the supervisor’s role in management - mcgraw hill...

The Supervisor’s Role in Management

L E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E S

After studying this chapter, you should be able to

● Identify the level of the supervisor’s position in a managementteam.

● Describe the major competencies supervisors are expected to bring to their work.

● Discuss the resources supervisors must manage and the resultsobtained from them.

● Identify the key behaviors that are likely to positively affectemployee attitudes and performance.

● Discuss the need for balancing a concern for output and a concern for the people who perform the work.

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What is management? Why is it important?

Management is the process of obtaining, deploying, and utilizing a vari-ety of essential resources to contribute to an organization’s success—botheffectively and efficiently. Managers are deemed effective if they achievetheir goals and efficient if they do so with a minimal amount of resourcesfor the amount of outputs produced. One of the most important resourcesof an organization is its employees. Managers devote a large proportionof their efforts to planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controllingthe work of human and other resources. One clear distinction betweenmanagers and other employees, however, is that managers direct the workof others rather than perform the work themselves.

Where do supervisors fit in the management process?

They are an essential part of it. Supervisors perform exactly the samefunctions, to a greater or lesser degree, as all other managers in theirorganization—up to and including the chief executive. Each specific task,every responsibility, all the various roles that supervisors are called onto perform are carried out by the management process (Figure 1-1). Thisprocess is repeated over and over, daily, weekly, and yearly, and consistsof five broad functions. From a supervisor’s standpoint, each function hasa particular significance:

Planning. This is the function of setting goals and objectives andconverting them into specific plans. For a supervisor, the outcomesof planning include operating schedules, quality specifications,expense budgets, timetables, and deadlines. The planning processalso establishes policies, standard operating procedures, regulations,and rules.

Organizing. In performing this function, a supervisor lines up allavailable resources, including departmental tools, equipment,materials, and—especially—the workforce. It is at this stage that

the organizational structure of a department isdesigned and its work is divided up into jobs.

Staffing. This is the function by which supervi-sors figuratively put flesh on the organizationalstructure. Supervisors first figure out exactlyhow many and what kinds of employees adepartment will need to carry out its work. They

2 PART 1 Supervisory Management

www.amanet.org/index.htmA Source for Management Development.Access the American ManagementAssociation (AMA) site to see what thisnonprofit organization provides in the form of educational forums and resources formanagers.

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Management. The process ofobtaining, deploying, andutilizing a variety of essentialresources in support of anorganization’s objectives.

Manager. An individual whoplans, organizes, directs, andcontrols the work of others inan organization.

Management process. Coversfive key functions of planning,organizing, staffing, leading,and controlling organizationalresources for the attainment ofresults.

Members of a Unique Team

C O N C E P TSupervisors are anessential part of themanagement team.

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CHAPTER 1 The Supervisor’s Role in Management 3

then interview, select, and train those people who appear to bemost suitable to fill the open jobs.

Leading. This function gets the blood flowing in an organization.Supervisors energize the vital human resources of their departmentby providing motivation, communication, and leadership.

Controlling. Once departmental plans are set in motion, supervi-sors must periodically keep score on how well the plans are work-ing out. To do so, supervisors measure results, compare them withwhat was expected, judge how important the differences may be,and then take whatever action is needed to bring results into line.Controlling is closely linked to planning (as Figure 1-1 shows),because control actions are guided by the goals established duringthe planning process.

In theory, supervisors perform the five functions of the managementprocess in the order listed above. In practice, however, supervisors per-form all the management functions in one way or another each time actionis in order. They may find themselves shortcutting the managementprocess sequence or turning back on it, inasmuch as each problem situationis unique and calls for its own solution.

Why is it called a process?

It is called a management process because it moves progressively from onestage to another in a fairly consistent sequence. In a fast-food restaurant,for example, a supervisor first plans the daily schedule, then organizesthe tasks and resources, then assigns people to their roles, then directs theprocess by giving orders and instructions, and, finally, controls, or checksup on, results. In a typical office, a similar management process takes placeas supervisors plan the workday, organize the work and the staff, directothers by communicating and motivating, and control by seeing that workprocedures are followed properly.

Peter Drucker’s commentregarding the planning

process: Trying to predictthe future is like trying todrive down a country road

at night with no lightswhile looking out the

back window.

&Quips Quotes

Management process. Themajor managerial functions ofplanning, organizing, staffing,leading, and controlling carriedout by all managers in arepetitive sequence or cycle.

FIGURE 1-1Functions in the managementprocess. Which function demands themost of a supervisor’s time?

Planning

Goals

Organizing

Staffing

Controlling

Leading

This process is carried on repeatedly, day by day, month by month,and year by year. For this reason many people refer to it as the manage-ment cycle.

Why is so much emphasis placed on the management process?

There are two reasons. First, the process serves to differentiate the workof managers from the work of nonmanagers. Second, the managementprocess provides a valuable underpinning that guides the practice ofmanagement and its various approaches.


Q U I C K T E S T 1 1 T or F Supervisors perform the same five functions that othermanagers do.

2 T or F The function of leading includes staffing, motivating,and communicating.

Executive. A top-level managerin charge of a group ofsubordinate managers; thisperson establishes broad plans,objectives, and strategies.

Middle manager. A person whoreports to an executive and whodirects supervisory personneltoward the attainment of goalsand the implementation ofplans of an organization.

Supervisor. A manager who isin charge of, and coordinatesthe activities of, a group ofemployees engaged in relatedactivities within a unit of anorganization.

