The Supervisors role in the modern organization free essay sample

For years supervisors have been taken as a â€Å"necessary† link between middle management and workers. However the role of the supervisor is becoming more and more crucial for the final outcome of the process since: The human talent began to be considered as a competitive advantage. The work force becomes multicultural and, the workplace starts to be more complex, team works are a mix among full- timers, part-timers, temps and contract workers. Companies started to implement quality and productivity programs (ISO certification, Just in Time, etc. )The regulation to protect worker’s rights has increased and, occupational health and safety are a big responsibility. Globalization leads the companies to downsizing, outsourcing and flattening the organization structures by reducing management levels. From the complicated and vertical organizations in the 70s and 80’s, with innumerable levels of command, where the supervisor was reduced to the penultimate step of the structure and, control and report were its basic functions, it went over to a flat and light structure in terms of levels of command, but more complex, in which the supervisor plays a relevant role facing new challenges on a daily basis. We will write a custom essay sample on The Supervisors role in the modern organization or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Nowadays there are many substantial differences between the â€Å"old style† and the â€Å"new style† of a supervisor. To meet all the requirements inherent in 2|Page The supervisor’s role in the new organization E. Martinez the modern structure, due its complexity, the role of the supervisor has changed dramatically. No more top-down approaches, no more people directed through regulations, procedures and policies, no more autocratic supervisors are needed in the modern structure. Instead of being an insignificant player in the corporative ladder, supervisor become in a key position because many middle and upper level positions have been eliminated in the organizational hierarchy trying to make it flat. Flat structure implies that more responsibilities, power, and authority have been delegated to lower level managerial positions; the role of the front line supervisor is more relevant in the decision- making process and now he has received more empowerment, training and, autonomy. Upper-level managers put more attention to supervisor’s recommendations. Due to this, supervisor must have talent, knowledge and leadership if they want to be successful in a challenging corporative environment. The Rules and the scenario have changed, so the actors have to adapt to the new condition. The supervisor of the new organization must have proven qualities as â€Å"pluralistic leaders creating work environments that invite everyone’s involvement by promoting cooperation and mutual respect. † (Greer, page 263) 3|Page The supervisor’s role in the new organization E. Martinez You manage things; you lead people. Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper The supervisor’s role in the new organization. Many authors have found radical differences between Management and Leadership. Peter Drucker explained the difference as â€Å"Management is doing things right, leadership is doing the right things† another way to say it is to attribute to the leadership, the mission of change and to the management the mission of achieving operation efficiency. However supervisor within the new organization must have the perfect balance of both features. Is not easy be a leader without being a good manager, â€Å"both functions are crucial and successful supervisors and leaders display both leader and manager skills and behavior† (Greer, page 258) Leadership: the key of success. Leadership is not a gift some people have and some do not. The supervisor who wants to play a relevant role in their organization must have the capacity to lead their team to achieve corporative goals, shows the direction in which the team has to move in the future according with the corporative vision and earn the respect from the team not because of their power or authority but because of commitment with the process and integrity to work. Leadership is always an important ingredient for greater productivity. A supervisor-leader who meets the needs of their followers and understands that the more important factor in the process is the human talent and finds ways to make it work, training it and 4|Page The supervisor’s role in the new organization E. Martinez giving support to it in the process, achieves higher productivity levels and reduces the margin of error, which is the same to say they create value for the company (Profit) and its workers (well-being). But everything in leadership is not about the team and its inputs and outcomes. The supervisor, as a leader, must show their team that they are good managers. The better supervisor they are, the easier will be the leading process in a group. Moreover it is this combination of leadership and management which allows you to have an upward mobility and being a candidate to a promotion within your organization. The leadership model should reflect the supervisor personality, and must be like a trade mark: unique and unrepeatable. In order to put more leadership into their job in a modern structure, supervisors must develop the following roles. 1. Being an effective communicator. One of the roles of the supervisor is being a spokesperson. Managers expect for them to be their voice and the channel to spread the mission of the company and management’s point of view, because they are the best way to transform management’s plans into actions, and their team expects to hear them speaking with authority and backing them up in front management.. 2. Being a coach forever. Coaching is a process that begins with the initial training and never ends. This principle also applies to the leader-supervisor; they have the obligation to prepare 5|Page The supervisor’s role in the new organization E. Martinez themselves constantly in and out of the company to be a good coach. Everybody involved in Leadership need to be focus on self-awareness and self development. Coaching is a partnership between the leader and the trainee centered in achieving goals. The principal aim of coaching is to develop the person being coached. 3. Being a good decision-maker. Decision-making is one of the fundamental elements of leadership in the new organization. In a leader-follower relationship effectiveness and decisiveness are two qualities that followers value highly. It is a complex process that involves knowledge of the process and the consequences that the decision implies. A good decision- maker inspires respect so their followers feel they rely in good hand. 4. Being a Mentor. This is one of the most abstract roles that the supervisor should play in the modern organization. Being a mentor to team members goes beyond the role of counselor. The main objective is to find a balance between work and personal life of the employee. Helping the employee find the true value of their work the SupervisorLeader â€Å"creates and maintains a positive force that pulls followers in one direction with enthusiasm and dedication.