Supervision

Let’s talk about what drives us CRAZY!!!

Your Interests in Supervision… Professional Staff

VC’s expectations for supervision, method for effective supervision, dealing with difficult employees, working as a team, professional dev., staff apathy, providing good customer service, range of supervisory styles, use of case studies, employee expectations and goal setting…

Student Staff

Motivation, delegation, empowerment, project mgt., receiving feedback, confrontation, buy-in to dept. mission and goals, performance incentives, multiple supervisors…

And the VC sez… -“Let them know you’re paying attention.”

-“If we expect students to be a community, we must model community.”

-”With the title comes responsibility.”

Today’s Session… Fundamentals of Good Supervision

Developing the Team

Keeping Pace

Supervising Students

Student Development Theory

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning

CASK

Research on Supervision in S.A.

Supervision Fundamentals Establish clear expectations and define the culture

Seek synergy between person and the environment- “FIT”

Describe performance evaluation process, and provide frequent feedback (esp. for new staff)

Confront poor performance QUICKLY, in consultation with AVC Glossl/HR, and through periodic evaluative process

Follow all HR policies and procedures to the letter

Address poor work acumen and poor work habits

Counsel and coach individual team members, and help them separate the personal from the professional

Show appreciation for top performers

Have faith that your boss will “do the right thing”

to develop the team

Communicate up the chain!

http://www.fotosearch.com/clip-art/zen.html

Fundamentals… Supervisors need to stress that young staff members

learn their work while getting to know themselves (Temet Nosce)

Be friendly without being a friend, and value being respected over being liked

Know a little about where your staff have been and where they are going

Discuss their career goals

Good supervisors get “out and about”

Fundamentals… Learning styles/personality inventories may be useful

Apply self-exploration/probing techniques (ask supervisee, “How do you think it’s going? What is going well? What is not? What are your biggest successes, challenges & headaches so far?”)

Establish mentors for new staff (but sometimes this complicates supervisory relationship)

Apply different approaches to each staff member (don’t color each canvass with the same brush)

Fundamentals… Establish a bright line between personal and

professional…balance respect for personal life with value for accountability.

Encourage cross training and autonomy

Fellowship Programs

UNCW http://www.uncw.edu/stuaff/pdc/FellowshipProgram.htm

GW http://gwired.gwu.edu/sass/Resources/ProfDev/Fellows/

How do we “Develop the Team?” Communicate expectations

Confront inappropriate behaviors with confidence

Use the FULL CASK model

Counsel and coach

Reward excellence

Professional development

New resp’s

Encourage advancement

What else?

Keeping Pace…

Practice the “Laws of Control”

Observe the “Hawthorne Effect”

Work for work’s reward

Remember who benefits from our work

Provide positive references for those who earn them

Others…

Supervising Students

Have we taught students the game, or assume they already know how to play and know the rules?

Acclimate them to the experience and your expectations from day one, both in groups and as individuals

Teach them how to be a successful employee; tell them what the organization values

Teach them the basics (punctuality, attire, work ethic, “being present,” phone etiquette, customer service…)

Make connections to their career aspirations

Share “Top Skills” employers seek (Thom Rakes)

“Failure is instructive. The person who really

thinks learns quite as much from his failures

as from his successes.” -John Dewey

http://www.experiencefestival.com/the_far_side_-_online

Tell them what they will be evaluated on

Use the CASK Model

Measure their defensiveness (supervise the individual)

Sandwich approach

Teach them about evaluative feedback, your role as an objective supervisor (not personal)

Seek their input and estimation of strengths and limitations

Teach “introspection”

Brush up on Student Development Theory

Key SDT Concepts Optimal student development requires an environment with a

proper balance of challenge and support.

Behavior is a function of the person and the environment.

Understanding “holistic learning” is essential, including taking

an overall, inclusive approach concerning physical,

mental, emotional, and spiritual factors that affect health.

Developmental tasks are skills and competencies that are

mastered and acquired by an individual as he/she gains

increasing mastery over their environment.

Crisis often results from disequilibrium (when one does not

have the skills to manage a situation).

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Erik Erikson’s (1959) Life Span Model

(Eight Stages of Development) 1. Infancy (birth-2)…Basic trust versus mistrust between mother and child

2. Toddlerhood (2-4)…Autonomy versus shame and doubt (potty training)

3. Early School Age (5-7)…Initiative versus guilt (masturbation)

4. Middle School Age (8-12)…Industry versus inferiority (school work)

5. Late Adolescence (18-22)…Individual identity versus role diffusion (adolescence)

6. Early Adulthood (23-34)…Intimacy versus Isolation (marriage)

7. Middle Adulthood (35-60)…Generativity versus stagnation (parenting)

8. Late Adulthood (61- )…Integrity versus despair (dealing with death)

Arthur Chickering’s Seven Vectors

(1969; Linda Reisser in 1993)

Introduced “vectors” as series of developmental tasks both having

direction and magnitude. One may work through more than one

concurrently, but each stage is the central focus at any given time.

Implies fluid motion of development.