Supervisors Versus Managers

C O N C E P TThe role of managersdiffers from organizationto organization, but thesupervisory role is clearlydefined by federal laws.

2 Are all managers alike?

No. Managers, and the work they do, differ somewhat by the organizationthey are in (for example, for-profit versus nonprofit organizations), the sizeof the firm, their industry, their country’s cultural norms, their personalvalues and experiences, and especially their level in the organization’s hier-archy. This latter difference is illustrated in Figure 1-2. At the top of anorganization are its executives (often a chief executive officer—the CEO—and some vice-presidents). Executives are in charge of, and responsiblefor, a group of other managers. Executives establish a vision for the organ-ization, define its mission, develop broad strategies, set objectives andplans, and implement broad policy guidelines. Then they motivate, direct,and monitor the work of the managers who report to them.

Middle managers plan, initiate, and implement programs that areintended to carry out the broader objectives set by executives. Middlemanagers motivate, direct, and oversee the work of the supervisors (andany other managers and employees) who report to them.

Supervisors are managers who normally report to middle managers.Supervisors are responsible for getting the “line” employees to carry outthe plans and policies set by executives and middle managers. Super-visors plan, direct, motivate, and monitor the work of nonmanagerial


employees at the operational level of the organization. Examples of lineemployees include production workers, bank tellers, short-order cooks,lab assistants, programmers, nurses, and thousands of other “hands-on”and knowledge (e.g., professional) workers. Some supervisors—abouthalf the total—are called first-level supervisors, as they have only non-managerial employees reporting to them. Others are called second-levelsupervisors, because they supervise a combination of other supervisorsand nonmanagerial employees.

In many organizations, the relative number of middle managersshrank significantly during the 1990s and the early twenty-first century.This was due mainly to a desire to cut administrative costs through theprocess of “restructuring,” the increasing use of computer-based infor-mation systems to fulfill the middle manager’s former role, a desire to“flatten” the organizational hierarchy, and the growing capacity and desireof many employees to take on greater responsibilities. As a consequence,supervisors now have greater challenges and expanded roles in planningand controlling their employees’ work. In turn, supervisors have becomeincreasingly dependent on the information provided by managementinformation systems.

Legally, what makes a supervisor a supervisor?

The federal laws of the United States provide two definitions of asupervisor.

1. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 says that a supervisor is

. . . any individual having authority, in the interest of the employer, tohire, transfer, suspend, lay off, recall, promote, discharge, assign,reward, or discipline employees, or responsibility to direct them or toadjust their grievances, or effectively to recommend such action, if inconnection with the foregoing the exercise of such authority is notmerely of a routine or clerical nature, but requires the use of inde-pendent judgment.

Nonmanagerial employees.Often referred to as employeesor associates; workers whoreceive direction fromsupervisors and then performspecific, designated tasks.

Supervisors

Nonmanagerial employees

Middle managers

Executives

FIGURE 1-2Managerial levels. Where do first-levelsupervisors fit into thediagram?

Origin of the TermSupervisor

In earlier days, the supervi-sor was the person in chargeof a group of towrope pullersor ditchdiggers. That personwas literally the “fore man,”since he was up forward ofthe work crew. His authorityconsisted mainly of chantingthe “one, two, three, up” thatset the pace for the rest ofthe workers. In Germany, thesupervisor is still called avorarbeiter (“fore worker”); inEngland, the term chargehand is used. Both terms sug-gest the lead-person origin.

The term supervisor has itsroots in Latin, where it means“looks over.” It was originallyapplied to the master of agroup of artisans. Today, thesupervisor’s job combinessome of the talents of the“foreman” (or leader) andthose of the “master” (skilledadministrative artisan).

?Did You Know

The act specifically prohibits supervisors from joining a union ofproduction and clerical workers, although they may form a unioncomposed exclusively of supervisors.

2. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 (or Minimum WageLaw) as amended set the tone for the above by defining a super-visor as

. . . an executive whose primary duty consists of the management of a cus-tomarily recognized department or subdivision; who customarily and reg-ularly directs the work of two or more employees; who has the authorityto hire or fire other employees or whose suggestions and recommenda-tions as to the hiring or firing and as to the advancement and promotionor any other change in status will be given particular weight; who cus-tomarily and regularly exercises discretionary powers; and who does notdevote more than 20 percent of his (or her) hours of work to activitieswhich are not closely related to the (managerial) work described above.

The law also stipulates that supervisors be paid a salary (regard-less of how many hours they work). This provision makes somesupervisors unhappy, since it exempts them from the provision ofthe law that calls for overtime pay after a certain number of hourshave been worked. Many employers, however, voluntarily recog-nize the reality of supervisory overtime by providing them withcompensatory time off or other benefits.

The key thrust of these two laws was to make supervisors a key partof management.

Are supervisors permitted to do the same work asthe people they supervise?

Within the 20 percent stipulation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, thereis no law preventing this. Most companies with labor unions, however,have a contract clause that prohibits a supervisor from performing anywork that a union member would ordinarily do (except in clearly definedemergencies, in which the supervisor would do as she or he sees fit).

This is a valid and practical point. Few companies want supervisorsto do the work their other employees are hired to do. Supervisors aremost valuable when they spend 100 percent of their time supervising. Itmakes little sense for a well-paid supervisor, for instance, to do the workof an employee who is paid at a lower rate.

Do employees ever do the work of supervisors?

