Supervising Office Employees

1. Chapter 9 Supervising Office Employees

2. Factors That Determine Amount of Leadership Ability of Supervisors 1. Hierarchical level of supervisor. 2. Number of individuals for whom supervisor is responsible. 3. Nature of work performed by supervisors. 4. Background of subordinates. 5. Stability of work unit.

3. Leadership Is the ability to get things done through and with others.

4. Behavioral Theories of Leadership Leadership Styles Autocratic Approach Democratic Approach Laissez-faire Approach Leadership Orientation Achievement-oriented Supervision Subordinate-oriented Supervision

5. Autocratic Approach Supervisors make decisions without seeking the ideas, suggestions, or recommendations of their subordinates. Supervisors exert extensive control over the behavior and actions of their subordinates. Supervisors rarely deviate from the norm. Supervisors tend to be inflexible.

6. Situations in Which Autocratic ApproachMay Be Appropriate 1. An emergency situation. 2. A situation that requires an immediate decision. 3. A new employee who is unfamiliar with the tasks he or she is expected to perform. 4. An insubordinate employee.

7. Democratic Approach Supervisors make extensive use of the ideas suggestions, and recommendations of their subordinates. Supervisors often invite subordinates to participate in making decisions about situations that affect the subordinates; this is known as participative management.

8. Situations in Which Democratic Supervision is Well-Suited 1. Sufficient time is available to permit subordinate participation. 2. Significant pending changes require significant subordinate input. 3. Subordinates have a number of concerns they wish to express or have solved. 4. Situations or problems confronting the work group need to be resolved.

9. Management-by-Objectives (MBO) Makes extensive use of democratic processes. Employees and their supervisors jointly establish objectives about employees’ tasks. Progress toward objective achievement is periodically evaluated.

10. MBO is Well-Suited in These Situations 1. Work group is well-educated. 2. Work group is self-motivated. 3. Work group is goal oriented.

11. Laissez-faire Approach Gives subordinates considerable freedom and provides little supervisory input.

12. Laissez-faire Approach is Well-Suitedfor These Situations 1. Work group is highly skilled. 2. Work group is well-educated. 3. Work group is comprised of a number of temporary or leased employees.

13. Leadership Orientation As a behavioral theory, examines the nature of the supervisor’s orientation toward subordinates. Mainly concerned about subordinates’ achieve- ments. Achievement-oriented Supervisors Subordinate-oriented Supervisors Mainly concerned about subordinates’ welfare.

14. Situational Theory of Leadership Is based on the belief that the amount of leadership a supervisor should exert will vary from situation to situation. Some situations require extensive amounts of leader- ship; other situations require much less. Amount of leadership exerted ranges between boss- centered (autocratic) and subordinate-centered (democratic) extremes.

15. Functions of Supervision Planning Controlling Organizing Directing Staffing

16. Characteristics of Effective Supervisors Getting others to cooperate Listening to others Delegating responsibility Understanding subordinates Treating others fairly

17. Getting Others to Cooperate Is one of the most important characteristics of supervisors. Is often done by convincing them that higher management is dependent upon them. Is also accomplished when subordinates’ ideas are accepted and implemented.

18. Listening to Others Extent to which a supervisor is willing to listen to a subordinate is often related to the feelings the supervisor has about the subordinate. Good listening involves hearing what the subordinate is actually saying-not just what the supervisor wants to hear.

19. Active Listening is Generally MoreEffective Than Passive Listening In active listening, one “hears” the message as well as the feelings being communicated. In passive listening, one “hears” neither the message nor the feelings.

20. Delegating Responsibilities Is a critical skill of supervisors. Reasons Supervisors are Reluctant to Delegate 1. They believe they can perform the tasks more efficiently than those to whom they might delegate. 2. They find it easier to perform the tasks themselves than to teach someone else to perform them. 3. They want the tasks done their way, which might be different from the way the subordinates might choose to do them.

21. Delegation Guidelines 1. Select the appropriate person to perform the task to be delegated. 2. Select tasks that can be delegated. 3. Help the person to whom tasks have been delegated. 4. Make sure that work assignments are fully understood.

