SESSION 1

ROLE OF THE SUPERVISOR

BIOGRAPHYI AM TERRY AMIRALI RAMBHARAT. GRADUATE OF U.W.I. WITH A BSC. ECONOMICS. I AM ALSO A HOLDER OF AN MBA AND A POST GRAD CERTIFICATE IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP. STARTED MY CAREER AS A LECTURER AND CO-ORDINATOR AT U.W.I. SCHOOL OF CONTINUING STUDIES, AFTER WHICH I MOVED INTO SECONDARY SCHOOL, A PROFESSION WHICH I ENJOYED TREMENDOUSLY.

IN 2005 I JOINED SBCS AS THE CAMPUS MANAGER, SBCS SAN FERNANDO CAMPUS. NOW I AM A SENIOR MANAGER.

FOR MOST OF MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN IN SUPERVISORY AND MIDDLE MANAGEMENT POSITIONS. I HAVE BEEN A PRESENTER IN AREAS SUCH AS CUSTOMER SERVICE DELIVERY, LEADERSHIP, ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUPERVISORY ESSENTIALS . MY LEADERSHIP STYLE FOCUSES ON TEAM DYNAMICS AS A KEY SUPERVISORY TOOL.

HOUSE RULES

Respect Each Other

Ask Questions

Dont Speak While Others are Speaking

Cross Fertilisation

No Cell Phone usage in the Class

What Happens in this Room STAYS in this Room !! (CONFIDENTIALITY )

INTRODUCTION

In one sentence, write down what you think is your/the main role of a supervisor.

ANSWERJOB RELATED RESPONSIBILITIES

Cost ControlEquipmentGoalsMaterialsPlansProceduresProductivityQualityStandardsTrainingPEOPLE RELATED RESPONSIBILITIES

CoachingCommunicatingDelegatingDiscipliningLeadershipManaging YourselfMotivatingSupervising Others

NEW APPROACH TO SUPERVISINGOver the years, the role of a supervisor has changed significantly from being a top down, autocratic order-giver to a team leader, coach and motivator.

SUPERVISORS NEW PRADIGMfrom orderingfrom telling

from policingfrom each person for himselffrom fear

to asking; and consultingto listening and asking questions.

to coaching.to teamwork

mutual respect.

WHY THE MOVEThis change has come about, not because people are becoming "soft-hearted," but because it is clear that people are more productive if they are happy, motivated and upbeat. This takes place in an employee-friendly environment. They know that happy employees are productive employees.

GUIDELINES FOR SUPERVISORY BEHAVIOURWithout having a clear idea of what is acceptable behaviour for a supervisory, you are likely to model your behaviour after some role model in your life: a parent, a teacher, a boss. This could be good; but it could be disastrous if any of these people is dictatorial and demanding, or weak and indecisive.

A major benefit of Supervisory Training Programme is that it provides you with guidelines about what is acceptable supervisory behaviour, and what is not. Once you know this, you will be more confident in what you do, as you won't be wondering whether you are taking the right action. Also, if you train with other people, you will all learn the same skill set and you will be able to help each other in the future when challenges arise.

WHAT IS "SUPERVISION"?

There are several interpretations of the term "supervision", but typically supervision is the activity carried out by supervisors to oversee the productivity and progress of employees who report directly to the supervisors. For example, first-level supervisors supervise entry-level employees. Depending on the size of the organization, middle-managers supervise first-level supervisors, chief executives supervise middle-managers, etc. Supervision is a management activity and supervisors have a management role in the organization.

DirectorManagerFinanceManagerHuman Resource & Marketing ManagerProductionManager Procurement & WarehousingManager Transport Supervisor FinanceSupervisorMarketingSupervisor HRSupervisor Transport Factory SupervisorFactory SupervisorChief Buyer Supervisor Warehouse

ROLE OF THE SUPERVISORSupervision means overseeing the subordinates at work. The supervisor is a part of the management team and he/she holds the designation of first line managers. He/she is a person who has to perform many functions which helps in achieving productivity. Therefore, supervisor can be called as the only manager who has an important role at execution level. A Supervisor should be called as a manager or operative manager. Primary job is to manage the employees at operative level of management.

Educator

Sponsor

Coach

Counsel

Director

ROLE OF THE SUPERVISOR

FUNCTIONS OF A SUPERVISORPlanning and OrganizingProvision of working conditionsLeadership and GuidanceMotivation Controlling Linking Pin Grievance Handling ReportingReportingIntroducing new work Methods Enforcing DisciplineCoachMentorAdvocate for the OrganisationAdvocate for the Employee

Planning And Organizing

Supervisors basic role is to plan the daily work schedule of the workers by guiding them the nature of their work and also dividing the work amongst the workers according to their interests, aptitudes, skills and interests.

Provision Of Working Conditions

A supervisor plays an important role in the physical setting of the factory/office/space and in arranging the physical resources at right place. This involves providing proper sitting place, ventilation, lighting, water facilities etc. to workers. His/her main responsibility here is to provide healthy and hygienic condition to the workers.

Leadership and Guidance A supervisor is the leader of workers under him/her. He/she leads the workers and influences them to work their best. He/she also guides the workers by fixing production targets and by providing them instruction and guidelines to achieve those targets.

MotivationA supervisor plays an important role by providing different incentives to workers to perform better. There are different monetary and non-monetary incentives which can inspire the workers to work better.