Yes! An increasingly common trend, discussed in Chapter 13, is formembers of self-managed teams to share many of the responsibilities(and perform many of the roles) that supervisors previously performed.This has resulted in a blurring of the supervisor-employee distinction and


Salary Versus OvertimeAssume that you have workedin a three-person office forseveral years. Recently, thesupervisor of the unit retired.The manager came to you andexplained that a “budgetcrunch” prevents the companyfrom replacing the supervi-sor, but that you have beenselected to assume some ofthe supervisory roles whilestill performing most of yourprevious duties. Your job willconsist of about 70 percenttechnical tasks (as before)and about 30 percent super-visory tasks (including over-seeing the work of the othertwo employees). You will re-ceive the title of “Supervisor”and switch to a salaried posi-tion, but you will no longerqualify for overtime. Accord-ing to the FLSA, is there alegal or ethical issue involvedhere? Explain.

EthicalPerspectives


vastly increased the need for supervisors to become better coaches todevelop these skills in their employees. Some observers even predict thatthe title supervisor will be replaced by team leader and other descrip-tors. Other commentators assert that supervisors play a more importantorganizational role than ever before. Whichever direction is true, muchof the material in this book will be highly relevant to nonmanagerialemployees as well as current supervisors.

A Body of Knowledge from Which to Draw

C O N C E P TSupervisors become activein the managementprocess by applyingestablished managementprinciples and practices tooperating problems.

Q U I C K T E S T 23 T or F Supervisors are commonly considered middlemanagers but not executives.

4 T or F Supervisors are the types of employees most likely tobe downsized in a cost-reduction effort (restructuring).

What does it take for a supervisor to become a manager?

Thinking and acting like one. Management is characterized by a profes-sional—or disciplined—approach to the work environment. Individualswho move into supervision must begin to think in a systematic way. Theyneed to approach their work positively, rather than passively. They shouldaccept the responsibility of making things happen for the better in anorganization. They shift their roles from those that entail just followingorders, to those that require making task assignments, helping otherssolve problems, and making decisions. They become increasingly awareof their involvement in a complex system of organizational activities, andthey act accordingly.

Where can one learn about management?

Newly appointed supervisors are not left alone without guidance. Fortu-nately, they have a vast background of management experiences to drawupon (see Job Tip.) First of all, supervisors can begin their new assignmentsby immersing themselves in the five responsibilities outlined for them inthe management process. They can look next for guidance to a set of 10basic management principles. And they can learn many “tricks of the trade”about effective supervision by interacting with a managerial mentor—anexperienced person willing to engage in frequent dialogue to provide

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JOBYou Need to Read

TIP!

Did you know that supervisors whowish not only to succeed in their cur-rent positions but achieve future pro-motions read widely? They obtainpractical ideas by reading publica-tions such as Supervision; theybroaden their knowledge about busi-ness by scanning publications suchas Business Week and Fortune; andthey stay in touch with what’s hap-

pening in the corporate world byreading the business section of theirlocal metropolitan newspaper oreven scanning selected portions ofthe Wall Street Journal. Here’s somevaluable advice: Talk to a couple ofmanagers and ask them what theyread, and what they recommend youread. They’ll be impressed, and you’llgain some valuable information!

developmental guidance and support. Over a period of time, supervisorsfinally acquire a sense of the many factors at play in their spheres of influ-ence. And from this sensitivity, they develop an invaluable flexibility. Thisenables them to do the right things at the right times for each situationthey face.

How do management principles relate to the management process?

They stem from the same source, according to Henri Fayol, an especiallyeffective chief executive of a French mining company. Fayol was the firstperson to conceive of management as a separate “process of administra-tion,” consisting of several distinct functions and based on certain “prin-ciples.” Fayol’s writings (1916) led to the current generally acceptednotion of the management process. His management principles as statedin those writings are acknowledged as widely applicable guidelines forcarrying out the management process.

Exactly what are the principles of management?

They consist of a number of practical guidelines that many authorities thinkcontain the “essence of management.” Here, arbitrarily numbered, are theprinciples that appear to have the greatest value for today’s supervisors:

1. Work should be divided so that each per-son will perform a specialized portion. Inmaking a sailboat, for instance, one personwill lay up the hull, another caulk, andanother make sails. This division of workprovides clarity in job assignments andhelps workers increase their skill levels.

Management principles. A setof guidelines established byHenri Fayol and others forcarrying out the managementprocess.

www.brunel.ac.uk/~bustcfj/bola/competence/fayol.htmlFayol’s Principles. Read more details aboutHenri Fayol and his principles of management,and compare them to the shorter discussionin the text.

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2. Managers must have the right (authority) to give orders andinstructions, but they must also accept responsibility for whetherthe work is done correctly.

3. Managers are responsible for exacting discipline and buildingmorale among members of their workforce, but they must recip-rocate by offering something of value. Said another way, if youwant loyalty and cooperation from employees, you must be loyaland cooperative in return.

4. An individual should have only one boss. Fayol called thisunity of command. Experience bears this out: If an employeereports to more than one superior, confusion and conflict arelikely to result.

5. Every organization should have only one master plan, one set ofoverriding goals. Such unity of direction is lost if the purchasingdepartment, for example, slows down the production department’soutput by buying materials from a less costly but undependablesupplier when the company’s overall commitment is to shiporders on time.

6. Similar to the principle of unity of direction is Fayol’s insistencethat all individuals, especially managers, place their personalinterests second to those of the total organization.

7. Pay and rewards (remuneration) should reflect each person’sefforts and, more important, each person’s contribution to theorganization’s goal. Each employee should be paid according toindividual worth rather than at the whim of a manager whomight be inclined to play favorites.

