded or penalized if objectives are not met.

• Teaching notes.

 

Supervisors are responsible for carrying out the duties assigned to them and their department by higher-level managers. They are the “linking pin” between their employees and the organization’s management. They must also keep their boss informed about the department’s performance. Supervisors are responsible to their boss, to the employees who work in their work unit, and to their coworkers in other departments.

They may question their responsibility to employees because employees are responsible for doing what thy say. But if you look at the overall goals or purpose of the organization, this makes sense. To meet these goals, an organization must have an effective and efficient way of doing the work. Supervisors are responsible for giving their employees clear instructions and making sure they understand their jobs. They must find and correct problems before employees’ performance deteriorates further. They also need to treat their employees fairly and to speak up for their interests to top management.

The responsibility of supervisors to work with other departments is also necessary to meet the goals of the organization. They should respond promptly to coworkers’ requests for information, listen with an open mind to suggestions for improvements, and learn from each other’s ideas to benefit the organization and increase the satisfaction of working together as members of a team.

A recent phenomenon is restructuring or downsizing of organizations. Layers of management have been eliminated, leaving supervisors with responsibilities that once belonged to their boss. Supervisors now have more responsibility for planning and organizing, activities that were done previously by middle management.

• Teaching example to explain how supervisors are responsible to higher management, employees, and coworkers.

 

Most of the supervisor’s time is spent seeing to it that production requirements are met or customers receive the desired services. In many organizations, promotion to the supervisory position implies responsibility for meeting these requirements. Accountability is the monitoring and controlling part of responsibility. When the work unit is unable to fulfill goals and objectives, the supervisor is expected to take corrective action, such as requesting help, investigating problems or bottlenecks in the work, and moving staff to cover priority areas. Examples of supervisory responsibilities where accountability is required include:

• staff performance to standards of quality and productivity.
• conduct of staff relative to organizational requirements, such as courtesy in greeting customers, refraining from sexual harassment behavior, respect among coworkers, and so forth.
• skill level of employees.
• staffing levels.
• absence of formal grievances by employees.
• general housekeeping in work area, such as the absence of clutter and unsafe conditions.
• general morale of employees in the work unit.
• general condition of equipment and materials used in the work unit.

• Exercise to explain how supervisors are responsible to higher management, employees, and coworkers.

 

The purpose of the following exercise is to have students evaluate a work situation related to supervisor accountability. This will give them an opportunity to check their understanding of the concept and evaluate their own attitudes toward accountability.

Copy the case study on page 16 of Instructors Manual for each student. Have them work either in small groups or individually and answer the questions following the case study. Discuss their decisions with the whole class.

Learning Objective 1.6: Describe the typical background of someone who is promoted to supervisor.

• Teaching notes.

 

Supervisors usually come from two sources: the ranks in the organization or a recent college graduate. Selecting a supervisor from the department employees ensures the supervisor has the technical skills necessary for the job. They often are good workers and show some leadership skills. The college graduate may be selected for leadership potential or other specialized skills that will help in the position. These skills, however, do not guarantee that a person knows how to supervise. Becoming a supervisor is a big change in their work life. Human relations and conceptual skills become much more important than in their previous jobs. For the college graduate the challenge is to change from a student to an employee and supervisor.

Supervisors often come from the line ranks, which means that they must give up old roles or tasks and take up new roles. For example, line workers have a set of responsibilities that focus on technical competence. Supervisors, however, must accomplish their work through others, placing greater emphasis on human relations. Line workers seldom worry about pleasing higher management, but supervisors find that higher management is very important in their work setting.

New supervisors may have difficulty making the transition and may not have a comprehensive training program available to help them in their new role. They must use more human relations and conceptual skills than in their previous role. They must also devote more time to planning ahead and keeping an eye on the department’s activities. They can get some help from their boss and other supervisors in the organization and can learn about management and supervision through books and observation. They will have to take the initiative to continually learn about the role of the supervisor. College graduates, without the benefit of having been in the organization, need to learn the work of the department, including the application of technical knowledge to the job.

