Supervisors and Managers

Introduction

Supervisors and managers play a big part in the success of an organization. They have to work together to make sure employees are firing on all cylinders and that the organizations objectives are being met. This paper discusses the role of the supervisor, the traits of an effective manager, and the relationship between them. It also describes the importance of finding the right worker and challenges in a multicultural society.

The Role of the Supervisor

In a typical organization, a supervisor's role is to be the bridge between the organization's management and its front-line employees. This position may not sound very exciting or important, but it actually is both. The supervisor has to make sure that everything under his responsibility is functioning smoothlywhich means the supervisor has to know what is going on, what is expected when and how, and what the needs of the staff are. Ultimately, the biggest responsibility of the supervisor is to oversee leadership so that management and employees are thoroughly and positively connected (Block, 2016).

Most important is going to be communication. The supervisor has to be able to pass along instructions that he receives from higher up the organization on down to the management and teams below. If he is lacking in communication skills, there is going to be an impasse between what the teams know or need to know and what management is sending on. He also has to be able to report back up the chain of command in a succinct manner so that higher-up levels of managers know the situation down the chain of command. Supervisors have to be clear, precise, honest, and accurate in their communications, as operations hinge on their reports and orders in most cases. Supervisors should be good listeners, as feedback they receive will tell a lot about how work is going and whether adjustments need to be made (Block, 2016).

Performance management is a big responsibility of supervisors, as they are expected to monitor and evaluate the performance of their team members, set and communicate performance standards, conduct employee reviews, and give constructive feedback to help employees reach the desired expectations. They identify areas for improvement and work with employees to develop their skills and capabilities. To that end, supervisors are often required to make quick and effective decisions, especially when resolving conflicts or challenges in the workplace. For that reason, they need strong problem-solving skills to analyze situations. They should also be critical thinkers able to gather all the relevant information, consider various solutions, and choose the best course of action (Hill, 2003).

Supervisors oversee training and development and make sure that teams adhere to all company policies, legal regulations,...

They also often handle all the different administrative tasks such as scheduling, hiring, firing, ordering, budgeting, and reporting. Supervisors need to be well-organized and detail-oriented to manage all these aspects effectively. They should not be wasteful with resources and they should be very good when it comes to maintaining records.

Effective Manager

Three traits of an effective manager are patience, decisiveness, and engagement. All three align closely with the five functions of management, which are planning, organizing, leading, controlling, and coordinating. Patience helps managers to handle any and all situations calmly and with...

…culture and brand of the organization. There needs to be fit between the individual, the workplace culture, the job, the expectations, and the ability to deliver.

The challenge that supervisors face in a multicultural society is that social norms and cultural expectations are not uniform. There is no consensus about what is right or wrong in terms of values and ideals, as these change both from generation to generation and from place to place. Plus, there is likely to be some bias and discrimination that crops up from time to time in a multicultural society. Making sure everyone is included and that barriers are not erected is part of the challenge, and being flexible as a manager is a big must. Cultural competence training is required and the ability to create an inclusive culture is, too (Dreamson et al., 2017).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the manager sets the stage, the supervisor runs the playbook, and the team performs by following directions. The supervisor will communicate the goals and objectives, make sure they are being met, use the metrics given for evaluations, delegate appropriate tasks, gather and give feedback, and follow up on reports to make sure all teams and team members are working together to get the job done. Strong leadership skills may be needed for motivating teams, depending on the type of organization, but the supervisor is not necessarily going to be more of a leader than a manager or vice-versa. He does whatever is required of him in his role depending on the needs of the situation. Managers, supervisors, and employees all need to be able to trust and respect one another so…