8. Orders and instructions should flow down a chain of commandfrom the higher manager to the lower one. Fayol also said thatformal communications and complaints should move upward inthe same channel. In practice, however, it has proved to be agood idea to permit and encourage the exchange of work infor-mation sideways between departments as well. The real troubleseems to occur when a manager bypasses a supervisor withinstructions to an employee or when an employee goes over asupervisor’s head to register a complaint. This is known asblindsiding.

9. Employees should be treated equally and fairly. Fayol called thisequity. It invites dissatisfaction and conflict among employees,for example, when a supervisor gives one employee a breakwhile sticking to the rules for another.

10. Managers should encourage initiative among employees. Otherthings being equal, a manager who allows some flexibility on thepart of subordinates is infinitely superior to one who cannot doso. This classic principle forms the basis for the modern practiceof empowerment (to be discussed in Chapter 8).


Division of work. The principlethat performance is moreefficient when a large job isbroken down into smaller,specialized jobs.

Unity of command. Theprinciple that each individualshould report to only one boss.

Unity of direction. The principlethat there should be a singleset of goals and objectivesthat unifies the activities ofeveryone in an organization.

Chain of command. The formalchannels in an organizationthat distribute authority fromtop to bottom.

How does a person become a supervisor?

Three out of four supervisors are promoted from the ranks of the organi-zation in which they serve. Typically, they have greater experience, haveheld more different jobs in the organization, and have significantly moreeducation (formal or informal) than do the employees they supervise. Usu-ally, it is apparent that supervisors are chosen from among the best andmost experienced employees in the organization. This isn’t necessarily agood thing. Demonstrated knowledge and skill in the technology at handis very helpful to a supervisor, of course. It says nothing, however, aboutthe management skills that are needed, too. Just as many superior athletesfail as coaches while lesser athletes succeed, there is a similar pattern amongsupervisors who can’t handle the interpersonal aspects of the job.

Other than the supervisors who rise from the ranks, about 10 percententer the position directly from a college or technical institute or are spe-cially prepared by a company-sponsored training program. Another 15 per-cent are hired into the position from another company or organization.

How long does the transition into supervision usually take?

The fact that someone is named to be a supervisor doesn’t mean the com-plete change takes place overnight. The transition from worker to super-visor often moves through five overlapping stages over several months(or even years):

1. Taking hold. This is usually a short phase, where the focus is onlearning how to run the department, establishing personal credibil-ity, and beginning to build a power base.

2. Immersion. This lasts longer, while a supervisor gets to know thereal problems of the department and becomes fully informed aboutthe operations there.

3. Reshaping. During this period, a supervisor gradually rebuilds thedepartment to fit his or her style, makes meaningful contributions


Q U I C K T E S T 3 5 T or F Unity of direction and unity of command mean prettymuch the same thing.

6 T or F The chain of command principle should always beadhered to rigidly.

Many Competencies Required

C O N C E P TSupervisors must bring totheir managerial work abroad range of technicaland interpersonalcompetencies, along withcertain personalcharacteristics.

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to operating procedures, and begins to place an “imprint” on theway of doing things.

4. Consolidation. In this phase, the supervisor works to removedeeply rooted problems while perfecting the changes made inprevious periods.

5. Refinement. This is an opportunity for fine-tuning the operations,consolidating the gains, and seeking new opportunities for makingimprovements.

What personal characteristics does highermanagement look for in selecting supervisors?

The job of supervision is so demanding that higher management tendsto look for superpeople to fill the role. Most firms, however, establish aset of criteria against which supervisory candidates are judged. The mostsought-after qualities in a supervisor include the following:

Job-related technical competence:● Job knowledge● Grasp of financial information● Results orientation

Management—at any level—isa challenging, yet rewardingjob. How can you best prepareyourself for a career insupervision?

Career-related skills:● Problem solving● Communication● Leadership● Teachability (rapid and willing learner)● Ability to adapt to change● Capacity to build a cohesive team● Demonstrated ability to get along with people● Capacity to present oneself professionally in public

Personal characteristics:● Integrity and credibility● Tenacity, dedication, and perseverance● Flexibility● Risk-taking propensity● Willingness to take initiative● Tolerance for stress● Positive attitude● Dependability and reliability● Creativity● Energy and good health

How do supervisory job roles differ from those atother levels of management?

They differ only in degree. Higher-level managers spend more time plan-ning and less time directing, for example. The people who studied thismatter came up with several useful conclusions. They first divided all thetasks and responsibilities we have listed so far in this text into three kindsof roles. Roles are the parts played by actors on a stage; they are also thereal-life parts played by managers and supervisors in an organization.These three roles can be classified as those requiring the following:

● Technical skills. Job know-how; knowledge of the industry and itsparticular processes, equipment, and problems.

● Administrative skills. Knowledge of the entire organization andhow it is coordinated, knowledge of its information and recordssystem, capacity to interact with key constituents (often calledstakeholders), and ability to plan and control work.

● Interpersonal skills. Knowledge of human behavior and the abilityto work effectively with individuals and groups—peers and superi-ors as well as subordinates.

The observers then concluded that the role of the supervisor emphasizestechnical and interpersonal skills most and administrative skills least. Thisemphasis tends to reverse itself with higher-level managers, as illustrated inFigure 1-3. Note the importance of interpersonal relations at all levels!


Thoughtstoponder

The world is changing—rapidly. A wide variety oftrends are emerging (or arealready in place), and manyof them will directly affectthe role of supervisors.