There are several things new supervisors can do to increase their knowledge of the new job. They can get to know their employees if they are new to the department. They can prepare by reading books and observing employees. They can talk to their boss and read performance appraisals and talk to the employees and observe their work habits. Supervisors should discuss the organization’s and their own goals with their boss and employees.

Supervisors need power and authority to carry out their job. Power is acquired when one assumes the job of supervisor. However, supervisors should not use the power too fast to make changes in the department. First they should understand how the department works and what employees expect. Then they should build support for change by introducing it gradually after inviting suggestions where appropriate. (Chapter 7 discusses the delegation of authority; Chapter 15 covers sources and types of power, along with more information about managing change.)

 

CASE STUDY
Is Terry Being Blamed Unfairly?

Terry was recently promoted to supervisor. Things were not going as smoothly as they should. In the past few days it seemed that the manager of the division was being unreasonable. She had talked to Terry about the performance of the work unit. There had been a customer complaint last week about the slowness of service. There were also a few gripes from employees about the way he treated them. Although he felt bad, he did not think he was really responsible for either situation. After all, at the time the complaining customer requested service they were very busy. And the gripes, well, you know, they just liked to complain. What could he do about that? But since he wanted to succeed, Terry has asked you to help him out.

• Should Terry be held accountable for the customer complaint and employee gripes? Why or why not?

 

 

 

 

 

• What suggestions can you make to Terry to help him be successful in his job?

 

 

 

 

 

 

• (Yes. Terry is responsible for meeting productivity and quality requirements for service to customers. He is also responsible for the general morale of his employees.)

 

• (Terry needs to watch staffing more carefully, especially during busy periods. He should take corrective action to see that staff is moved or enlisted to busy times or places. He should also talk with the staff more often to find out what they need and what general problems may be forming in the department.)

• Teaching example to describe the typical background of someone who is promoted to supervisor.

 

The following characteristics may lead to the promotion of an employee to a supervisory position:

• demonstrates technical skills
• demonstrates leadership skills or acts as informal leader
• is hard working
• is conscientious
• is a good communicator
• expresses interest in becoming a supervisor
• is interested in getting ahead.

• Exercise to describe the typical background of someone who is promoted to supervisor (and the difference between the old and new role).

 

The purpose of this exercise is to guide students through the experience of changing roles from front-line employee to supervisor. This exercise also reinforces the supervisor’s functions and skills.

Since many supervisors come from the employee group in a work unit, one of the major difficulties is the transition from one role to another. Expectations, attitudes, and behaviors are different for these two groups. Make the point by contrasting the front-line employee and the supervisor.

• Make a list of employee behaviors, attitudes, and expectations. Ask students for input based on their own experience and stories they have heard about the way employees are.
• Make a second list of supervisor behaviors, attitudes, and expectations. Whenever possible, match the employee list with the supervisor list. For example, if the employee list has an “8 to 5” work schedule, the supervisor’s list should have an entry such as “before 8 and after 5.”

The following is an example of the lists.

Employees	Supervisors
Are told what to do	Tell others what to do
Focus on their job only	Oversee many jobs
Are paid by the hour	Are paid a salary
Are not paid for time off	Are paid for time off
Don’t expect to take work home	Sometimes take work home
Are “one of the gang”	Are not “one of the gang”
Seldom worry about pleasing upper management	Must please upper management

• Discuss the general responsibilities of an employee and supervisor. Point out especially how supervisors’ expectations for themselves and others, attitudes, and behaviors differ from those of line workers and how that may cause some difficulties for new supervisors.

 

Learning Objective 1.7: Identify characteristics of a successful supervisor

• Teaching notes.

 

Supervisors are responsible for getting employees in their department to produce a quality product or service in a timely, cost-effective way. Some supervisors are successful and some are not. What makes the difference? (See text Figure 1.4.)

