American Pharmacists Association

Role of the Supervisor Facilitated byPatrick Patrong, BSE, MCRP, M.Div.Patrong Enterprises, Inc.

1

Today we will introduce ourselves differently again!IntroductionsWrite a short sentence about yourself on the index card providedThe cards will be randomly distributedIndividuals will read the card they receive and guess the person

This session explores some contemporary roles of supervisor in todays working environment for a basic understandingGoals and ObjectivesAfter this session participants will understand:The differences and similarities of Management and Supervision,Core skills in supervision and Common myths about employee motivation, andOverview of performance through the use of observation and feedback

Sharing Our ExperiencesWhat was your most difficult experience as a supervisor?

Share you most difficult experience with a supervisor (peer or superior)?What was the learning that you took away from these experiences?Groups will report on the most interesting, challenging or funny experiences

What is "Management"?Traditionally, the term "management" refers to the set of activities, and often the group of people, involved in four general functions, including:Planning, Organizing,Leading, andCoordinating activitiesWhat limitations do you see with this definition?

Another InterpretationSome writers and practitioners, assert that the traditional view is outdated and management needs to focus more on leadership skillsThese skills include establishing vision and goals, communicating the vision and goals and guiding others to accomplish them

They also assert that leadership must be more facilitative, participative and empowering in how visions and goals are established and carried out.

What Do Managers Do?Both interpretations acknowledge the major functions of planning, organizing, leading and coordinating activitiesThey put different emphasis and suggest different natures of activities in the four major functions

PlanningIncluding identifying goals, objectives, methods, resources needed to carry out methods, responsibilities and dates for completion of tasks Examples of planning are strategic planning, business planning, project planning, staffing planning, advertising and promotions planning

Organizing ResourcesUtilization of resources to achieve goals in an optimum fashion Examples are organizing new departments, human resources, office and file systems, and reorganizing businesses

LeadingIncluding to set the direction for the organization, groups and individuals and also influence people to follow that directionExamples are establishing strategic direction (vision, values, mission, and goals) and championing methods of organizational performance management to pursue that direction

Controlling, or CoordinatingOccurs with the organization's systems, processes and structures to effectively and efficiently reach goals and objectivesThis includes an ongoing collection of feedback, and monitoring and adjustment of systems, processes and structures accordinglyExamples include the use of financial controls, policies, and procedures, performance management processes, and measures to avoid risks

What is "Supervision"?Typically supervision is the activity carried out by supervisors to oversee the productivity and progress of employees who report directly to the supervisors

First-level supervisors supervise entry-level employeesManagers, supervise first-level supervisors

What is Needed?

UpperMiddleLower

What Do Supervisors Do?Supervision of a group of employees often includes 1.Conducting basic management skills a.Decision-making, b.Problem-solving, c.Planning, d.Delegation and e.Meeting management

What Do Supervisors Do?Supervision of a group of employees - Continued 2. Organizing their department and teams 3. Identifying and designing new roles 4. Employee performance management 5. Conforming to personnel policies 6. Disciplining employees - Developmental

Problem Solving ActivityIdentify and define a problem in your groupLook at potential causes for the problemIdentify alternatives for approaches to resolve the problemSelect an approach to resolving the problemPlan the implementation of the best alternative - action planWays to monitor implementation of the planWays to verify if the intervention resolved the problem

Planning - Basic TermsPlanning typically includes the use of the following basic terms. It is not critical to grasp completely an accurate definition of each of the following termsIt is important for planners to have a basic sense of the goals/objectives and the strategies/tasks

Planning - GoalsGoals: Specific accomplishments that must be accomplished in total, or in some combination, in order to achieve some larger, overall result preferred by the system, for example, the mission of an organizationStrategies or Activities: Methods or processes required in total, or in some combination, to achieve the goals

Planning - ObjectivesObjectives: Specific accomplishments that must be accomplished in total, or in some combination, to achieve the goals in the plan. Objectives are usually "milestones" along the way when implementing the strategiesTasks: Particularly in small organizations, people are assigned various tasks required to implement the plan. If the scope of the plan is very small, tasks and activities are often the same

