Supervisors and the Organization

Name: Supervisors and the Organization
Author: Timothy Hornseth

Learn how to work, as a supervisor, with other departments.

Preview the first lesson free — get full access to all 5 lessons.

Course: On-Demand

(bright music) In these lessons, we'll talk about the interactions you'll face as a new supervisor between you and your team, your direct boss, your bosses in higher management, with human resources, and with other supervisors. Each group brings slightly different challenges, but a successful supervisor is someone who remains ethical in all situations or interactions. As a new supervisor, interacting with your team will probably take up most of your time. Although this may vary depending on the job or industry you work in. To become successful, there are a few key skills you can learn, develop, improve, and maintain over your career. The first skill is giving feedback to your team, but how you give the feedback and when is the crucial part. Never tear down individuals in a public setting, even if you intend to build them back up. A successful manager will learn that outside of a crisis or dangerous situation, giving feedback in a closed setting with minimal confrontational aspects is the best way to impart training or learning. This is, after all, the reason for feedback so that an employee may learn or be trained in the appropriate way to do their job correctly. Feedback for your team should generally be given on a regular basis. Some of this is dependent on the types of jobs or projects the team is working on. And some of this is also dependent on the makeup of your team. Established teams generally need less feedback, while teams with a significant number of newer employees may need more. Also, how you deliver feedback is more important than what the feedback entails. No one likes to have their mistakes or flaws pointed out, but this is sometimes necessary. If you have to provide feedback in a team-wide setting, it can be more effective if the mistake or flaw is pointed out without actually identifying the individual teammate. If you provide feedback in a one-on-one setting, talking through the mistake and providing the correct or desired action will help the employee learn to do better. Some might believe that feedback should only be given during an employee's annual evaluation, but this notion is outdated and counterproductive. Listing all or some of the things an employee did wrong during the past year doesn't make for an effective evaluation. For example, pointing out a mistake the employee made six months ago only serves to belittle them. After all, they can't do anything about it now. Feedback given shortly after the mistake occurred would have given the employee the chance to fix this mistake, or at the very least help them to learn how to avoid doing it again. When the feedback is given is almost as important as what the feedback is. It's also important to measure your team's performance, which can help improve your team and their output. It's a best practice to solicit your team's thoughts on how their performance should be measured. They could be evaluated by comparing their metrics to other compatible teams, or by relying on the metrics from within the team. A supervisor who imposes a measuring system without the team's input can undermine the team's cohesiveness and effectiveness. Even if the measuring method is mandated within the entire company, getting the team's buy-in is often crucial. Also, keep in mind that a team that doesn't perform well numbers-wise may be penalized by the company, and you'll possibly take the brunt of it. Alternatively, getting team buy-in to a set of measurements can be an effective method for improving individual and team performance, coupled with using positive reinforcement at appropriate times. Think of a set of salespeople and the desire to increase sales as a measurable unit, giving rewards on individual and team-wide basis. Once individual or team-wide sales targets are met can be incredibly motivating. It's also important to define goals for your team in writing or verbally. Goals for the team or unit can be longer term, like completing projects that may take six to 24 months, or short-term goals, such as no injuries on the job for six consecutive months. If an employee knows the technical aspects of their job but doesn't know what needs to be accomplished, they may not perform to the best of their ability. Figure out what goals each person needs to fulfill. Then inform them on the specifics of these goals. One important aspect of a good supervisor is establishing concrete, consistent rules and abiding by them. Employees will make mistakes and sometimes test the system. In other words, they'll test whether the company's standards will be enforced. If one employee is a regularly late for their shift without a valid excuse and they don't get disciplined for this, other employees will take notice. This can lead to other employee infractions, low morale, or other potential problems for your team. Addressing these issues quickly and as fairly as possible will show your team that you care about them and want them to succeed. If you don't act on these issues, other ones will likely crop up, and sometimes employees will look at your lack of action and use it to their own benefit. By taking quick action, you declare that you're the one in charge. Sometimes, though, discipline may not be up to you, but may involve upper management or HR. Also, giving your employees the freedom to make independent is crucial for developing a successful team. Delegating tasks, decisions, or projects is also critical for developing team identity. Even if mistakes happen, an individual or team will hopefully learn from these errors and improve for the next time.

Intermediate Provider : Timothy Hornseth 5 Lessons · 15m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Urdu, Chinese

Course Description

As a supervisor within your company, you become a focal point. There will be many people you’ll need to interact with in various sectors of your organization, from your own employees to fellow supervisors. But, if you know how to interact with these specific groups of coworkers, you can work to create mutually beneficial relationships that allow you to leverage their skills, to everyone’s benefit. In these lessons, you’ll discover how you can interact with your team to provide them with helpful feedback. You’ll also learn how to best work with your boss—or bosses—in higher management. We’ll address how you can work with your Human Resources department to accomplish evaluations and employee training. We’ll also talk about working with other supervisors, and how you can resolve conflicts between them and get help from their departments.

What You'll Learn

Supervise and provide helpful feedback to your team members
Manage expectations from your boss and upper management
Utilize Human Resources expertise for evaluations and employee training
Collaborate with fellow supervisors and resolve conflicts between them
Leverage other departments to get the help your work requires

Key Takeaways

As a supervisor, you become a focal point who interacts with many groups across your organization, from your own employees to fellow supervisors.
Knowing how to interact with specific groups of coworkers lets you build mutually beneficial relationships and leverage their skills for everyone's benefit.
Working effectively with your boss or bosses in higher management is part of the supervisory role.
The Human Resources department can support a supervisor in accomplishing evaluations and employee training.
Working with other supervisors includes resolving conflicts between them and getting help from their departments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is this course for?

It is for supervisors within a company who act as a focal point and need to interact with various groups, from their own employees to fellow supervisors and upper management.

What topics does this course cover?

It covers supervisors and their teammates, supervisors and management, supervisors and HR, and interactions with fellow supervisors, followed by a Test Your Knowledge section.

What skills will I gain from this course?

The course develops skills in People Management, Supervision, Career Development, Employee Relations, Working With A Board Of Directors, and Workplace Relationships.

How does this course help me work with Human Resources?

It addresses how you can work with your Human Resources department to accomplish evaluations and employee training, and how to utilize HR expertise.

Does this course include a way to check my understanding?

Yes, it includes a Test Your Knowledge lesson in addition to the instructional lessons.