Supervisory and leadership roles in the workplace are set to accomplish objectives among employees so they may work together as a team in a human service environment. This includes the “process of social influence in which an individual seeks support of others in order to accomplish goals and tasks” (Jago, 1982). Building workplace relationships takes time but should be regarded with dignity and respect for effective communication. Team A will identify the three roles of the leadership model: manager, mediator, and mentor, summarize the key elements of the supervisory process, factors that influence job design: hiring and performance appraisal that supervisors must take into account, and discuss challenges team members faced as a supervised employee or while supervising other employees.
Manager, Mediator, and Mentor
Three roles in the leadership model are manager, mediator, and mentor; an effective leader must be able to fulfill each of these roles. The leader must be able to manage daily operations of the position; this may include budgeting of finances and payroll hours, purchasing of supplies and equipment, organizing or reorganizing of procedures, workflow, and programs, and other administrative duties of the position. As a mediator, the leader must successfully mediate conflicts and concerns between staff, the staff and senior level management, or the staff and client. The mentoring role of a leader is a training process for the employee; the goal is to strengthen the personal and professional growth of employees. Successful completion of this role may result in promotion of employees into management positions within the company (Lewis, et. al., 2007).
Supervisory process
The Shulman’s model of supervision outlines key elements of the supervisory process called “phases of work” (Shulman, 1993). The preliminary phase occurs before the supervisor’s first meeting with an employee; it assesses their feelings, emotions, and personal fears. The beginning phase is the clarification process of the supervisor’s role, direction, and facilitation of employees; the supervisor listens to new employees’ ideas and concerns so they may to work together in accomplishing goals within the organization. The middle phase is the facilitative confrontation phase; it uses problem-solving skills to break problems into simpler actions using a role-play approach with staff. The last phase of the supervisory relationship is the transition phase and may include a new job, voluntary resignation, or promotion (Shulman, 1993).
Supervisor Challenges
A person who changes positions from a human service employee to a supervisor may face many transitions. New skills and knowledge are required as well as a greater responsibility and authority (Lewis, 2007). When this transition occurs, the focus will change from the client to the evaluation of employees. A new supervisor must determine which leadership style is most effective in his or her environment. Another issue is that he or she must give up “direct therapeutic contact with clients in favor of non-therapeutic contact with supervisees” (Lewis, 2007). A new sense of satisfaction must be found in helping the organization’s staff grow instead of focusing solely on clients.
An effective supervisor must motivate staff to perform the best job possible. The use of intrinsic and extrinsic reward systems helps to keep staff motivated. Compensation for completed jobs, health insurance, pension, and bonuses are examples of extrinsic rewards. Intrinsic rewards “include opportunities for participation in decision making or personal growth, interesting work, autonomy, and a feeling of accomplishment” (Lewis, 2007). To win the respect of staff and help them remain motivated, supervisors must praise the positive actions of employees. To address low performance, the organization must have clearly outlined procedures for reprimands and discipline. The supervisor’s job is to ensure that employees understand and adhere to procedures. Once a supervisor sees that an employee is working below expected standards, he or she must meet with the employee to discuss the problem; failure to comply may result in a written reprimand. If the compliance is remains an issue, further steps like suspension without pay, transfers to another agency, or termination should occur.
Influencing Factors
Job design is an essential function to produce quality work and good job productivity. Job design is putting together duties performed by staff to accomplish the organization’s mission and objectives. Specifics of each position are developed by “a purposeful, systematic process that provides descriptive, important job-related information that distinguishes the job being analyzed from other jobs” (Foster, 1998, pp. 322-323). After distinguishing and establishing job design, the hiring process may begin; this consists of recruiting and selecting from applications or resumes of job applicants. In the hiring process, an employer looks at skills, experience, education, past employment, and credentials like recommendation letters, and certifications to determine if potential candidates are suitable for an interview. Training is needed to provide staff with information for new programs and services, organizational policies and procedures, and provide accurate information to clients or other organizations. Training also enhances knowledge and helps to work with existing problems within an organization and improve delivery of internal and external services. As a supervisor or subordinate, performance appraisal is implemented to help all involved improve or acknowledge the services provided by employees and give insight to how the supervisors are managing the staff.
Team Member’s Challenges
Managing individuals and groups involves effective communication. The personal challenges that Team A has experienced include lack of encouragement by supervisors to advance in different areas, stress due to lack of effective management, lack of cross-training employees to increase productivity and work quality, supervisor incompetence in professionalism and leadership skills, and lack of supervisor education.
In conclusion, managers, mediators, and mentors are important to any human service organization. Proper training of supervisors and staff will ensure the supervisory process, as well as the organization, runs smooth. Problems may arise when supervising employees but if supervisors take time to learn the policies and procedures and create his or her own leadership style, he or she will be effective. Excellent job design produces quality work and high job productivity, which leads to high performance appraisals. Miscommunication is a large factor among many employers and only proper training will ensure the lines of communication remain open.
References
Foster, M. (1998). Effective job analysis methods. In S. Condrey (Ed.), Handbook of human resource management in government (pp. 322-348). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Jago, A. G. (1982). Leadership: Perspectives in theory and research. Management Science, 28(3), 315-336.
Lewis, J. A., Packard, T., & Lewis, M. D. (2007). Developing and Managing Human Resources (4th ed.). Belmont, , CA: Thomson Learning. – Cengage.
Lewis, J.A., Thomas, T.R., & Lewis, M.D.. (2007). Management of human service programs.- Wadsworth