principles of supervision chapters 09 - 10 2007
TRANSCRIPT
Principles of Supervision
Providing Effective LeadershipChapter 9
Learning Goals Define leadership and describe the
difference between a leader and a supervisor
Identify the traits that may help you become a successful leader
Define charisma and its key components
Describe the skills of a visionary leader
Learning Goals Differentiate between task centered
and people centered leadership behaviors
Identify and describe three types of participative leadership styles
Explain situational leadership Describe situations in which
leadership is irrelevant
Leadership The ability an individual
demonstrates to influence others to act in a particular way through direction, encouragement, sensitivity, consideration and support
Goes beyond formal positions
Are You a Leader Because You Are a Supervisor? Supervisors
Formally appointed Have legitimate power – can reward
and punish Power comes from the authority
inherent in their position Supervisors should be leaders!!!!!!!!
But…
Are You a Leader Because You Are a Supervisor? Those who emerge from a group to be
come leaders can influence others to perform beyond the actions dictated by formal authority
Leader/supervisor Anyone who supervisors should be a
leader But there are leaders who are not capable
of supervisory functions and should not be given formal authority
Can There Ever Be No Leader? Yes .. there are factors that act as
substitutes
Employee characteristics Experience Skill level and training Need for autonomy
Can There Ever Be No Leader? Job characteristics
Well-defined and routine Intrinsically satisfying
Organizational Characteristics Explicit and formalized goals Rigid rules and procedures Cohesive work groups
Are People Born to Lead? Look at traits that separate leaders
from nonleaders If traits do separate the two we
should be able to identify characteristics and traits of successful leaders
Six Traits of Effective Leaders
Drive
Intelligence
Self-confidenceDesire to influence
others
RelevantKnowledge
Honesty and Moral Character
Six Traits of Effective Leaders Drive – reflects a person’s desire to exert
a high level of effort and complete a task Desire to influence others – willingness to
accept responsibility Honesty and moral character Self-confidence Intelligence Relevant knowledge – job relevant –
employee relevant
Leaders and Charisma Is a magnetism that inspires
followers to go the “extra mile” to reach goals that are perceived as difficult or unpopular
The Charismatic Leader Has an idealized goal that they ant to
achieve Can communicate the goal to others
in a way that they can understand Strong convictions about their goal Often do things in an unconventional
way Are assertive and confident, can
convince followers that they know best
The Charismatic Leader High self-monitoring - are good
actors, can easily adjust their behavior to different situations
Do not like the status quo, prefer goals that will significantly improve the way things are and are committed to achieving that goal
Are often perceived as agents of radical change
The Charismatic Leader People working for them are
motivated to exert more effort and, because they like their leader, express more job satisfaction
Can Leaders Be Trained – Yes A person needs certain skills
Technical skills - the procedures and techniques involved in the job process, become an expert, people will follow if they have confidence
Conceptual skills – you must be able to see the big picture, you must be able to make sense out of chaos – harder to teach this skill
Can Leaders Be Trained – Yes Networking Skills
Ability to socialize and interact with those associated to the unit
Use this skill to take care of people, get things needed to do the job
Your employees will know you can fight for them
Can Leaders Be Trained – Yes Human-relations skills - critical
Ability to work with, understand, and motivate those around you
Effectively communicate with, and listen to your employees
Includes the people skills of coaching, facilitating, and supporting others
Includes honesty and values Needed to influence others
Leadership – Behaviors and Styles Traits and skills are difficult for
employees (followers) to detect, they will define your leadership by the behaviors they see in you.
