Page 288 - Business Principles and Management

Chapter 11 • Management Functions and Decision Making

11.2 Effective Supervision

Goals Terms
• Identify the responsibilities of • subordinate • work schedules
supervisors. • performance review • work coach
• Describe the day-to-day manage-
ment activities of supervisors.
• Discuss ways that businesses can
improve the skills of supervisors.

upervisors are critical to the success of a business. They work directly with
employees and are responsible for translating the company’s plan into
S action. One of their most important tasks is to create a work environment
that motivates employees to do their best. They must also make sure all of the
work assigned to their area of responsibility is completed on time and that it
meets established standards of quality.

The Supervisor’s Job

Supervisors are often promoted into management in the same part of the business
where they work. Remember from the beginning of the chapter that Erik was a
network specialist for Freeden. Usually, supervisors are selected from among the
most experienced and most skilled employees in an area. However, they will prob-
ably have little or no management training.
As first-level managers, supervisors are responsible for the day-to-day activi-
ties of the company’s employees. They need to understand and work with both
employees and management. They serve as the communications link between
management and nonmanagement employees. Supervisors must implement the
decisions of management. At the same time, they must solve employee problems
and present employee concerns to management.
The job of supervisor will be quite different from the work they had been
doing. They may not have the level of confidence or immediately have the same facts
success they were used to as experienced employees. They often need to develop &
different working relationships with employees than they are used to. In the past,
the employees they worked with were their coworkers. Now employees are their figures
subordinates. A subordinate is subject to the authority and control of another
person. Supervisors must command respect from the employees who report to
them but in a way that encourages employees to do their best. Moving from the In a recent year, the Bureau of
role of coworker to the role of boss is not an easy change. Many supervisors fail Labor Statistics reported that
due to their inability to make that change. just under 6.5 million Americans
The effectiveness of a supervisor’s job is determined by three factors: (1) the worked as managers, earning
quality of the work of the supervised employees, (2) the efficient use of the an average annual salary of
company’s resources, and (3) the satisfaction of the supervisor’s employees. $83,400. This compares to the
If the employees are not doing the work well, management will not be pleased average earnings of $36,520
with the supervisor’s performance. If they are not using resources efficiently, for all employees.

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