The Supervisor as Leader
Leading
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The management function of influencing people to
act or not act in a certain way.
Leadership traits that are often suggested as useful
include:
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a sense of responsibility,
self-confidence,
high energy level,
empathy,
internal locus of control, and
a sense of humor.
Internal Locus of Control:
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The belief that one is the primary cause of
what happens to oneself.
Leadership Styles:
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Leadership styles are define by
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The amount authority retained by the supervisor
A task-oriented or people-oriented approach, or
both
Leader attitudes based on assumptions they have
about employees.
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Supervisors can be
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authoritarian,
democratic, or
laissez-faire.
They often use more than one style of
leading depending on employee and
situational factors.
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Situational factors include leader-member
relations, task structure, and the position
power of the leader.
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An important part of the leadership role is
giving orders or directions to employees.
A supervisor should make sure that
employees understand directions and the
reason for them.
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Leadership behavior is affected by how the
supervisor thinks of himself/herself.
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People who believe they are capable tend to act
capably.
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Successful supervisors need to work effectively and
maintain good relations with their employees, boss,
and peers.
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With employees, supervisors should set a good example,
be ethical, and develop trust.
Supervisors should give their boss loyalty, cooperation,
information, and results and be aware of and respond to
the boss’s style.
With peers, supervisors should keep competition fair and
as friendly as possible and offer support or criticism in a
constructive way.
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Paul B. Malone III,
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“a manager focuses just on getting a task done, a
leader focuses on getting it done in a way that
gives employees a feeling of accomplishment and
willingness to follow the leader again.”
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Manage-
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1. To direct or control the use of.
2. a. To exert control over. b. To make
submissive to one’s authority, discipline, or
persuasion.”)
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In some cases a distinction is emphasized
with leadership described as a more dynamic
activity toward meeting the needs and goals
of the organization..
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Organizations seek to hire or promote
employees who will be successful and an
asset to the organization.
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Is it possible to predict success or leadership
ability from personality type, or are there
traits that are associated with a supervisor’s
success?
Significant Traits Associated with
Leadership
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a. Sense of responsibility.
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Supervisors must be willing to take seriously the
responsibility that goes with the job.
b. Self confidence.
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Supervisors who believe in their ability to get the
job done will convey confidence to employees.
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c. High energy level.
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Many organizations expect supervisors to willingly
put in long hours in order to handle the variety of
duties that come with the job.
d. Empathy.
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Supervisors need to be sensitive and higher
management. Supervisors who have difficulty
understanding what makes people tick are at a
disadvantage.
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e. Internal locus of control.
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People with an internal locus of control are
thought to be leaders because they try harder to
take charge of events.
f. Sense of humor.
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People with a good sense of humor are more fun
to work with or for.
Characteristics of a Successful
Supervisor (Ch. 1)
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The characteristics of a successful supervisor
include:
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positive attitude
loyal
fair
good communicator
able to delegate
wants the job
Additional Characteristics of a
Successful Supervisor
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Additional criteria for a successful supervisor
include:
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technical skills
human relations skills
conceptual skills
decision making skills
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People by Stephen Covey
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Habit 1
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Be proactive. This refers to the taking of
responsibility to make things happen.
Habit 2
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Begin with the end in mind. Start with a clear
picture of where you are going and what the
destination will look like.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People by Stephen Covey
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Habit 3
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Put first things first. The principle is based upon
two factors--importance and urgency.
Habit 4
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Think win/win. The principle means that
agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People by Stephen Covey
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Habit 5
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Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
One key to effective interpersonal
communications is to listen with the intent to
understand.
Habit 6
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Synergize. The whole is greater than the sum of
the parts.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People by Stephen Covey
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Habit 7
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Sharpen the saw. Enhance personal abilities.
Leadership Styles
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Authoritarian
Democratic
Laissez-faire
Theory X
Theory Y
Authoritarian Leadership:
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A leadership style in which the leader retains a great
deal of authority.
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This style of leadership is characterized by the supervisor
giving orders and employees following the orders.
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An example would be a military commander who expects
unquestioned obedience.
Decisions are made quickly.
Works best in an emergency or crisis or where employees
lack maturity.
Employees may become dependent on decisions from
supervisors and will not do anything of their own.