Supervisory Leadership Behaviors
Consultative
Participative
Democratic
Free Rein
Employees incontrol of thosethings thataffect them
Autocratic
Leader/supervisorin totalcontrol
Task-Centered Behavior A strong tendency to emphasize the
technical or task aspects of the job Employees are viewed mainly as a
means to an end The supervisor’s major concern is
ensuring that they know precisely what is expected of them
Task-Centered Behavior These individuals may not be
leaders but are rule, regulation and goal enforcers
Often exhibit Theory X, autocratic, or authoritarian leadership styles
Behavior = Leadership Style
Task-Centered Behavior
Autocratic Leadership Style
Autocratic Leader Task master Centralized decision making Gives orders and expects results Performs negative reinforcement Common in all types of organizations Definitely a Theory X type manager
People-Centered Behavior Emphasizes interpersonal relations
with those you lead by taking a personal interest in their needs
Shows trust, friendship, and provides supportive interactions with employees
Often exhibit Theory Y, participative managerial traits
Participative Leadership The leadership style of an
individual who actively seeks input from followers for many of the activities in the organization
Two types Consultative-participative style Democratic-participative style
Behavior = Leadership Style
People-Centered Behavior
Consultative-Participative Leadership StyleDemocratic-Participative Leadership Style
Consultative-Participative Leadership Leader seeks input, hears concerns
and issues of followers Uses input as an information-
seeking exercise Makes the final decision
Democratic-Participative Leadership Leader seeks input and does all
the things listed under Consultative-Participative Leadership
Allows workers to have a say Decisions are made by the group
Free-Reign Leadership Also known as Laissez-faire
leadership, hands off management Give employees total autonomy to
make the decisions that will affect them
After establishing overall objectives and general guidelines, the employees are free to establish their own plans for achieving their goals
Free-Reign Leadership Does not imply lack of leadership,
rather that the leader removes himself or herself from the day to day activities but is available to deal with the exceptions
This style works well with highly trained professionals
What Behaviors Should You Exhibit? Evidence points to people-centered
leadership as the preferred style FOR most employees
While people-oriented leadership may make a happier work force it does not necessarily produce results
Effective Leadership There are several key situational
models of leadership Fiedler Contingency Model House’s Path-Goal Theory Situational Leadership
Situational LeadershipEmployee Characteristics
Job Characteristics
Productivity&
EmployeeSatisfaction
ExperienceAbilityPersonalityGroup Cohesiveness
Goal ClarityTask Structure
Autocratic
Participative
Free-Reign
LEADERSHIP
STYLE
Fiedler Contingency Model Effective leadership is a function
of: A proper match between the leader’s
style of interacting with followers The degree to which the situation
gives control and influence to the leader
House’s Path-Goal Theory It is the leader’s job to assist his or her
followers in attaining their goals Is accomplished by providing necessary
direction and or support to ensure that their goals are compatible with the group or organizational goals
Leader clarifies the path to help employees achieve their goals by reducing potential roadblocks and pitfalls
Situational Leadership No single leadership style fits every
case Focus is on leadership styles that
adjust to specific situations and places attention on employee readiness
Readiness is defined as the ability and willingness of an employee to complete a task
Situational Leadership
R3
R1 R2
R4
Low High
High
SkillLevel
Willingness to Perform
Situational LeadershipParticipating
R3
DelegatingR4
TellingR1
SellingR2
Low High
High
RelationshipBehavior
Task BehaviorR4 R3 R2 R1
Readiness of Employee
Situational Leadership R1: Employee both unable and
unwilling to do job Telling style required, task behavior
R2: Employee is unable to do the job, but willing to perform the tasks Selling style required
Situational Leadership R3: Employee is able to do job, but
unwilling to be told by a leader what to do Participating style of leadership required
R4: Employee is both able and willing to do job Delegating style of leadership required
Contemporary Leadership Roles Credibility – The most dominant
component is honesty Employees judge their supervisors in
terms of their honesty, competence and ability to inspire
Trust – the belief in the integrity, character, and ability of a leader
Five Dimensions of Trust Integrity: honesty and truthfulness Competence: knowledge and skills Consistency: reliability and good
judgement Loyalty: willingness to protect and save
face for a person Openness: willingness to share
information
Trust is Important Empowerment has reduced or
removed many of the traditional control mechanisms used to monitor employees
Employees are increasingly free to schedule their own work, evaluate their own performance, and participate in team-member hiring decisions
