The document discusses the role of supervisors in management. It begins by outlining the learning objectives which are to identify where supervisors fit in the management team, describe the competencies expected of supervisors, and discuss how supervisors manage resources and balance output with employee needs. The document then covers various aspects of the supervisor role, including that supervisors are essential middle managers who must balance productivity demands with employee concerns through applying management principles.

1. 9th
Edition
PPT
McGraw-Hill/Irwin ©2007 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. The Supervisor’s Role
in Management
1

3. Learning Objectives
The Supervisor’s
Role in Management
Identify the level of the supervisor’s
position on a management team.
Describe the major competencies that
supervisors are expected to bring to their
work.
Discuss the resources that supervisors must
manage and the results obtained from them.

4. Learning Objectives
Identify the key behaviors that are likely to
positively affect employee attitudes and
performance.
Discuss the need for balancing a concern
for output and a concern for the people
who perform the work.

5. 1. Members of a Unique
Team
Concept: Supervisors are an essential
part of the management team.
What is management? Why is it so
important?
Where do supervisors fit in the
management process?
Why is it called a process?

6. Quick Test 1
Answer the following True/False Question:
1. Supervisors perform the same five
functions that other managers do.

7. Quick Test 1
Answer the following True/False Question:
2. The function of leading includes staffing,
motivating, and communicating.
Staffing is a separate function in the
management process.

8. 2. Supervisors vs.
Managers
Concept: The role of managers differs from
organization to organization, but the
supervisory role is clearly defined by federal
laws.
Are all managers alike?
Legally, what makes a supervisor a
supervisor?
Are supervisors permitted to do the same work
as the people they supervise?
Do employees ever do the work of
supervisors?

9. Quick Test 2
Answer the following True/False Question:
3. Supervisors are commonly considered
middle managers but not executives.
Supervisors are at the entry level of the
managerial hierarchy.

10. Quick Test 2
Answer the following True/False Question:
4. Supervisors are the types of employees
most likely to be downsized in a cost-reduction
effort (restructuring).
Due to the important organizational role they
play, supervisors are less likely than middle
managers to be downsized.

11. 3. A Body of Knowledge
From Which to Draw
Concept: Supervisors become active in
the management process by applying
established management principles and
practices to operating problems.
What does it really take for a supervisor to
become a manager?
Where can knowledge about management be
learned?
How do management principles relate to the
management process?
What are the principles of management?

12. Quick Test 3
Answer the following True/False Question:
5. Unity of direction and unity of command
mean pretty much the same thing.
Unity of direction implies one set of goals. Unity
of command requires that you have only one boss.

13. Quick Test 3
Answer the following True/False Question:
6. The chain of command principle should
always be adhered to rigidly.
Studies show sharing information between
departments is a good idea.

14. 4. Many Competencies
Required
Concept: Supervisors must bring to their
managerial work a broad range of technical
and human relations competencies.
How does a person become a supervisor?
How long does the transition into supervision
usually take?
What personal characteristics does higher
management look for in selecting supervisors?
How do supervisory roles differ from those at
other levels of management?

15. 4. Many Competencies
Required (Ctd.)
Concept: Supervisors must bring to their
managerial work a broad range of technical
and human relations competencies.
What main supervisory behaviors are
associated with results?
What two major end results are supervisors
seeking?
How is a supervisor judged by higher
management?

16. Quick Test 4
Answer the following True/False Question:
7. Most supervisors have risen to their
positions from within the organization.

17. Quick Test 4
Answer the following True/False Question:
8. The most important skill set for
supervisors lies in the administrative
domain.
The role of supervisors emphasizes technical and
interpersonal skills most.

18. 5. A Concern for both
Work and People
Concept: Effective supervisors balance
the application of their skills between the
work to be done and a concern for the
people who perform this work.
Supervisory balance: What does it mean?
What’s a normal day in the life of a supervisor?
What kind of pressures do new supervisors face?

19. Quick Test 5
Answer the following True/False Question:
9. Supervisors should focus on their
employees more than their tasks to be
accomplished.
Effective supervisors balance their focus on the
work to be done and a concern for the people
who perform this work.

20. Quick Test 5
Answer the following True/False Question:
10. Most days in the life of a supervisor are
highly predictable and relatively
interruption-free.
Supervisors average 50-80 problem-solving
tasks a day. There is little routine in a
supervisory position.

21. Key Concepts to
Remember
Members of a Unique Team
Supervisors are essential to success because they
interact directly with the workforce.
Supervisors vs. Managers
By law, supervisors are a member of
management.
A Body of Knowledge From Which to Draw
Supervisors act rationally and think positively.
They manage by problem solving.

22. Key Concepts to
Remember
Many Competencies Required
Supervisors are expected to have an ability to get
along with people, job knowledge, dedication,
problem-solving skills, leadership potential, and
commitment to goals and values.
A Concern for Both Work and People
Supervisors should not push employees too hard
or be overly protective of them, but balance
concern for the work and the individual.

23. Key Terms
Management
Manager
Executive
Middle Manager
Supervisor
Nonmanagerial Employees
Management Process
Management Principles
Performance Management
Employee -Centered Supervision
Task-Centered Supervision