Admittedly, there are some supervisors who basically are more capable than others. For example, if we would compare two maintenance supervisors whose equipment and responsibilities were similar in order to find out why one was effective and the other was ineffective and harassed, the reason may be that the one simply knows and understands the job better than the other. Undoubtedly, there are better and poorer mechanics. But if there are two equally good mechanics, if both have similar equipment under their care, if the conditions under which they operate are about alike, and the effectiveness of the one is significantly better than that of the other — why is this? The answer probably is that the one is a better manager; the individual has learned to manage the operations of the department in a manner which gets the job done through and with the efforts of subordinates. The difference between a good supervisor and a poor supervisor, assuming that their technical skills arc basically similar, is the difference in their managerial ability. The managerial aspects of the supervisor's position too often have been neglected. More stress is usually placed upon the technical competence of supervisors. Consider the background of typical supervisors. It is very likely that they were appointed to the job from the ranks because of particular technical skills, ingenuity, effort, and/or willingness to work hard. When appointed as supervisors they were expected to assume responsibilities of management, but little was done to train or develop them to perform these management responsibilities. In other words, little was done to help these individuals cope with the managerial aspects of their new supervisory jobs. Thus, more or less overnight, the supervisors were made a part of management without having been prepared to be managers. So, they do the best they can by imitating and learning from their predecessors; their departments may even function reasonably well. But over time unless the supervisors learn the managerial aspects of the job and apply them systematically, they find that the departments are running them instead of their running the departments.
Technical Competence in Supervision
Although the supervisor must learn to become a better manager, this does not mean that those aspects of departmental responsibilities which are job-oriented in nature can be neglected. Л competent supervisor must thoroughly understand the specific, technical aspects of the operations of the department. Perhaps the supervisor actually is the most skilled worker within the department and is able to do a quicker, more efficient job than the subordinates. But the supervisor must learn to avoid "stepping in" and personally doing the job except for the purpose of instruction or in an emergency situation. The responsibility of a supervisor as a manager is to see that the employees do the job and do it properly. As a manager, the supervisor must plan, guide, and supervise.
THE MANAGEMENT PROCESS
What is meant by the term "management"? Stated simply, management is the process of getting things accomplished with and through people by guiding and motivating their efforts toward common objectives. In most endeavors, one person can accomplish relatively little as an individual. It is essential that individuals join forces with other individuals in order to attain the goals of any group or organization. In a business enterprise, managers are responsible for achieving the goals of the organization, but this requires the efforts and help of subordinate managers and employees. Those who hold managerial positions significantly influence the effectiveness with which people work together to attain stated objectives and goals. The managerial role of a supervisor is to have assigned tasks accomplished with and through the help of employees. The better the supervisor manages, the more likely the results will be superior.
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