● As dramatically as e-mailhas affected the world ofwork, Internet expertspredict that powerful newtechnologies will emergethat will further revolu-tionize (and integrate)communications by e-mail,voice mail, fax trans-missions, and the like.● Despite the decline inmanufacturing jobs,unions are still a strongand potent force in manyworkplaces.● Workplace discontent ispervasive, with as many as40 percent of employeesreporting feeling“trapped” in their jobs.● Severe shortages ofskilled workers will createmajor problems forrecruiting and retainingqualified employees.● Interest in “spirituality”at work is rising as workersseek meaning andpurpose in their jobs inaddition to adequatecompensation.

Source: Caroline Louise Cole, et al., “25Trends That Will Change the Way You DoBusiness,” Workforce, June 2003, 43–56.


What main supervisory behaviors are associatedwith results?

Though they vary somewhat from job to job and firm to firm, there are anumber of regularly performed duties of the supervisory job that requireattention. The broadest category could simply be called performancemanagement. This is an ongoing process of clarifying and communicat-ing performance expectations to employees, and then providing coachingand feedback to reinforce the desired actions. In addition, supervisors needto engage in personal time management, attend meetings and conferences,solve problems, provide training to employees, and handle a wide rangeof communications.

What two major end results are supervisors seeking?

The purpose of the management process is to convert the resources avail-able to a supervisor’s department into a useful end result. Said anotherway, a supervisor is in charge of seeing that inputs are transformed intooutputs in his or her department, as illustrated in Figure 1-4. This endresult, or output, is either a product or a service.

A product might be a pair of shoes, a loaf of bread, a bicycle, orsteel strings for a guitar. Your product may be partially complete, so thatit becomes the material resource for the next department in your factory.It may become the raw material for use in another manufacturing plant.Or, it may be ready, like a pair of shoes, to be sold directly to a con-sumer without further work performed on it.

The most-desired manage-ment skill is good commu-

nication, followed by asense of vision, honesty,

decisiveness, and ability tobuild good relationships

with employees.

Right Management Consultants

&Quips Quotes

Performance management.The ongoing process ofclarifying and communicatingperformance expectations toemployees, and then providingcoaching and feedback toensure the desired actions.

ManagementManagement levelslevels

SkillsSkills

Supervisors Middle managers Executives

Administrativeskills

Interpersonalskills

Technicalskills

Need for a particular management skillNeed for a particular management skill FIGURE 1-3How the need for managerialskills varies at different levelsof management. Why are interpersonal skillsso important to a supervisor?

A service may be providingaccounting information for a produc-tion department, inspecting a productas it is being made, or creating aschedule for others to follow. A ser-vice may be provided directly for aconsumer, as in supplying an insur-ance policy or handling cash andchecks for a bank customer. It maybe maintaining machinery in a plantor washing windows in a shoppingcenter.

Whether the endpoint is a prod-uct or a service, the managementprocess is designed to make sure thatthe result is at least as valuable as thecombined cost of the initial resourcesand the expense of operating theprocess. In a business enterprise aprofit is made when the result can besold at a price that is higher than thetotal cost of providing it. If the reverseis true, the business assumes a loss.

How is supervisory performance judged byhigher management?

It is judged by two general measures: (1) how well you manage the var-ious resources made available to you to accomplish your assignments and(2) how good the results are in terms of several criteria (see Figure 1-4).

Management of resources. Resources are the things that, in effect, setyou up in business as a supervisor. They include the following:

● Facilities and equipment. Examples are a certain amount of floorspace, desks, benches, tools, production machinery, and computerterminals. Your job is to keep these resources operating productivelyand prevent their misuse.

● Energy, power, and utilities. Among these resources are heat,light, air-conditioning, electricity, gas, water, and compressed air.Conservation is the principal measure of effectiveness here.

● Materials and supplies. Included are raw materials, parts, andassemblies used to make a product and operating supplies such aslubricants, stationery, computer disks, paper clips, and maskingtape. Getting the most from all your materials and holding waste tothe minimum are the prime measures here.


Costs

Management of human resources

Quality

Quantity

Money

Information

Human resources

Materials and supplies

Energy and utilities

Facilities and equipment

Inputs: Management of resourcesInputs: Management of resources

Outputs: Attainment of resultsOutputs: Attainment of results

FIGURE 1-4Measurement of supervisoryperformance. Will more resources (e.g.,more people, more money)necessarily assure betterresults?


● Human resources. This refers to the workforce in general and toyour employees in particular. Your biggest job is to see that thesepeople are present, trained, productively engaged, and challengedat all times.

● Information. Examples are the information made available by staffdepartments and found in operating manuals, in specificationssheets, and on computer screens. Your success often depends onhow well you can utilize the data and know-how made available to you through these sources.

● Money. All these resources can be measured by how much theycost, although the actual cash will rarely flow through your hands.Nevertheless, supervisors are expected to be prudent in decisionsthat affect expenditures and often have to justify those decisions interms of savings or other benefits.

Attainment of results. It follows that if you manage each of yourresources well, you should get the desired results. Whatever your par-ticular area of responsibility and whatever your organization, you can besure that you will be judged in the long run by how well you meet thesefour objectives:

● Quantity. Specifically, your department will be expected to turn outa certain amount of work per day, per week, and per month. It willbe expected that this will be done on time, to specifications, andwithin budget.

● Quality and workmanship. Output volume alone is not enough.You will also be judged by the quality of the work your employeesperform, whether it is measured in terms of the number of productdefects, service errors, or customer complaints.

● Costs and budget control. Your output and quality efforts willalways be restricted by the amount of money you can spend tocarry them out. Universally, supervisors are asked to search forways to lower costs even further.