Democractic Leadership
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A leadership style in which the leader allows
subordinates to participate in decision making and
problem solving.
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This style of leadership is characterized by the supervisor
actively seeking input from the employees.
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An example would be work groups or teams for problem
solving
Employees feel they have a say in the ways things are done
and may feel more satisfied with their jobs.
Decisions take longer.
A supervisor who leaves most decisions to the group may be
viewed by some employees as weak.
Laissez-faire Leadership
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A leadership style in which the leader is uninvolved
and lets subordinates direct themselves.
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This style of leadership is characterized by the
noninvolvment of the supervisor.
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An example would be research and development settings.
Works best in an atmosphere where creativity and innovation
is required.
Many employees see this method as no leadership at all.
Theory X
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A set of attitudes based on the view that people
dislike work and must be coerced to perform.
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Theory X assumes that people dislike work and try to avoid
it and must be coerced to perform.
Employees would prefer to be directed.
Employees have to be watched and occasionally
disciplined to keep them performing.
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A Theory X supervisor would most likely be autocratic.
Theory Y
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A set of attitudes based on the view that work is a
natural activity and that people will work hard and
creatively to achieve objectives they are committed
to.
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Employees can be trusted and discipline is not necessary
to get them to perform adequately.
Theory Y supervisors are more likely to adopt the
democratic style.
Theory Z
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A set of attitudes that emphasize employee
participation in all aspects of decision making.
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Assumes employees work as hard as they can.
An extension of Theory Y with the addition of organizational
structure and the response of management to the
employees.
Employees are trusted, and their input or ideas are actively
sought.
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This approach to supervision would be more consistently
democratic.
Authoritarian style of leadership
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Organizations or departments that require
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a regimented method of performance,
quick response, or
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employees need a lot of direction.
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The military, and military-type organizations such as correction
facilities, would be an example.
Fire fighting would be another.
This style would also be appropriate in organizations where
employees require a lot of direction, such as a fast-food
restaurant where there is high turnover of personnel.
Democratic style of leadership
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Organizations and departments that require
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input from employees for problem solving or
product and process improvement.
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This style works in organizations where there is a highly
skilled work force, especially if work requires teamwork
to complete work effectively.
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An example may be companies that supply the auto
industry with parts and materials.
 These companies are being driven by competitive forces
to improve quality and reduce prices through continuous
improvement.
Laissez-faire style of leadership
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Organizations or departments that require
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innovative employees and
where creativity is important.
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Examples include
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research and development departments,
software companies,
and design departments.
Beauty salons might be another type of company where
this style of leadership works best.
Contingency Theory
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Supervisors are not likely to use or represent a
single type.
Contingency models of leadership attempt to
describe the situations under which a specific type
of supervisor will be most successful.
Contingency models of leadership maintain that the
best style of leadership depends on the
circumstances.
Contingency Models
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There are two models:
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Fiedler’s model and
The Hersey-Blanchard model.
Fiedler’s Model
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Supervisors will be relationship oriented
(people oriented) or task oriented depending
on:
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leader-member relations, or the extent to which the
leader has group members’ support and loyalty.
task structure, or whether there is specified procedures
to follow in carrying out the task.
position power, or the leader’s formal authority granted
by the organization.
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Fiedler recommends that a leader determine
whether his or her preferred leadership style
fits the situation, and, if not, the leader should
try to change the characteristics of the
situation.
The Hersey-Blanchard Life Cycle
Theory
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Similar to Fiedler’s theory except they believe
that the leadership style should reflect the
maturity of the followers as measured by
such traits as ability to work independently .
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Leaders should adjust the degree of task and
relationship behavior in response to the growing
maturity of their followers.
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As followers mature, leaders should move through
a combination of behaviors:
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(1) High task and low relationship behavior
(2) High task and high relationship behavior
(3) Low task and high relationship behavior
(4) Low task and low relationship behavior
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Situational characteristics include:
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The supervisor’s characteristics
The level of competency of employees
the working environment
Supervisor Characteristics
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The manager’s values.
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What is most important to the supervisor?
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Company profits
Personal growth and development
Development of employees
Level of confidence in employees
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The more confidence in the employees, the more the
supervisor will involve the employees.
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Personal leadership strengths
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Effective leaders capitalize on their strengths.
