Supervision

Meaning
Supervision is a Latin Word. Super means ‘from the above’ and vision means ‘to see’.
In ordinary sense of the term, supervision means overseeing the activities of others.

In management supervision means “Overseeing the subordinates at work with

authority and with an aim to guide the employees, if he is doing wrong.”

Definition:
According to the Toft Hartley Act, 1947 (USA), ‘Supervisors are those having
authority to exercise independent judgement in hiring, discharging, disciplining, rewarding
and taking other actions of a similar nature with respect to employees’.

Significance of supervision
1. Issue of Orders and Instructions:

The workers require guidance of supervisor at every step. He clears their doubts and
tells them the proper method of doing a job. A sub-ordinate can give better performance
when he knows the work he is supposed to do.
2. Planning and Organizing the Work:
A superior acts as a planner and a guide for his sub-ordinates. The supervisor lays
down production targets for the workers and determines the methods and procedures for
doing the work.
3. It is Important at All Levels:

Supervision means overseeing and watching sub-ordinates. The time devoted by top
management to supervision is only 20% whereas supervisor devotes about 80% of his time to
supervision.
4. Vital Link between Workers and Management:
A supervisor is a representative of the management and a very important figure from
workers point of view. He communicates the policies of the management to workers
(downward communication) and also provides feed back to the management as to what is
happening at the lowest level (upward communication).
5. Motivating Subordinates:
A supervisor is a leader at the lowest rung of management ladder. He serves as a
friend, philosopher and guide to workers. He inspires team work and secures maximum co-
operation from the employees. It is he who can help in getting optimum utilization of
manpower.
6. Feedback to Workers:
A supervisor compares the actual performance of workers against the standards laid
down and identifies weaknesses of workers and suggests corrective measures to overcome
them. In this way, workers can improve their performance in future.
7. Proper Assignment of Work:
A supervisor makes systematic arrangement of activities and resources for his group.
He assigns work to each worker and delegate’s authority to workers.

Typical Roles in Supervision

The job of a supervisor is a very dynamic one, depending on the culture of the
organization, complexity of the department's goals, access to sufficient resources and
expertise of the people in the department, and especially on the supervisor's ability to
successfully delegate to their direct reports. A supervisor might play different roles even in
the same day.

1. Advocate

The supervisor is often responsible to represent the employee's requests and to

management, along with also representing the employee's case for deserving a reward. For
example, If the employee has a rather unique personal situation that warrants special
consideration by the rest of management, the supervisor must explain this situation and how
it can be handled. The supervisor is also responsible to advocate for upper management when
it wants all employees to understand and embrace a major management decision.

2. Boss
There are many different names for leaders in organizations and how they are viewed.
However, the most conventional term and the most widely understood is that of boss. The
supervisor is deemed to be the boss when people in the department are ultimately looking for
direction and guidance in their jobs.

3. Coach

The term coach has taken on an entirely new meaning with the recent growth of the field
of personal and professional coaching. Coaches in that field are experts at supporting others
to bring out and apply their own wisdom.

4. Facilitator

The job of a facilitator is to support a group of people to clarify their desired results and
achieve their results by working with each other. Thus, with an established team, a facilitator
works much like a coach.
 5. Mentor

A mentor is a person who helps another (a mentee) to develop in their job and career. The
mentor might use a variety of methods to help the mentee ranging from advice and materials
to thoughtful questions and guidelines.

6. Trainer

The supervisor is often the first person who is considered when a new employee needs to
learn the job or when an employee is struggling to improve performance in the job.

Core Competencies to Supervise in Any Situation

Various experts would disagree on what skills and practices should be required for
supervisors. The following are some of the core competencies a supervisor must possess.

1. Communicating
2. Decision Making
3. Delegating
4. Meeting Management
5. Problem Solving
6. Planning
7. Time and Stress Management

Important Principles as Suggested by the Psychologist Blum

The Psychologist Blum has suggested the following principles of supervision:
(1) Never Be an Autocrat:
While doing supervision work never behaves like an autocrat because this is self-
defeating.
(2) Listen Carefully to Your Subordinates:
Supervisor must be a good listener. He must listen carefully to everything told to him
by his subordinates. He must accord full opportunity to the workers to present their case.
(3) Never Decide Anything in a Hurried Way:
It is a very rash approach to form an opinion about anybody hurriedly after a casual
glance or a brief hearing, as most of the complaints may not be genuine. But some may be so
and if they are not removed the morale of the workers in the organisation may suffer.
(4) Do Not Enter into Arguments with Subordinates:
Under no circumstances should the superior indulge in argument with his
subordinates, because, if he fails to persuade or convince by his arguments, he is liable to
issue orders to vindicate his point of view. This will create frustration and sense of insecurity
among the workers. A good leader should not argue but listen carefully and issue orders only
after careful listening.