● Management of human resources. You will face many potentialproblems in the areas of employee turnover, theft, tardiness, absen-teeism, discipline, and morale. Managing these dimensions ofemployee satisfaction and behavior will be a key element of youroverall success.

Q U I C K T E S T 47 T or F Most supervisors have risen to their positions fromwithin the organization.

8 T or F The most important skill set for supervisors lies in theadministrative domain.


Employee-centered supervision.A method of supervision thatplaces an emphasis on agenuine concern and respectfor employees, and on themaintenance of effectiverelationships within a workgroup.

Task-centered supervision.A method of supervision thatplaces an emphasis on the jobor task that employees areexpected to perform to produceresults.

Technicalconcerns

Administrativeconcerns

Task-centeredconcerns

Employee-centeredconcerns

Interpersonalconcerns

FIGURE 1-5Supervisors must balancetheir task-centered concernswith their employee-centeredconcerns. How do those concernsdiffer?

A Concern for Both Work and People

C O N C E P TEffective supervisorsbalance the application oftheir skills between thework to be done and aconcern for the peoplewho perform the work.

Supervisory balance: What does it mean?

Simply this: Pay as much attention to interpersonal factors as to techni-cal and administrative matters combined.

In other words, be as employee centered as you are job or taskcentered in your interests. Or, said still another way, spend as much timemaintaining individual satisfaction, group cohesiveness, direction, andmorale as you do pushing for productivity or task accomplishment.

It would be misleading to conclude that being nice is the answerto employee productivity. It isn’t. As in sports, nice players often fin-ish last. The important conclusion from research is that supervisorswho focus on job demands to the exclusion of their interest in the wel-fare and the development of their people don’t get the long-termresults they are looking for. Conversely, supervisors who bend overbackward to make work easy for their employees don’t get goodresults either. It takes a balance between the two approaches, as shownin Figure 1-5.

What’s a normal day in the life of a supervisor?

Many supervisors say that there is no such thing as a normal day. Onething is certain, however: A supervisor’s day is full of interruptions. Esti-mates are that a typical supervisor handles from 50 to 80 problems aday. Thankfully, many of these problems are simple or short-lived. Nev-ertheless, solving problems quickly and systematically is the name of thegame. Accordingly, anything supervisors can do to put order and systeminto their days is strongly encouraged.

5


What kinds of pressures do new supervisors face?

Both internal and external forces bear on supervisors. Internally,a person who is promoted to a supervisory position makes amajor transition from one mode of thinking to another. As anemployee, an individual’s concerns are with self-satisfaction interms of pay, job satisfaction, and work-life balance. As a man-ager, the same person is expected to place the organization’sgoals above all other job-related concerns. This means that asupervisor worries first about meeting quotas, quality, and coststandards; second about the employees who do the work; andlast about herself or himself. The difference in priorities is enor-mous, and requires a substantial realignment of thinking.

In addition to role differences, a new supervisor faces con-flicting external pressures initiated by two groups. Highermanagers have their expectations, and lower employees havetheir needs and demands. The supervisor takes pressure fromboth sides, much as a keystone in an organizational arch does(Figure 1-6). Without the keystone, however, the arch wouldcollapse, and so the supervisor’s role is highly crucial. Thepressures felt can be handled best when a supervisor:

● Admits the need for help, and seeks it from peers, boss, andemployees.

● Provides a strong role model for employees by demonstrating goodwork habits.

● Anticipates both changes and crises, and prepares for them.● Listens a lot and minimizes arguments with others.● Learns to handle the inevitable stress from the job.

The supervisor’s workday can be hectic. How important is multitasking forsupervisory success?

Middle- and upper-level managers

Employees

First-linesupervisors

FIGURE 1-6Supervisors as the keystonein the organizational arch. What kinds of pressure willeach group exert on thesupervisor?


Q U I C K T E S T 5 9 T or F Supervisors should focus on their employees morethan on the tasks to be accomplished.

10 T or F Most days in the life of a supervisor are highlypredictable and relatively interruption-free.

Practical Guidelines for Supervisors

1. Study the job of managing and keep learning.

2. Maintain a focus on your key tasks (planning,organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling)despite the presence of daily crises.

3. Recognize that your job, although somewhatdifferent in emphasis, must mesh with thepriorities, demands, and goals of highermanagement.

4. Find ways to involve employees in key tasks anduse their inputs.

5. Follow the chain of command whenever possible.

6. Treat employees fairly.

7. Be patient with your own developmental progress,remembering the stages of transition you probablywill go through.

8. Display integrity, consideration, energy, patience,and flexibility.

9. Find creative ways to achieve the multiple resultsyou are accountable for with the inputs you areprovided.

10. Strive for balance—between being employee-centered and task-centered, between thepressures from employees and those from highermanagement, and between your work and yourpersonal life.


Chapter 1 Review

Key Concepts to Remember

1. Members of a Unique Team. Supervisors oc-cupy the vital first level of management that in-teracts directly with the workforce. Managerialwork is different from nonmanagerial work inthat managers, including supervisors, devote mostof their time and energy to planning, organizing,staffing, leading, and controlling.

2. Supervisors Versus Managers. Supervisorsare on the first rung on the managerial ladder.They usually direct multiple employees, canhire and fire, do not qualify for overtime pay,and have discretionary use of resources. In-creasingly, they share some responsibilitieswith employees.

