Part One Understanding the Supervisor’s Role
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Most supervisors support the idea of worker participation in decision making. However, these programs can create challenges and frustrations for first-level managers. They are responsible for implementing employee involvement programs which often require extra time without additional pay. Supervisors are also concerned that turning over so much power and control to subordinates will weaken their on-n positions.¹³ Another: challenge facing the supervisor is to help launch the involvement program without sacrificing short-term productivity.
Guidelines for Supervisory Practice
1. To function effectively as a supervisor, realize that you have to satisfy the demands of higher management, employees, co-workers, staff departments, and sometimes labor unions. All of these groups require some of your attention.
2. To work effectively as a supervisor, and to be promoted into a
higher-level position, you need to develop technical, human
conceptual, diagnostic, and political skills. Most supervisors al-
ready have technical skills. These must be kept current. Devel-
oping the other skills will require study and practice.
3. Recognize that some frustrations are inevitable in the life of a
supervisor. The job is demanding and challenging. The work is
complex; some employees have unrealistic expectations; many
employees do not fear being fired; and some employees have a
weak work ethic.
Summary of Key Points
• A supervisor is a first-level manager who accomplishes work with and through subordinates, all of whom are individual performers. Supervisory jobs vary in title, complexity, and pay. The job of manufacturing supervisor has been upgraded in recent years, partly because organizations now place less reliance on middle managers.
¹³Michael H. Schuster and Christopher S. Miller, “Employee Involvement: Making Supervisors Believers,” Personnel, February 1985, pp.24-28.