A successful supervisor has a positive attitude. When the supervisor’s attitude toward work and the organization is positive, employees are more likely to be satisfied with and interested in their work.

Successful supervisors are loyal. They must take actions that are best for the organization, including some that are unpopular with employees.

Successful supervisors are fair. Supervisors who play favorites or behave inconsistently will lose the support and respect of their employees. Making the best decisions for the organization means selecting the best or right employee for the job regardless of personal likes or dislikes.

Successful supervisors need to be good communicators. Good communication includes keeping employees informed about what is going on and what is expected of them, making contact with employees each day, and listening to what they say.

Successful supervisors must be able to delegate, that is, give their employees authority and responsibility to carry out activities. For the supervisor with excellent technical skills, this may be a challenge. Since supervisors cannot do all of the work of the department, they must assign work to employees and then give them credit for their accomplishments. This makes the supervisor look good, since employees’ successes show that the supervisor is able to select and motivate employees as well as delegate effectively. Finally, a successful supervisor must want the job.

• Teaching examples to identify characteristics of a successful supervisor.

 

A list of characteristics of the successful supervisor is more realistic when coupled with an example. The following list provides examples of the characteristics.

• Positive attitude. Employees often are critical of their own work as well as the work of others. They may also be critical of progress on new projects and programs. They will take clues from the supervisor, who can cast the outcomes in a positive or negative light. For example, a group of employees had been working to reduce a specific quality problem. Their effort resulted in less than they wanted to achieve. The supervisor helped them evaluate the outcome over the long run in both the number of errors and the cost savings, which were substantial. The savings for one year were $54,000! As a result, the group was anxious to continue working to achieve further improvements.
• Loyal. A loss of sales orders meant a reduction of employees. Supervisors must go along with the reduction, keeping in mind that the organization has made a decision to ensure its survival. While the supervisors may not like the decision, as managers of the organization they are expected to carry out the mandate with the proper attitude and behavior.

 

• Fair. Supervisors must follow the rules of the organization. Occasionally an employee may try to get special treatment for a personal situation. For example, a rule in the attendance policy states that any time taken off during regularly scheduled work hours will be counted as an incident against the attendance record and subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the policy. An employee indicates difficulty in getting a medical appointment later in the day without excessive waiting in the office. Could the supervisor bend the rule and allow the employee to go during work hours without counting it against the employee? While the supervisor may sympathize with the employee, to be fair to all employees and the organization the supervisor must enforce the rule.
• Good communicator. Supervisors must keep their employees and bosses informed of what is happening and expectations for action. A situation where good communication is especially important is the orientation and training of new employees. New employees need greater detail in instructions and expectations for their performance. Supervisors must make sure employees have sufficient levels of skill and knowledge to carry out the work of the department
• Able to delegate. Supervisors must be able to assign work to others and resist doing work themselves because it is faster or easier than telling someone else how to do it. It is tempting to do the work when a new employee is assigned to the job. A better approach is to get another employee to help the new employee rather than for supervisors to do the job themselves. The supervisor’s job is to see that the entire department has guidance and assistance. Doing the employee’s job takes supervisors away from their own work.
• Want the job. The job of the supervisor is not always easy. The supervisor who wants the job is more likely to stick with it through good and not-so-good times. Really wanting the job helps the supervisor do unpleasant tasks such as reducing the workforce.

• Exercise to identify characteristics of a successful supervisor.

 

Students will understand the concepts better and will be more likely to remember the information if they practice the application of the material. Have the students think of examples of each of the characteristics and share them with the class.

A method of getting students involved is to let them know you will be going around the class asking for one example from each of them. Give students several minutes to come up with examples. Then start the sharing by randomly asking students for their example of each characteristic.

Remember to be a good role model for the students by being positive reaction to them, loyal to the rules and norms of the organization, fair in your selection, a good communicator, and delegating tasks to students.