3. A Body of Knowledge from Which to Draw. Su-pervisors are expected to act professionally, thinkpositively, and be rational as they solve problems.They draw from a vast body of accumulatedknowledge about the management process andprinciples (such as division of work, unity ofcommand, subordination of their interests tothose of the organization, chain of command, andequity). These principles are general in natureand are subject to interpretation and judgment intheir application.

4. Many Competencies Required. Supervisorsoften rise from employee ranks, and then gothrough a five-stage transitional process. To beable to learn and perform well in their roles, su-pervisors must bring to the position a wide rangeof skills, personal qualities, and technical compe-tencies. The characteristics most often expectedof supervisors include integrity, perseverance,stress tolerance, energy, and a positive attitude.They improve their effectiveness by developingtheir technical (know-how) skills, administrative(planning, implementing, innovating) skills, andinterpersonal (communication, motivational,counseling) skills. Supervisors draw upon a vari-ety of inputs to produce results that are measuredin terms of quantity, quality, costs, and effectiveuse of human resources.

5. A Concern for Both Work and People. In carry-ing out their responsibilities, supervisors must becareful not to be overzealous by either (a) pushingemployees too hard for production or better serviceor (b) being overly protective of their employees.Supervisors face a variety of pressures and stressesin the workday, and must also learn to juggle com-peting demands from management and employees.

Reading Comprehension

1. There is one clear distinction between man-agers and their employees. What is it?

2. How many levels of management are therein a typical organization? At which level aresupervisors found?

3. What characteristics of a supervisory man-agement job are stressed by the two lawsthat define this position?

4. What is the purpose, or objective, of themanagement process?

5. Give a specific example of an activity thatmight be included in each of the five func-tions of the management process.

6. Why did Henri Fayol advise that an organi-zation should have unity of direction?

7. Energy, good health, and self-control areamong the characteristics looked for in asupervisor. Why are these qualitiesimportant?


Chapter 1 Review Continued

8. Which two broad categories of performanceare typically used to judge the effectivenessof supervisors at their work?

9. How is supervisory management similar tohigher-level management? How is it different?

10. Why are supervisors advised to achieve“balance” in the application of their skills?

ApplicationSelf-AssessmentHow Good Are Your Supervisory Skills?

Read the following statements carefully. Circle the number on theresponse scale that most closely reflects the degree to which each state-ment describes you. Add up your total points and prepare a brief actionplan for self-improvement. Be ready to report your score for tabulationacross the entire group.

Good Poor Description Description

1. I am good at setting goals and working 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1to achieve them on time.

2. I can define a problem and work it 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1through to completion.

3. I enjoy assigning tasks to others and 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1holding them responsible for results.

4. I am an attentive listener; I don’t 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1interrupt others.

5. I am able to stimulate others toward task 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1achievements without offending them.

6. I am willing to criticize the work of others 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1when their work is not acceptable.

7. I have consciously chosen a style of 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1leadership that I will use.

8. I enjoy training people how to do things 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1and coaching them to success.

9. I am good at explaining things to others 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1in a clear fashion.

10. Once a goal is set, I strive hard to 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1meet it on schedule.


Scoring and Interpretation

Scoring

Add up your total points for the 10 questions. Record that number here,and report it when it is requested. ______

Also, insert your score on the Personal Development Plan in theAppendix.

Interpretation

81 to 100 points. You seem to have a basic set of skills that are appropriate for supervi-sory positions.

61 to 80 points. Take a close look at some of your skills and discuss them with currentsupervisors and managers to see if they need improvement.

Below 60 points. Some of your supervisory skills may be substantially inconsistent withcurrent organizational practices and could be detrimental to a career in supervision.

Identify your three lowest scores and record the question numbers here: ______, ______,______.

Action

Write a brief paragraph detailing an action plan for how you mightsharpen each of these skills. Then pay particularly close attention to thechapters that follow that provide key information about those topics.

Skill DevelopmentImproving Your Capabilities

Assume that you want to become one of the best supervisors you know—one who is truly outstanding. According to an earlier discussion in thischapter, this might require strong capabilities in several of the followingqualities. Identify three key people whose opinions you value and whohave had an opportunity to observe you closely (e.g., your supervisor,your spouse, a co-worker). Ask each of them for specific suggestions forhow you could improve in some of these areas:

1. Physical health ___________________________________________________________________

2. Personal energy _________________________________________________________________

3. Ability to get along with people __________________________________________________

4. Technical competence ___________________________________________________________

5. Self-control under pressure _______________________________________________________

6. Dependability __________________________________________________________________

7. Teachability ____________________________________________________________________

8. Communications _______________________________________________________________

9. Problem solving _______________________________________________________________

10. Leadership ____________________________________________________________________



Cases for AnalysisCase 1The Brand-New Supervisor

Sheryl had just the kind of personality you’d like in a supervisor. Shewas focused, energetic, and friendly. She was brand new on the job, how-ever. She had just received an associate degree in business from a nearbycommunity college, where she had worked her way through as a tellerat a local branch bank. Based on her good work there and her grades incollege, the bank selected her to replace the retiring day supervisor ofits eight-person data processing department.

Action

Commit yourself to a 1-month, 3-month, and 12-month plan of improve-ment by following these suggestions. At the end of each time period,return to the three people and ask them if they’ve seen any change inyou on any of the 10 criteria.

Group ExerciseReaching a Consensus

Step 1: Form small groups of about five persons each. Jointly con-sider Fayol’s 10 principles of management as presented in the text.

Step 2: Arrive at a group consensus on which one of Fayol’s principlesyou would rank as the highest (and the lowest) priority.