Trust is crucial
Building Trust Practice openness – be candid,
disclose relevant information Be fair – give credit where credit is
due, be impartial, objective Speak your feelings – be real, human Tell the truth – critically important if
you want trust
Building Trust Show consistency Fulfill your promises – keep your word Maintain confidences – be discrete,
don’t betray confidences Demonstrate confidence - show
technical and professional ability, as well as communication, negotiating, and other interpersonal skills
Leading Through Empowerment Empowerment is needed to get
quick decisions from people who are most knowledgeable about the issues
Restructuring and downsizing has left many supervisors with too wide spans of control, they have no choice but to empower
Leading Through Empowerment
Sharing power and responsibility by showing trust, providing vision, removing performance-blocking barriers, offering encouragement, motivating and coaching employees
Leadership Issues Cultural issues – different cultures
lead differently Gender issues – men and women
lead differently
Leadership Issues Women – tend to lead in a more democratic
style Encourage employee participation and
are willing to share their positional power Influence others through charisma,
expertise, contacts, and interpersonal skill
Open communications and trusting relationships
Leadership Issues Men – tend to use a task-centered
leadership style Rely on positional power to
control activities Tend to dominate how they
influence others
Transactional Leader Guide or motivate employees by
clarifying their roles and task requirements
Transformational Leader An approach built on top of transactional
supervision Inspires followers to transcend their own
self-interests for the good of the organization
Can have a profound effect on followers Pays attention to concerns and
developmental needs of followers Is able to excite, arouse, and inspire
followers to put out extra effort
Principles of Supervision
Communicating EffectivelyChapter 10
Learning Goals Define communication and the
communication process Contrast formal and informal
communication Explain how electronic communications
affect the supervisor’s job List barriers to effective communication
Learning Goals Describe techniques for overcoming
communication barriers List the requirements for active
listening Explain what behaviors are
necessary for providing effective feedback
Communication Facts Words mean different things to
different people The initiation of a message is no
assurance that it is received or understood as intended
Communications often lose much of their accuracy as they are transmitted and translated
Communication Facts Communication is much more than
the spoken word or even the written word
Understanding is the goal Involves the spoken word, the
written word, grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, the “whole ball of wax”
Communication The transference and understanding of
meaning from a sender to a receiver
Communication can take place without agreement between sender and receiver
Do not equate effective communication with agreement
Methods of Communication Two Types
Formal Informal
Berlo’s Communication Model
Sender Receiver
Feedback
Barriers Barriers
Verbal
Nonverbal
Communication: The transference of meaning and understanding
Formal Communication Addresses task-related issues and tends
to follow the organization’s authority chain
Used to give orders, provide advice, listen to suggestions, interact with employees
Occurs via speech, written documents, electronic, media and nonverbal behavior
Informal Communication Can move in any direction Skips authority levels Is likely to satisfy social needs as it
is to facilitate task accomplishments
The grapevine
Oral Communication One-to-one with an employee A speech to a department A problem solving session with a
group Phone conversations
Oral Communication Advantages
Speed and nonverbal language – information transferred quickly and is enhanced by nonverbal cues such as tone, mood, and except for phone conversations gestures and facial expressions
Positive symbolic value More personal, intimate caring Can build trust, create openness
Written Communication Message is intended to be official
Performance reviews Departmental reports
Message has long-implications Used for introducing changes –
new procedures
Written Communication “Good”
Provides a reliable, provable , paper trail for decisions or actions that are called into question
Reduces ambiguity
Written Communication “Bad” - Obsessive documentation
can: Take too much time Lead to risk avoidance Create a a highly politicized work
environment Cause task completion to become
subordinate to a CYA mentality
Electronic Communication E-mail Voice mail Electronic paging Cellular phones Video conferencing Modem-based transmissions
Electronic Communication Increase a supervisor’s communication
options and abilities Messages to and from employees Massive speed Constant contact Massive monitoring possibilities Great networking possibilities with superiors,
subordinates, suppliers, and customers
Nonverbal Communication Body Language
Gestures and facial expressions can communicate aggression, fear, shyness, arrogance, joy, and anger