 

III. Answers to Review and Discussion Questions

• What are some ways in which a supervisor’s job is the similar to that of managers at other levels? How does the supervisor’s job differ from that of other managers?

 

The supervisor’s job is similar in that as a manager of the organization the supervisor is involved in planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling. The supervisor’s job is different in that the supervisor spends more time leading and controlling, while upper management spends more time planning and organizing. The supervisor also works directly with employees who produce, service, or deliver the product of the organization.

• Imagine that you have just been promoted to supervisor of the cashiers in a supermarket. List specific technical, human relations, conceptual, and decision-making skills you think you might need to succeed at this job. How might you continually develop them to achieve the job of store manager?

 

Technical skills might include knowledge of how to work the cash register, procedures for punching the time clock, procedures for scheduling breaks, how to authorize a personal check, and the like. Human relations skills include the ability to inspire cashiers to process customers quickly and accurately, to schedule cashiers’ breaks, vacations, and other time off satisfactorily, and to deal directly with customers when necessary. Conceptual skills might include understanding how the efficiency and attitude of cashiers affect the overall sales in the store. Decision-making skills might include determining when it is appropriate to authorize or decline a customer’s personal check, when to call in more workers or open up an extra register, how to assign baggers to certain registers, and so forth.

The supervisor should continually develop these skills in order to increase the efficiency of cashiers and in order to find ways in which the check-out counter can support other departments in the supermarket, thus increasing business.

• Identify whether each of the following skills relates most to task-related, people-related, or change-related activities.
• The ability to communicate well with one’s manager.

(people-related)

• The ability to evaluate whether sales clerks are delivering polite and timely service.

(task-related)

• The ability to plan a safety training program for the housekeeping staff.

(task-related)

• The ability to involve employees in making good scheduling decisions to accommodate their vaction preferences.

(people-related)

• The ability to see how new technology can help the department meet its goals.

(change-related)

• The ability to teach an employee how to machine a part without unnecessary changes in the setup of equipment.

(task-related)

• Population trends suggest that the workforce will become increasingly diverse. What are some advantages of greater diversity? What challenges does it pose to the supervisor?

 

Diversity in culture and experience brings diversity in ideas for improvements and ways to solve problems.

Supervisors may be uncomfortable dealing with individuals perceived as different. Stereotypes may negatively affect the perception of employee skills and ability. Supervisors may have to learn more about specific group behavior and attitudes. Also, they may have to deal with more discrimination in the work place. That is, other employees may also treat people who are perceived as different in negative ways. Supervisors must be aware of their own perceptions and behaviors as well as eliminate unfavorable behavior of others in the department.

• What are the basic functions of the supervisor? Which functions do supervisors spend most of their time on?

 

The basic functions of the supervisor are planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling. Supervisors spend most of their time leading and controlling.

• As the controlling function changes in many organizations, supervisors should no longer control by dictating solutions. How do they carry out the controlling function?

 

Supervisors are now more apt to be expected to empower employees to make their own decisions; to provide them with the resources and motivation to identify and correct problems themselves. The supervisor is still responsible for controlling, but works with others to carry out the function rather than doing it all himself or herself.

• What responsibilities do supervisors have to each of these groups?

 

• Higher management

Supervisors must carry out their requests, keep them informed of what is going on in the department, and inform them of potential problems.

• The employees they supervise

 

Supervisors should keep them informed about what is going on in the company, give them information about what is expected of them, look for problems before they grow, treat employees fairly, and speak up for their best interest to upper management.

• Coworkers in other departments

 

Supervisors should cooperate with requests for information and share ideas for improvement of the organization.

• Emma has just been promoted to office manager in a small real estate office. Some of the people she will supervise are her former peers; she is aware that one of them also applied for the office manager’s job. How can Emma prepare for her new position? What might be the best way to approach the co-worker who did not get the manager’s job?