Step 3: On the list below, rank the 10 principles from 1 (highest priority)to 10 (lowest priority). Use each number from 1 to 10 only once.

Step 4: Present your results to the class, and discuss the reasons forany substantial differences among groups.

Principle (or Concept) Group Rank

Specialization of jobs

Authority of managers

Need for discipline

Unity of command

Unity of direction

Subordination of personal interest to that of the organization

Pay according to individual worth

Chain of command

Equitable treatment of employees

Encouragement of initiative


From the start on her new job, things did not go quite right forSheryl. For instance, almost immediately Sheryl spotted severalinequities in the existing distribution of assignments. Accordingly, sheprepared a more efficient—and more equitable—assignment schedule.She was disappointed, however, that her employees did not recognizehow fair the new assignments were. Instead, they found all sorts ofways to make the schedule inoperable. Similarly, when Sheryl tried toshow the operators some of the new techniques she had learned in col-lege, they watched politely but continued to function as before. Then,after a few weeks, Sheryl discovered that the employees had arrangedtheir own system of coffee and lunch breaks, without regard to the rulesset forth in the bank’s human resource manual. When Sheryl insistedthat the employees conform to the rules in the manual, there was almosta rebellion.

Try as she might, things did not improve for Sheryl. The cruelestblow, however, fell at the end of Sheryl’s first month on the job, whenthe bank manager called her into the office to review her progress. Themanager said, “What’s going on out there? I’m hearing all sorts ofvague complaints from your employees. Furthermore, our records showthat the output and quality from your department have fallen off sharplysince you took over. What do you intend to do about it?”

Analysis

If you were Sheryl, which of the following actions would you considermost effective for you to take? Rank the alternatives on a scale of 1 (mostpreferable) to 5 (least preferable). You may add another alternative if youwish. Be prepared to justify your ranking.

_____ a. Ask for the bank manager’s help and support in en-forcing rules and changing the assignments in yourdepartment.

_____ b. Rethink your approach by placing an emphasis on estab-lishing cooperative relations equal to what you now placeon technical and administrative matters.

_____ c. Back off on the changes you have tried to initiate, andlearn to “go with the flow.”

_____ d. Make a concerted effort to build a better relationship withyour staff, based on a mutual understanding of the depart-ment’s goals.

_____ e. Crack down now on enforcing rules and assignmentsbefore you completely lose control.



Case 2The Rejected Refrigerators

“You’ve got to get your department in order!” That’s the word Davereceived from his boss yesterday. Dave supervises a spot-welding depart-ment in an appliance manufacturing plant. His boss’s complaint wastwofold: Not only was Dave’s department producing too many refriger-ator bodies that were later rejected at inspection, but the cost of rawmaterials consumed by the department was also far more than expected.Dave couldn’t understand the connection. He did know, however, that tospeed up their production rates, his welders did damage a lot of rawmaterials. He also knew that often in their haste, the welders jammed thespot-welding equipment.

Analysis

a. How might there be a connection between the rejects and over-consumption of raw materials and jamming of the weldingequipment?

b. What should Dave do to “straighten out his department”?

Case 3Which Comes First—Departmental Performance or Employee Development?

Fred supervises the accounts receivable section in the accounting divi-sion of a public utility in the Northeast. He is a stickler for performance,and places a major emphasis on his staff’s ability to meet monthly out-put quotas. Accordingly, he was disturbed when one of his more effec-tive employees asked whether Fred could arrange her assignments so thatshe could learn something about billing operations in the division. “Whatdo you want to do that for?” he asked. “I want to improve my chancesfor advancement,” the employee said. “I’ll have to think about it,” saidFred. “I don’t want to do anything that interferes with your meeting yourproduction quotas.”

Analysis

a. What do you think of the employee’s request? Will it interferewith her output or productivity?

b. What answer do you think Fred should give?


Case 4Too Much to Keep Up With

Tami, supervisor of the word processing section of a federal agency, washaving one of those days. She had been pressing her staff of keyboardspecialists to complete a major report in time for distribution to the pressby the next morning. She was interrupted, however, by a call from thehuman resources department. “Would you come up here, please,” saidthe personnel officer. When Tami arrived, she was irritated to find thatone of her employees had registered a grievance related to Tami’s con-tinuing pressure for performance.

“Your handling of people leaves much to be desired,” said the per-sonnel officer.

“What am I supposed to do,” responded Tami, “hold every employeeby the hand all day? We’ve got work to do out there, and I expect eachperson to pitch in.”

“Few people will complain about that,” said the personnel officer,“It’s the way you go about it that causes the trouble. You’re getting areputation for being too heavy-handed.”

“I’ve got all I can do to keep up with the details of this job,” saidTami. “Every day, I’m handling problems involving letter, memo, andreport writing; telephone techniques; resource and reference materials;calculating, transcribing, and copying machines; and now this newbaby—electronic filing. I was put into this job because of my know-how,wasn’t I? Without it, the department would be in a hopeless mess. I can’thelp it if one or two employees are unhappy.”

“It’s more than one or two employees who are unhappy,” said thepersonnel officer, “and it’s up to you now to do something about it.”

Analysis

a. What do you think of Tami’s view of her responsibilities as asupervisor?

b. What are her strengths and weaknesses as a supervisor?c. What might Tami do to improve her overall effectiveness?

A N S W E R S T OQ U I C K T E S T S

Quick Test1

1. T2. F

Quick Test2

3. F4. F

Quick Test3

5. F6. F

Quick Test4

7. T8. F

Quick Test5

9. F10. F

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