Tolerance for ambiguity
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When employees are involved, the supervisor
cannot always be sure of the outcomes.
Will the supervisor be comfortable will this
uncertainty?
Employee Characteristics
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Need for independence.
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Employees who want a lot of direction will
welcome autocratic leadership.
Readiness to assume responsibility.
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Employees eager to assume responsibility
appreciate democratic or laissez-faire styles of
leadership.
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Tolerance for ambiguity.
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Employees tolerant of ambiguity will accept the
leadership style that gives them more input.
Interest in the problem to be solved.
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Employees interested in a problem and think it is
important will want to be involved.
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Understanding of and identification with
goals.
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Employees who understand and identify with the
organization’s or department’s goals will want to
be involved in meeting these goals.
Knowledge and experience.
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Employees with the knowledge necessary to solve
a problem are more apt to want to help come up
with a solution.
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Expectations.
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Some employees expect to participate in making
decisions and solving problems.
Diversity
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Growing diversity in the work place means
that supervisors may have a more difficult
time determining where the employees are in
regard to these characteristics.
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There is the additional danger that
supervisors have preconceived ideas about
how employees think and behave.
Situation characteristics
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Type of organization.
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The organization lends itself to a type of
leadership.
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For example, if supervisors are expected to manage
large numbers of employees, a democratic leadership
style may be time consuming and relatively challenging
to use.
When there is a large number of employees to manage
or they are dispersed over a large area, laissez-faire
style leadership may be the result whether it is intended
or not.
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Effectiveness of the group.
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Regardless of the characteristics of individual
employees, some groups are more successful in
handling decisions than others.
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When employees have little experience making
decisions, authoritarian style leadership may be easier
to use.
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The problem or task.
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Problems range from simple to complex.
Tasks range from structured to relatively
unstructured.
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Although it appears that each of these variables
suggests a specific type of leadership, such as a
structured task is best handled with more control by the
supervisor, in reality each problem or task is also related
to the other characteristics of the situation.
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Time available.
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An autocratic leader is in a position to make
decisions quickly.
Group decision making usually requires more time
for discussion and sharing ideas.
Giving Directions
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Supervisors practice leadership by giving
employees directions.
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Supervisors should make sure employees
understand the directions.
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Directions should be stated in specific, clear terms.
Employees should understand the reason for the
directions.
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When employees do not seem to be following
directions,
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perhaps they didn’t understand the directions
they may not realize that the supervisor is giving
them an order.
Self-concept
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The image a person has of himself/herself.
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influences how the supervisor behaves.
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Someone who believes he or she has the power will act
powerful.
Someone who thinks himself or herself as intelligent is
apt to make careful decisions.
When supervisors do something well, they should give
themselves credit for their success.
SWOT Method
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Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
Developing and Maintaining Good
Relations
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A supervisor needs support from many
people in the organization to be successful.
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They need the support of their employees.
They also need the support of their boss and coworkers.
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Ways to get along with almost everyone
include
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projecting a positive attitude,
taking an interest in other people, and
helping out.
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A supervisor who is liked and respected by
employees will inspire them to work harder
and better.
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Supervisors should be role models for employees
by following the rules of the company.
They should also be fair in the treatment of
employees and ethical.
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Employees work most cooperatively with a
supervisor they trust.
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Building trust takes time and effort,
yet it can be lost with a single act that is
unreasonable.
Trust is built by fair and predictable behavior.
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No matter how good you are at planning, organizing,
and leading, your ability to get along with your boss
can determine the course of your career within the
organization.
That may not always seem fair, but the fact is that
your boss is the one who most often decides
whether you will be promoted, get a raise, or even
have a job next week.
A boss who likes to work with you is more likely to
take a favorable view of your performance.
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A supervisor can assume that his or her boss
expects the following:
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Loyalty
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Cooperation
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works with others in the organization to achieve organizational
goals.
Communication
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positive attitude about the company and his/her boss
kept informed about the department’s performance.
Results
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ensures department meets or exceeds its objectives
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If you get along with your peers, they will help you
look good and get your job done.
If your peers resent you, the poor relations can
cause an endless stream of problems.
Quite often your peers are competing with you for
raises, bonuses, or promotions.
Regardless, the more you cooperate, the better you
all will look.