Characteristics and roles of workplace supervisors

Classification&Division -- "Bosses"

Types of Bosses

The employee's relationship with the boss is the central relationship in the workplace. It creates major impact not only on his/her quality of work, but also on his/her overall well being as a person. It can also be a source of either a great deal grumbling or a lot of fond talk among employees, depending on what type of boss they have. According to the book Managing Executive Health (Campbell-Quick, et al.), bosses can be divided into four categories namely, the bureaucrat, the autocrat, the wheeler-dealer and the reluctant manager and can be classified by their governing principle, relationship with subordinates and overall attitude.

Bureaucrats follow rules to the letter and expect the same from others. This makes them slow and cautious decision-makers who have the hobby of handing out memos to their subordinates. Nevertheless, they are generally agreeable, good natured and easy to get along with as long as the people under them take the rules by heart. Being so conscious about rules, they will not agree to anything that will bring forth conflicts with "the system."

Autocrats, on the other hand, consider their own word as law that cannot be broken. In any situation, autocrats tend to believe that their opinion is always right and their way of doing things is the best. In a way, they are dictators in the office and would not listen to suggestions which oppose their way of thinking. They have a tendency to be intimidating and difficult to confront which creates a barrier between them and their subordinates. The best way to deal with them is to be submissive to their bidding and never question their authority.

Wheeler-dealers are more concerned about resource allocation than actual management of the people under them. They let their departments run themselves and expect initiative from subordinates. Thus, since they do not offer any guidance, they are intolerant of incompetence or futility in the workplace. The best people to work under them are those that can handle decision making on their own but will always keep the boss in the loop about the goings on.

Finally, reluctant managers are those that have high technical competence but lack interpersonal skills. Like wheeler-dealers, they let their jurisdiction run itself without much involvement. The difference is that, they know so much about the job that they tend to be highly innovative in the field. They are generally distanced from their staff but are respected resource persons in the technical aspect. If a procedural problem arises, they are ready to solve it, but if a non-routine challenge faces them it will be difficult for them to handle it. Hence, staff is expected to provide them with different alternatives and provide proof on which action is best to take.