 

Emma should focus on fairness in the way she treats her employees, and make an effort to get to know them better in their work environment, taking time to talk with them and observe them. She should try to determine who the unofficial leaders are (if she doesn’t already know). She can approach the co-worker who was passed over for the manager’s job and talk about how they can work together to advance the co-worker’s career. Then she should follow through with whatever actions she and the co-worker agree upon.

• What are some ways a new supervisor can use power and authority effectively?

 

The supervisor can ask his or her manager to announce the promotion at a staff meeting, then take the opportunity to state his or her expectations, desire to work as a team, and willingness to listen to employees’ ideas, concerns, and so forth. The supervisor should not make hasty changes that will affect employees; instead, he or she should observe the work situation and gather as much information about it as possible. The supervisor can actually gain support for change by introducing it gradually after inviting suggestions where possible.

• List the characteristics of a good supervisor. Besides the characteristics mentioned in the chapter, add any others you believe are important. Draw on your own experiences as an employee and/or supervisor.

 

A good supervisor has a positive attitude, loyal, fair, a good communicator, and able to delegate.

 

IV.  SKILL-BUILDING

You Solve The Problem

1.   List the skills that you consider most important for establishing authority and a positive work environment.

• Positve attitude
• Able to delegate
• Desire for the job
• Ability to delegate
• Fairness
• Communication skills

 

2.   Which of these skills did Dugan use? What additional advice can you give Dugan for establishing himself as a successful new supervisor?

Answers may vary. Dugan used a positive attitude, desire for the job, fairness, and communication skills at work.

Case: Referring the Referees of the Atlantic Coast Conference

Suggested Answers to Case

• Which supervisory skills seem to be most important to Clougherty’s jobs? Why?

 

Clougherty relies on human relations skills in handling questions from referees and coaches, and in conducting training meetings and performance appraisals. In order to carry out each of these tasks, however, he relies on his technical expertise, as well as his decision-making skills. He has over 30 years of technical experience which makes him an excellent person for hiring referees. Planning work schedules is a conceptual skill.

• What types of responsibilities does he undertake?

 

Clougherty is responsible for carrying out the duties assigned to him by higher-level managers. He gives his employees clear instructions and makes sure they understand their jobs by the training and feedback he provides to his employees.

• How important do you think Clougherty’s experience as a referee was in preparing him to be a supervisor? Other than that work experience, what experiences and qualities do you think would be important for someone to succeed in Clougherty’s job? Do those experiences and qualities apply to most supervisory jobs?

 

Clougherty’s experience is vital to his preparation in his role as a supervisor over ACC’s officials.  Other important qualitites to succees in Clougherty’s job include a positive attitude, loyalty, fairness, a good communicator, and the ability to delegate. Important experiences to have would incorporate the qualitites previously mentioned in some capacity. These qualitites ad expereinces apply to most supervisory jobs.

Knowing Yourself: Is Supervising Right for You?

The “Self-Quiz” is a list of questions that reflects tasks and characteristics associated with the supervisor’s job. Give yourself 1 point for each “Yes” answer. A score of 6 or more indicates that a person might be happy as a supervisor.

Class Exercise: Recognizing Management Skills

The class exercise consists of different situations where students are asked to identify which management function would they rely on in each situation.

• Controlling, Organizing and Leading
• Staffing (Training) and Controlling
• Planning, Organizing and Controlling
• Planning
• Leading and Controlling

 

 Building Supervision Skills: Defining Your Role As Supervisor

This exercise can be used in one of the following ways:

• As a pre-class assignment that students bring to class, completed and ready to discuss.
• As an in-class exercise used at an appropriate point in your discussion to get the students involved in understanding the five supervisory functions.

 

Objectives

• Apply supervisory function definitions to supervisory situations.
• Understand how the supervisory functions relate to one another and often overlap.