22. Understanding Subordinates Requires understanding a number of back- ground characteristics, including Ability to think Social traits Personality traits Character Work habits Relations with Others

23. Treating Others Fairly A perceived lack of fairness is as damaging to the supervisor-subordinate relationship as is actual lack of fairness. A lack of fairness often stems from the feelings the supervisor and subordinate have toward each other.

24. Building Teams Is an important role of supervisors. Benefits 1. Employees have greater control over their jobs. 2. Teams encourage individual creativity and use of creativity in solving a variety of work-related problems. 3. Teams give employees the feeling that they play a more significant role in determining what happens in the organization.

25. Special Skills of Supervisors Conceptual Human Technical Teaching Coaching Counseling Communication

26. Enable supervisors to perceive quickly how one phenomenon may impact on another. Conceptual Skills Enable supervisors to work effectively with each subordinate in each situation. Human Skills Enable supervisors to perform tasks their subordinates perform. Technical Skills

27. Teaching Skills Enable supervisors to train their subordinates. Coaching Skills Enable supervisors to develop their subordinates. Enable supervisors to help subordinates in a variety of ways. Counseling Skills Enable supervisors to relate well with their subordinates. Communication Skills

28. Supervisors have an important responsibility in helping employees plan their career goals. This involves helping subordinates Assess their strengths and weaknesses. Develop strategic plans to attain their goals. Put their plans into action.

29. Supervisors have a significant impact on getting their subordinates to behave ethically. Therefore, Supervisors must behave ethically themselves. Supervisors and subordinates can develop a code of ethics by which all employees are expected to live.

30. Supervisors play a significant role in reducing employee tardiness. Typically involves progressive penalties. Might involve rewarding employees for being punctual. Supervisors must themselves set a good example.

31. Supervisors play a significant role in controlling absenteeism. 10-20 percent of the workforce is responsible for 75-80 percent of the absenteeism. Some absenteeism is caused by a lack of job satisfaction. Personal day programs help reduce absenteeism. Some companies reward employees for having excellent attendance records.

32. Supervisors are involved in alcoholism and drug abuse programs. Supervisors are responsible for helping detect employees who have such addictions. New philosophy is to help employees get treatment while maintaining their employment status.

33. Supervisors are responsible for helping prevent subordinate stress and burnout. Technostress, resulting from the introduction of technology into employees’ work, is of increasing concern.

34. Suggestions That Help EmployeesDeal With Stress 1. Develop an appropriate attitude toward work and life in general. 2. Take an unpaid leave of absence. 3. Transfer to a less stressful position. 4. Join a therapy group. 5. Seek professional counseling. 6. Take advantage of opportunities for physical activities. 7. Take advantage of vacation time.

35. Supervisors are responsible for assuring employees are not sexually harassed. Supervisors must know what constitutes harassment. Supervisors must also know the provisions of federal and any existing state laws that make sexual harassment illegal.

36. Supervisors are responsible for dealing with multicultural issues. Organizations are increasingly becoming multi- cultural. Multicultural training is accomplished by: 1. Attending seminars/workshops dealing with this topic. 2. Engaging in self-study. 3. Enrolling in courses dealing with multicultural diversity. 4. Discussing relevant issues with others.

37. Disciplining subordinates is an important role of supervisors. Organizations generally design a process that results in the application of uniform and appropriate action taken against subordinates. Disciplinary interviews may be an important component of the disciplinary process.

38. Supervisors are also involved in the termination process. Employees are terminated for a variety of reasons: 1. Inadequate performance. 2. Misconduct. 3. Inability to perform job duties. 4. Job elimination. Any employment conditions (such as contracts) must be considered in the termination process.

39. Supervisors are responsible for work with unions when the organization is unionized. Supervisors must understand various provisions of the labor agreement, including Duration of the agreement Promotions, layoff, and recall Union security Discipline of members Management prerogatives Grievances Strike clauses Wages and hours