Planning - ResourcesResources: People, materials, technologies, or money, required to implement the strategies or processes. Frequently, the costs of these resources are in the budget

Planning & ImplementationA common failure in many kinds of planning is not implementing the planInvolve the right people in the planning processWrite down the planning Information and communicate it widely

Build in accountability (regularly review who's doing what and by when?)Note deviations from the plan and re-plan accordingly

Planning & ImplementationEvaluate planning process and the planRecurring planning process is at least as important as plan documentNature of the process should be compatible with nature of plannersAcknowledgment and celebration of resultsGoals and objectives should be SMARTER

SMARTER GoalsSpecific: Exactly what is the goalMeasurable: Know when the goal is completed Acceptable: The goal should be agreed uponRealistic: The goal should be usefulTime frame: A reasonable time for completionExtending: Stretch performer's capabilities

Rewarding: performers are rewarded for effort

Effective DelegationDelegation is when supervisors give responsibility and authority to subordinates to complete a task, and let the subordinates figure out how the task can be accomplishedEffective delegation develops people who are ultimately more fulfilled and productiveManagers become more fulfilled and productive themselves as they learn to count on their staff and attend to more strategic issues

Challenge of DelegationMany managers want to remain comfortable, making the same decisions they have always made when they believe they can do a better job themselvesWhat are some reasons why managers and supervisors are hesitant to delegate?

Approaches to Delegation1. Delegate the whole task to one person2. Select the right person3.Clearly specify your preferred results4.Delegate responsibility and authority5.Summarize the project and preferred results6. Get non-intrusive feedback7.Maintain open lines of communication8. Dont take the delegation back

26

Levels of DelegationIdentify items you can delegate at the different levels

Meeting ManagementThe process used in a meeting depends on the kind of meeting - staff meeting, planning meeting, or problem-solving meetingHowever, there are certain basics that are common to various types of meetings

Meeting Guidelines1. Selecting participants2. Developing agendas3. Opening meetings4. Establishing ground rules5. Time management6. Evaluations of meeting process7. Evaluating the overall meeting8. Closing meetings

Performance ManagementOne of the common problems managers and supervisors experience is no clear sense of their employees effectivenessThe first step toward solving this problem is to establish clear performance goals

Performance ManagementSome people have a strong negative reaction toward setting goals because they fear goals as "the law" that must be maintained and never brokenSome people fear they will not achieve the goals, others have disdain for goals because goals seem to take the "heart" out of their work

Motivation Myths"I can motivate people"Money is a good motivatorFear is a very good motivatorWhat motivates me, motivates my employeesIncreased job satisfaction = increased performanceI cannot comprehend motivation -- it is a science

Basic Principles1. Motivating employees starts with motivating yourself2. Always work to align goals of the organization with goals of employees3. Understanding what motivates each individual employee4. Recognize that supporting employee motivation is a process, not a task5. Use organizational systems such as policies and procedures

Observing and Feedback1.Clarity - Be clear about what you want to say2.Emphasize the positive - This is not being collusive 3.Be specific -- Avoid general comments 4.Focus on behavior rather than the person5.Refer to behavior that can be changed6.Be descriptive rather than evaluative7.Own the feedback -- Use I statements8.Generalizations -- Notice all, never, always, and ask to get more specificity -- often these words are arbitrary limits on behavior

Performance IssuesPerformance issues should always be based on behaviors that you see, not on characteristics of the employee's personality:1.Convey performance issues to employees when you first see the issue2.When you first convey a performance issue to an employee, say what you noticed and would like to see instead3.Consider special circumstances

Performance ReviewsPerformance reviews help supervisors feel more honest in their relationships with their subordinates and feel better about themselves in their supervisorial rolesSubordinates are assured clear understanding of what's expected from them, their personal strengths and areas for development and a solid sense of their relationship with their supervisor

Thought

Comments

QuestionsTo Be Continued.