1. Developing competence

2. Managing emotions

3. Moving through autonomy toward independence

4. Developing mature interpersonal relationships

5. Establishing identity

6. Developing purpose

7. Developing integrity

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Erikson

(1959)

Five Elements of Identity Resolution 1) Experimentation with varied roles

2) Experiencing choice

3) Meaningful achievement

4) Freedom from excessive anxiety

5) Time for reflection and introspection

Student Affairs: Creating

Experiences for Life

Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning (1964) Still a great model for student development and staff

supervision and “informal evaluation”

Three domains of learning are cognitive, affective, and psychomotor.

The Cognitive domain involves knowledge and the development of intellectual skills.

The Affective domain includes the manner in which we deal with things emotionally, and our attitude.

The Psychomotor domain includes physical movement, coordination, and the use of motor skills.

Adding domain of communication= CASK.

Research on Supervision in S.A. A common cause for attrition of new SAPs is job

dissatisfaction resulting from role ambiguity, role conflict, role orientation, role stress, job burnout, work overload, and perceived opportunities for goal attainment, professional development, and career advancement (Berwick, 1992; Conley, 2001).

Brown (1987) stated that attrition from low morale requires constant training of new professionals. Creamer and Winston (2002) stated that a principal factor for attrition is the quality of supervision received in the first one or two jobs. Effective supervision of new professionals can reduce the propensity of new professionals to leave.

The culture of the H.E. organization has the unique potential to influence a new professional's retention because they encounter a host of issues with entry into the profession (Ellis, 2002; Hamrick & Hemphill, 2002; Marsh, 2001) and need orientation and socialization both to their field of work and to their employing institution (Amey, 1990, 2002; Katz & Tushman, 1983). An effective model of supervision that provides the necessary orientation and socialization to student affairs and higher education is one way to reduce the attrition of new professionals.

Tull, Ashley. (2006). Journal of College Student Development 9.4; 465-480.

Supervision is defined as directing others, overseeing their work,

inspecting their performance

“Good supervision” fosters personal growth and professional development in staff

Supervision in S.A. is the helping process designed to support staff as they work to promote organizational goals and to enhance personal and professional development

Few practitioners have received adequate preparation as supervisors (Schuh & Carlisle, 1997)

Many entry-level supervisors in residence life lack basic supervision skills and confidence to supervise (Winston & Fitch, 1993)

Without proper training, supervisors wing it and rely on their own supervision experiences (good or bad)

Ward, S.R. & Javorek, M.E. (2003, spring). “Applying theory to practice: Supervision in student affairs.” NASPA Journal 40(3): 77-92.

Discussion / Q&A

Clip Art from:

http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/s/steering_wheel.asp

http://www.istockphoto.com/illustration.php?gclid=CLXt_72ws6ACFRJinAodfDzWSw

http://hubpages.com/hub/Gary-Larson

http://fx.worth1000.com/contests/2455/unauthorized-far-side-tribute-5

Purpose of Performance Goals Performance goals:

Communicate expectations

Set measurable standards

Provide a pathway to improvement, growth, and opportunity

Motivate employees to perform at their best Appreciative Inquiry

Purpose of Performance Goals (cont.) Performance goals:

Provide a fair and objective basis for compensation and other rewards

Target training and coaching needs

Create a focus for performance appraisals

Criteria for Effective Performance Goals Job related

Relevant

Measurable

Observable

Attainable

Reasonable

Specific

Challenging

Prioritized

Individualized

Flexible

Written

The Goal-Setting Process Set performance goals with employees

Early and review periodically

Monitor performance

In the moment and during formal & informal evaluations

Document observations

Positive, neutral and deficiencies

Evaluate performance

Use a method that is clear and concise (SWOT/CASK)

Discuss performance with the employee

Set new performance goals together

Clearly defined with timeline

Individualizing Performance Goals

Review job descriptions and hiring specifications

Review past performance

Compare performance with organizational and department goals

Individualizing Performance Goals (cont.)

Consider physical or environmental limitations

Take team goals into account

Think about the employee’s career growth

Consider your manager’s goals and your own performance goals

Setting New Goals Goals not achieved

during the previous period

Career development goals

Changing company or department needs

Additional training or coaching needs

Next level of achievement

Measuring Job Performance Goals Understand the value of measuring job

performance effectively Be consistently objective and specific and

focus on behavior and strengths Select appropriate criteria for measuring

performance Keep complete and accurate records of your

observations Conduct objective, useful performance appraisals

Why is Measuring Job Performance Important? Provides foundation for performance

appraisal system

Supports quality and productivity improvement

Allows you to identify high and low performers

Gives employees valuable feedback

Also… Offers sound basis for managerial

decisions

Identifies training needs

Assists in coaching, counseling, and disciplining employees

Helps avoid discrimination and bias

Helps employees follow HR policies

What Does Measuring Performance Involve?

Basic job standards

Individual performance standards

Department goals

Observation

Evaluation

Objective and Specific

Record facts, not impressions

Focus on performance and behaviors, but also on attitudes

Make specific observations

& give concrete examples

Measuring Results

Focus on accomplishment of goals or responsibilities

Clearly define expectations

Document actual results

Recognize that the employee has control over and impact on results

Combining Measurements to Describe Overall Performance

Getting a true picture

Motivation

Relevance to job

Incorporating knowledge

Rating Systems

Numerical rating scales

Descriptive rating scales

MBO

BARS

SWOT

CASK

Be Fair and Consistent Use the same measures

Apply the system to everyone

Back up your measurements

Explain the system