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Team Leader vs. Supervisor Responsibilities
Team Leader vs. Supervisor Responsibilities
Team Leader vs. Supervisor Responsibilities
com
In some organizations, the distinction between team leader and supervisor is unclear. However, there are certain tasks or
areas of work where it's important to clarify who does what.
Team leaders are involved in communicating the strategic direction of the department or organization to the team
members. However, team leaders usually are not involved in developing the strategic mission, nor are they involved in
determining whether the strategic direction is feasible. Supervisors, on the other hand, may play a role in strategic
decision-making or developing the mission for a department or the organization, depending on the size and hierarchical
divisions of the company.
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Because the team leader may be ultimately responsible for submitting the final project to the supervisor, tracking
progress, monitoring team members' tasks, and ensuring deadlines are met also are functions of a team leader. When the
project is complete, the supervisor determines whether the quality of the work is acceptable.
Team leaders typically are the ones who provide on-the-job training and new-hire orientation to the departmental or
team processes. While supervisors might determine the skills the team members need to acquire, it's the team leader
who is responsible for seeing to it that the team members become proficient in specific areas that enable them to
accomplish assigned tasks.
Team leaders provide day-to-day operational guidance, and because of their technical skills, they are more likely to have
a better understanding of the applications and equipment used in performing specific job tasks. Supervisors may have a
direct line of communication with the human resources department for requesting specific training programs or sending
employees to off-site training and development courses.
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References (4)
University of California, Santa Barbara: What Is the Difference Between a Supervisor and a Lead Worker?
Inc.: What's Your Leadership Position?
Institute for Apprenticeships: Team Leader/Supervisor
Nexxt: Three Differences Between Supervisors and Leaders
About the Author
Ruth Mayhew has been writing since the mid-1980s, and she has been an HR subject matter expert since 1995. Her work
appears in "The Multi-Generational Workforce in the Health Care Industry," and she has been cited in numerous
publications, including journals and textbooks that focus on human resources management practices. She holds a
Master of Arts in sociology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Ruth resides in the nation's capital, Washington,
D.C.
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