Organizing And Preparing The Supervisory Program

ORGANIZING AND PREPARING THE SUPERVISORY PROGRAMS

What is "Supervision"? There are several interpretations of the term "supervision", but typically supervision is the activity carried out by supervisors to oversee the productivity and progress of employees who report directly to the supervisors. Supervision is a management activity and supervisors have a management role in the organization.

Rationale of Organizing and Preparing a System

As a supervisor, one must be aware that much is demanded of him. He must guide, support, and assist his staff to do the best job they can. He must motivate them, manage any conflicts, and do his best to meet the performance objectives and help his employees to meet theirs so that his program will meet its goals.

Importance of Supervisory Programs A supervisory system guides supervisors appropriately in planning, directing, and controlling the performance of their employees. The system describes how the supervisors tasks will be carried out, whether through supervisory sessions with one or more employees or through written or telephone

•Events and changes occur so rapidly that plans must be made to permit adaptation to new conditions. •A prepared supervisory program ensures success to a certain

Factors to be Considered in the Program:

1. Program Period On supervisory work the proper planning period is the foreseeable future, whether it be one month, six months, one year or more. The supervisor must look down the road ahead and plan specifically for things he can see clearly and plan generally for other things.

2. Objectives It is difficult to hit a target unless you can see it know where it is located. It is possible to become so absorbed in activities that you forget or lose sight of what you are trying to accomplish. Objectives indicate the

3. Control Controls have to do with the use of measurements which tell us how we are doing in relation to our objectives. Controls should be set up when plans are made. Words usually take the place of quantitative measurements in areas which have to do with human

4. Delegation We cannot place responsibilities on the shoulders of subordinates without considering their capacities, the degree of supervision required, and the controls which will tell us how delegations are being discharged. As one writer put it, “ delegations tell us what a person can do, what he can’t do, and what he needs help in doing.” Plans must be based upon projected

5. Communications In order to coordinate the activities of a group it is necessary that proper verbal, written, and visual communication be planned. If workers cannot achieve the highest degree of productivity because of inadequate orders, instructions, or knowledge, there must be planning so that they receive the right information at the

6. Methods and Procedures There is no one best way of doing anything. There may be methods that are best for a given time but simple changes in job specifications may require changes in method. If the worker is to discharge his duties within the framework of a policy, he should be informed of the limitations imposed by the policy which in most cases are oral rather than written. Oral and written reminders of policies are needed by employees and can bring assurance to supervisors that employees are meeting job

7. Use of Resources Too often the supervisor overlooks or doesn't use the resources which are available to him. Human resources include the talents and skills of employees, the staff assistance of specialists, and the educational aids

8. Time A supervisor needs to plan the use of his own time as well as that of his subordinates. A helpful tool in this regard is a “ To Do” list of the things that must be done during the course of a day or a week. Time is the essence in management work and should be used to best advantage, even though planning for the use of time is often upset

9.Manpower When work is being laid out, the planner should keep the manpower requirements uppermost in his mind. Available manpower should be used to maximum advantage. Productivity is achieved by proper selection, training, and supervision. People tend to work toward goals which they feel are in their own interest. They are motivated by various factors, and one of the best keys to manpower utilization is to help workers harmonize their motivations with the objectives

Steps in the Preparation of the Program:

1.Preparation of the program through collaborative effort of the supervisors and upper- management. 2. The plan should be written and illustrated with pertinent subject matter such as charts, graphs, statistics, drawings- so that all interested parties can study and analyze the plan. 3.It must be duly approved for execution.

Evaluating the Supervisory Program 1. Is the plan complete? Does it really cover all important factors that bear on the program? Has something been omitted which would negate all the good works done? 2. Will the plan help the organization to achieve its objectives? Is it geared towards moving in the right direction?

3. Are planning and procedure kept separate? Planning essentially deals with what has to be done? Procedure deals with how it is to be done. 4. Does the plan reach far enough into the future? Does the plan cover the maximum time required for the existence of any of its elements, such as workers, finances, or manpower?

5. Is the plan colored too much by our own biases and prejudices? It is difficult to be objective in planning matters that affect us. Have we considered the effects of planning not only from our point of view but from that of others? 6. Does the plan contain creative contributions? Have we really rearranged experience into new patterns? Have we reassembled the knowledge and experience we have gained so that new ways of doing things are pointed out in our plan?

7. Have we really considered all the things that need to be planned? Are we sure that all the factors have been considered? 8. Are we prepared to deal with the obstacles and objections that might be raised? Are we ready to deal with questions that might be raised? Will we be able to turn obstacles into opportunities?