 

Answers

• P (determining how to meet goals)

O (assigning work)
L (getting employees to do what is expected of them
C (monitoring performance and making needed corrections)

• S (developing employees will be a priority with this group)

L (looks like it will be a challenge to get these employees to do what is expected of them)
C (monitoring performance babysitting)

• S (developing Andy)
• P (setting a goal of implementing the change and determining how to make the change)

O (deciding who will do what to make the change work)
L (getting the employees to accept the change)

• P (determining budget needs)
• S (finding quality employees)

C (monitoring performance of new hire and making needed corrections--discipline and eventually discharge)

Building Supervision Skills: Leading a Team

• Technical, conceptual
• Technical, human relations
• Technical, conceptual, decision making

 

Supervisor’s Hot Seat Video Case Answers:

“Virtual Workplace: Out of the Office Reply”

1. The characteristics of a successful supervisor are 1)a positive attitude 2) loyalty  3) fairness  4) good communication  5) the ability to delegate tasks and 6) enjoyment of the job. How does Ralph specifically show (or not show) each of these qualities in the meetings he has with Angela?

1) positive attitude—he does not get angry with Angela in any of the dealings; he keeps a level head and tries to bring suggestions to the table so that she can stay in the job
2) loyalty—he mentions several times how long they have both worked together, and he wants to
3) fairness—he gives Angela ample time to improve her performance, but he still brings her in to discuss the fact that things need to get better
4) good communication—Ralph is clear about what his problems with Angela’s performance are and what his expectations of her will be for the future
5) ability to delegate tasks—Ralph specifically tells Angela

2. Refer to Table 1.2 on page 11. Which responsibilities of a supervisor does Ralph exhibit? Which others could he have integrated that would have added to a positive outcome throughout the whole situation?

Ralph adheres to most of the responsibilities, but it seems he could have been more available to Angela when she had questions (she mentions that he has not been). At some point, he could let Angela give him an evaluation so as to see how he has been as a supervisor; he did not have much of a sense of humor, although in the situation, if might not have made much of a difference.

3. If you had been Ralph, what would you have handled things in setting up the work situation? Could you have avoided the problem issues with Angela? How?

Personal student opinion.

“Listening Skills: Yeah, Whatever”

1. It is clear in the first meeting that Miguel is distracted and at some points disrespectful to Pilar in not listening to what she is saying to him. On the other hand, Pilar does not do anything to draw him back to the point of the meeting. What should Pilar have done to take control of the situation?

 

Pilar should have called him on his behavior when it started to occur, this way pointing the meeting in the right direction. Not saying anything in the beginning showed a lack of control on Pilar’s  part, and a continuation of Miguel’s behavior should not have been a surprise. If calling him out on the behavior still did not work, she could have proposed meeting with him at a different time when he was less distracted, when he could understand fully what was at stake.

2. Table 1.1 categorizes the skills of a supervisor. Applying this modern view of management skills, choose one of the skills described in the table. Then analyze Pilar’s perfromance in both meetings in terms of that skill. How was she a success or failure?

 

1. Technical skills—Although she works for an advertising firm, Pilar is not able to persuade Miguel that there is a problem with the account he has worked on—she fails in this respect.
2. Human relations skills—While Pilar is very nice to Miguel, she does not communicate the extent of the problem to him, nor does she motivate him to change his budget issues and diffuse the problem at hand—she fails in this respect.
3. Conceptual skills—The fact that Pilar calls the meeting with Miguel indicates that she sees there is a problem. Pilar understands that if Miguel does not fix his problem of going over budget and failing to tell his clients, he will lose the account—Pilar is a success here.
4. Decision-making skills—Pilar sets out a plan for Miguel, having his assistant make a weekly report to hand over to her. She knows that if he does this, the client will at least see that there are steps being made to remedy the problems—Pilar makes a good decision and is a success here (whether or not Miguel follows this is another story).
5. Knowledge skills—does not apply in this case

3. If you had been in Pilar’s shoes, what would you have done in the first meeting immediately after Miguel began to focus on things other than your intent for the meeting?

 

Personal student opinion.