Can account for 55% oh how a message is interpreted
Nonverbal Communication Verbal Intonation
The emphasis someone gives to words or phrases
Soft, smooth tone is vastly different from a harsh or abrasive tone
Can account for 38% of how a message is interpreted
Yes that’s right – words only count for 7% of how a message is interpreted
Informal Communication Is active in all organizations Where employees get most of their
information Usually only 75% accurate The “Rumor Mill” “Grapevine” Too powerful to stop
Informal Communication Useful to provide insight to
employees’ concerns, fears Can be used to spread (transmit)
the truth Can be used to identify issues that
employees consider important Can help make sense of limited
information
Is there a preferred medium? Face-to face transmits the most
information because of nonverbal possibilities
Telephone follows because of tonal inflection
Followed by e-mail, memos, letters, fliers, bulletins and general reports
Is there a preferred medium? The more ambiguous and
complicated the message, the more a sender should rely on a rich communication medium
Supervisors don’t always know to do this
Barriers to Effective Communication
LanguageListening HabitsLack of Feedback
PerceptionRole Requirements
Information MediumLack of Honesty
Emotions
The messageas envisioned
by sender
The messageas interpreted
by receiver
Barriers to Effective Communication
Language Age Education Cultural background Diverse backgrounds in general Use of specialized technical language Vertical differences – “incentive” =
manipulation, “goal” = control
Barriers to Effective Communication Listening habits
Hearing is not listening Poor listening skills may be present Distractions from listening – noise,
background, tasks Emotions can cloud listening
Barriers to Effective Communication Feedback
We don’t seek it We don’t provide it
Barriers to Effective Communication Perceptions
Attitudes, interests, experiences, and expectations determine how you process, organize and interpret your surroundings
We all have selective perception This can distort our communications
to and from others
Barriers to Effective Communication Roles
Behavior patterns that go with positions people occupy
Positions can create jargon (specialized language)
Requires role-player to interpret events selectively
Barriers to Effective Communication Information Medium
Choice of medium can be critical Media differ in the richness of
information – a measure of the information that is transmitted based on multiple information cues (words, posture, facial expressions, gestures, intonations), immediate feedback, and the personal touch
Hierarchy of Information Richness
Level of Type of InformationRichness Message Medium
Complex Richest Ambiguous
Leanest Simple Clear
Face-to-face talkTelephoneElectronic MailMemo, lettersFliers, bulletins,General reports
Barriers to Effective Communication Honesty
If employees don’t trust you, communication will be poor
Saying what you think others want to hear creates a barrier due to this
Creates tension and distrust
Barriers to Effective Communication Emotions
Employees only see the emotion not the total message
Rational and objective thinking can be replaced by emotional judgments (rage)
Improving Communication Think first! Constrain emotions Learn to listen Tailor language to the receiver Match words and actions Seek and provide feedback Participate in assertiveness training
Assertiveness Training Designed to make people more
open and self-expressive so they can confront issues without being rude or thoughtless
This training can teach verbal and nonverbal behaviors that can enhance communication
Active Listening Intensity
Requires you to concentrate intensely on what the speaker is saying
You must tune out all other thoughts You must summarize and integrate
what has been said, and put it in the context of what has preceded it
Active Listening Empathy
“Put yourself in the other person’s shoes”
Try to understand what the speaker wants to communicate rather that what you want to hear
Suspend your own thoughts and emotions, adjust to the speaker’s world
Active Listening Acceptance
Listen objectively without judging
Take responsibility for completeness Do whatever it takes to get the full-
intended meaning from the speaker’s communication
Developing Effective Listening Skills Be motivated Make eye contact Show interest Avoid distracting actions Show empathy Take in the whole picture Ask questions
Developing Effective Listening Skills Paraphrase Don’t interrupt Integrate what is being said Don’t overtalk Confront your biases Make smooth transitions from
between speaker and listener Be natural
Importance of Feedback Positive feedback
Likely to be given promptly and enthusiastically
More readily and accurately perceived Fits with what people wish to hear and
already believe Negative feedback
Often avoided, delayed or distorted Should be used when supported by hard
data
How Do You Give Effective Feedback Focus on specific behaviors Keep feedback impersonal Keep feedback goal oriented Make feedback well timed Ensure understanding
Have receiver rephrase back to you Direct negative feedback toward
behavior that the receiver can control