THE SUPERVISOR`S ROLE IN CONTEXT

Question 1
In your self- assessment if the competencies and skills required of a supervisor, completed on the workshop, you identified various strengths and development areas. Select any one of the development areas and share how you have attempted to improve on this development area. Use specific example(s) to support your answer.

One of the problematic areas which I identified where further development is required was planning and organizing.
I have currently been experiencing a huge backlog in the various functions in my department. I have been struggling to plan my functions and that of my staff due to constant absenteeism, underperformance and training of new staff which we employed in my department and an existing backlog. The first step in attempting to resolve this problem was to have daily meetings with my manager, where I would provide him with feedback on the progress of the department and to discuss a plan of action to combat the backlog, and to get as much advise and guidance from him. I presented any suggestions that I received during the meeting, with my staff and encouraged my staff to give me feedback on how we can manage the functions more efficiently, especially the critical functions. A suggestion that I came up with was to draw up a timetable and allocate various functions to various timeslots- where the most critical functions would be allocated the most hours. I have struggled to implement this due to certain staff members that were underperforming. I approached my manager and he advised me of a different approach: he suggested that I handle all the functions in the following way- by running my files in such a way that I can calculate exactly how much work I have inside the 48hr turnaround time and outside the turnaround time- for each function. I then calculate how much staff I have available to work on all the functions, to ensure that we stay current. Those stats I also submit to my manager, who will advise me accordingly. I delegate the stats to my senior staff that will check on the status of each function throughout the day and report back to me. I will compile a report every morning which I email to my manager. This approach has really helped me gain more control of the status of the departmental functions (I know exactly how great our backlog is) and will be able to more effectively plan my day and the course of action to take. My manager is also providing me with a lot of support in order to guide me in the right direction.

Question 2
Based on your task/time analysis in the workshop, explain one action that you have implemented at work to ensure that you have the appropriate balance between manager of self-activities and supervisor activities. Be specific in your explanation.

Base on my task-time analysis- I spend most of my time on self-management (ensuring that all my stats are up to date etc.) The negative effect that this has had was that I do not spend enough time monitoring my staff and the functions – this created a relaxed environment whereby my staff did their work at a relaxed pace- which is not acceptable, and resulted in some of them underperforming. I consulted my manager; I took the lesson learnt from that experience and I am currently doing the following: I submit stats on all the functions daily, this allows me to see where I am regarding the functions and it also provides me with the data I need to present to my manager. I meet with my senior staff and discuss with them how we will be distributing the work and the functions. I let my staff distribute the daily work (and in order to prepare them for the next level), they in turn provide me with the previous day`s stats which I assess and I submit in my daily report to my manager. I discuss any problems with my manager. I assess how much work that is completed by my staff and how long it took them to complete their function by checking their daily production sheets. I will then check the data and let my staff focus on the most critical functions first. After I have done this I will do all my admin work and attend to any queries. I will also go around to each staff member to check how they are managing their functions and check if they are coping. My senior staff report also take the liberty of making me aware if they are any problems or under-performing staff and they give me regular feedback on the amount of work done. I in turn will run my own files to check that the staff is working on the old and current account daily.
This exercise has made me aware of the importance of a control sheet to be completed daily by myself to ensure that I cover all the basis, which will list all the functions which has to be done by myself and those to be done by the staff daily.

Question 3
Explain the keystone principle. Then give one example of how this impacts you, and how you have managed it.

They Keystone principle can be described using the arc diagram above, where the supervisor represents the keystone which is situated in the centre of an arch. The Keystone in the centre stabilizes the structure of the arch, preventing it from collapsing. On either side of the arch there are opposing forces which causes pressure to build up on either side of the keystone. These pressures represent the following: * The pressures created by attending to the needs, demands and expectations of the staff * The opposing pressures created by the needs, demands and expectations of management
The arch would collapse if there was no keystone in the middle. Therefore the same can be said about the role of a supervisor- the keystone represents the importance of the role that the supervisor plays in the organization.
My role as a team leader (supervisor) gets impacted in several ways: I need to ensure that the daily functions of my department get done at the optimum standard- in order to achieve this need to manage my staff efficiently to ensure that I get the best out of them and to get the work done. In doing so I need to ensure that they have all the necessary tools to ensure that they can function at their best and I have to deal with their personal and departmental issues with tact and understanding.
On the other side of the coin I need to ensure that the targets are being met and that the stats and output of my department meets the requirements of the company and management. I need to ensure that the goals being set are met and that we produce work of a high quality and quantity. I have only been a team leader for a few months and have managed this on a trial-and-error basis, learning as much as I can along the way. My manager, who is also my mentor, and our excellent operational team assist me whenever I do have any questions and queries ( I should also mention my dedicated staff- most of them who is always ready to take on a challenge and provide me with positive feedback). My manager has played an important role in helping to mould me into an efficient and effective team leader. Based on the keystone principle above I have managed this mostly by liaising constantly with my immediate superiors- effective communication is the key, I have constant meetings with my manager and staff to address any issues , and together we come up ideas and solutions in order to deal with any crises related to work. I should also state that we cannot please everyone, if I manage to only please my immediate superiors and create more pressure on my staff- the arch could fall flat on one side, the contrary is also true- if I manage to please my staff- they would work at their own pace and the amount of work would also decrease- thus causing the other side of the arch to collapse. The goal is to find the balance in the middle- to correctly challenge both management and staff in such a way that the structure is strengthened, to get the staff to work at their peak and the obtain the best results to satisfy management as well and achieve the goal set by the company.