Controlling Controlling is an important function performed by supervisor. This will involve Recording the actual performance against the time schedule. Checking of progress of work. Finding out deviations if any and making solutions If not independently solved, reporting it to top management

Linking Pin A supervisor proves to be a linking pin between management and workers. He communicates the policies of management to workers also passes instructions to them on behalf of management. On the other hand, he has a close contact with the workers and therefore can interact the problems, complaints, suggestions, etc to the management. In this way, he communicates workers problems and brings it to the notice of management.

Grievance Handling The supervisor can handle the grievances of the workers effectively for this he has to do the following things :- He can be in direct touch with workers. By winning the confidence of the workers by solving their problems. By taking worker problems on humanitarian grounds. If he cannot tackle it independently, he can take the help and advice of management to solve it.

ReportingA supervisor has got an important role to report about the cost, quality and any such output which can be responsible for increasing productivity. Factors like cost, output, performance, quality, etc can be reported continually to the management.

Introducing New Work Methods The supervisor here has to be conscious about the environment of market and competition present. Therefore he can innovate the techniques of production. He can shift the workers into fresh schedules whenever possible. He can also try this best to keep on changing and improving to the physical environment around the workers. This will result in Higher productivityHigh Morale of WorkersSatisfying working conditionImproving human relationsHigher ProfitsHigh Stability

Enforcing Discipline A supervisor can undertake many steps to maintain discipline in the concern by regulating checks and measures, strictness in orders and instructions, keeping an account of general discipline of factory, implementing penalties and punishments for the indiscipline workers. All these above steps help in improving the overall discipline of the factory.

Coach

A good supervisor places a high priority on coaching employees. Good coaching involves working with employees to establish suitable goals, action plans and time lines. The supervisor delegates and also provides ongoing guidance and support to the employee as they complete their action plans. Rarely can job goals be established without considering other aspects of an employee's life, e.g., time available for training, career preferences, personal strengths and weaknesses, etc. A supervisor is sometimes confronted with walking a fine line between being a supervisor and the employee's confidant.

Mentor

Usually the supervisor understands the organization and the employee's profession better than the employee. Consequently, the supervisor is in a unique position to give ongoing advice to the employee about job and career. The employee can look to the supervisor as a model for direction and development. An effective mentor-mentee relationship requires the supervisor to accept the responsibility of mentorship. A good supervisor can be a priceless addition to the career of an employee.

Advocate for Organization

Often, the supervisor is the first person to tell employees about new policies and programs from management. It's not uncommon that employees are confused or frustrated by these new actions, and need further clarification and support from supervisors. In the rapidly changing world of today's organizations, it can be a major challenge to present new programs to employees without their being frustrated or even cynical. The supervisor must be authentic, yet tactful.

Advocate for Employee

The supervisor is often responsible to represent the employee's requests and to management, along with also representing the employee's case for deserving a reward. For example, if an employee deserves a promotion, the supervisor often must justify the case for promotion to the supervisor's supervisor, as well. If the employee has a rather unique personal situation that warrants special consideration by the rest of management, the supervisor must explain this situation and how it can be handled. It's not unusual for employees to sometimes see the supervisor as part of "management" while at other times seeing the supervisor as a personal friend.

TechnicalHuman RelationsConceptualDecision-making skillsSupervisory Skills Fall Into Four Basic Areas:

Technical Skills

Technical skills are very important to a supervisor when making decisions about how best to lead and direct the skills and abilities of staff members to successfully meet the organizational goals. Technical skills may include specialized mechanical or scientific knowledge, or they may simply involve knowledge of particular procedures required in your workplace. Supervisors have to be intimately familiar with the jobs and functions they are leading and directing. They must be able to give task instructions to any of their staff, stating how they would like a job to be done.

Human Relations Skills

Supervisors need to be able to understand the people they work with, to motivate them, and to resolve the conflicts that inevitably arise. It also requires empathy such that they can empathize with employees who may be having a personal problem of some nature. It also requires firmness such that they can deal with an employee that is the cause of certain problems.

The conceptual skills may be more difficult to visualize, but they refer to the ability to grasp ideas and translate them into concrete plans and action steps. Supervisors are expected to be able to use their conceptual skills to translate broad organizational goals into departmental targets, then to influence staff to perform their daily tasks in ways that will best meet organizational goals.

Conceptual Skills

involve the ability to analyze information and reach good decisions. Someone with strong decision-making skills can think objectively and creatively.

Decision Making Skills

Supervisory Skills

SUPERVISION STYLESAutocratic Supervisor retains power. He/ she is in charge. Employees expected to obey.Bureaucratic - where the supervisor manages by the book. Everything must be done according to procedure or policy. If it isnt covered by the book, the manager refers to the next level above him or her. This manager is really more of a police officer than a leader.

SUPERVISION STYLES (contd)Laissez-faire - It is one in which the supervisor provides little or no direction and gives employees as much freedom as possible.Democratic - This style is also called the participative style as it encourages employees to be a part of the decision making. The democratic supervisor keeps his/her employees informed and shares decision making and problem solving responsibilities. The supervisor has the final say, but gathers information from staff members before making a decision.

POSSIBLE BARRIERS TO GOOD SUPERVISIONWorksheet

A Good Supervisor

Balances high productivity and moraleIs consistent with modeling expectationsClearly communicates his or her leadership and supervision style Establishes clear goals/standards for the membersInsists on frequent communicationManages positivelyInsists on accountabilityReinforce positive relationships with your team members.Ensure a clear understanding among your team members of the companys vision, mission, core values and goals.

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