1

IT 8 – Shop Supervision and Apprenticeship

I-The Task of Managing. In business and industry, it is the quality of management and of
leadership that determines in the end whether an organization will succeed, exist or fail.
Management means “achieving stated objectives (usually to produce certain goods or services)
by directing human and other resources towards these ends.

Managing has grown from mere ownership and trial and error to a position of vast
responsibility. Today, the job of a manager is to integrate and coordinate functions so that the
overall functions of the organization are met and achieved. There are critical junction points
where these functions come together and overlap in the organization. The effective manager
does more at these junction points than merely join functions together, or holds hands to create
smooth flow of work activity. He feeds into the junction points additives that only he can provide.
Understanding, considering and interpreting the four social spheres – the society, the
organization, the work group and the individual is the manager’s job. He must bring the clearest
possible understanding of these spheres and their influences to bear at the junction points.

However, no perspective view of the manager’s job could be adequate without reference
to one of his important roles – that of supervising. Far and away the most powerful concept of
management philosophy is the idea that people tend to support what they help create.

Obviously, an organization’s objectives must be achieved through people.

Selecting capable men and women to assist management in carrying out policies is the
first task in building a good organization. They are those who will be charged with the task and
responsibility of supervision. Supervision is an element of control in that it consists of the
effective direction of employees along organizational lines. Through supervision, management
sees to it that organization structure really function well.

The Need for Supervision. The story is told and retold about the sad experience of
Henry Ford with his workers in the automobile plant. It seems that every time he visits his plant
by surprise, he always finds a number of workers loafing on the job – many of them had gaze
fixed on the wall clock. In other words, said workers were veritable clock watchers which are
posed a problem for him but not for long. An industrial giant that he was and well-versed in
management, better than many holders of Ph. D’s fro various universities, he did not dare to
remove the wall clock as an average man would surely done. Instead he installed several wall
clocks showing different time. This confused the workers who would not know which showed
the correct time. From then on, they no longer cared to look at all the clocks – a stage in man’s
culture development when carrying a pocket or wrist watch was a luxury. That marked the end
of clock-watching on the part of his workers and later, he appointed a permanent supervisor to
oversee his workers at the plant.

Perhaps, in every manufacturing firm and service industry as well, close supervision is
badly needed.

Supervision, defined. The dictionary defines supervision in the following wards: “the act
of supervising; superintendence; “the authority to direct or supervise” from the Latin supervidere
”super” signifying “over” and “videre” meaning “see”. Supervision as a management function
refers to the act of keeping a close eye on the work of workers and employees in the
performance of the jobs assigned to them. The individual who is in charged with this function
and responsibility is generally called a supervisor. A function “is a work activity that may be
separated from other work activities.”

The chief importance of supervision is that it can catch deviations of actual from planned
results at a time when corrective actions may be taken immediately. Davis and Filley have
observed, as a general rule, many subordinates do not ordinarily like close supervision. As a
matter of record, successful managers do not over-supervise. Another observation is that those
supervisors who are people-oriented tend to be more successful in getting a high quality and
 2

quantity results than those who are not. Too close supervision could impair subordinate’s
initiative and thus hinder his growth and development.

Purpose of Supervision. The main purpose of supervision is to determine whether an

individual who is responsible for the action understands the information and directions that were
given to him previously and whether he is following them satisfactorily. The supervising
executive seeks to learn where further advice and instruction are needed by the subordinate. In
such cases, supervision “leads to redirection” and some instances, it may also lead to corrective
action.

As a corrective action – which is the function of correcting deviation from planned

performance when such deviation exceeds normal limits of variation – such may be made in
three ways: (1) making the actions conform to the plan; (2) by changing the standard to fit the
action when the assumptions or condition, on which the plan was based, have changed; and (3)
by changing both the action and the plans so that they correspond.

Directing, Guiding and Leading. Directing, guiding and leading are three key words that sum
up the whole spectrum of supervision. Directing is chiefly a verbal function. It is telling the
subordinates what they are to do and how they are to do it. As a function of order-giving, it may
range from a simple request to an authoritative command. The exact type of direction used will
vary with the needs of the situation, as well the degree of responsibility or authority that is given
with a direction.

Direction can also be performed in writing. An example is that of technical directives

which are usually written at a higher level. These directives or technical orders are released
through a control center to a lower level.

Direction is the function of constraining and regulating action by interpreting, explaining

and instructing subordinates about the requirements of a plan or some phase of it. It is a
communication, by a superior, concerning the performance expected and the authority granted
the subordinate for such performance and designed primarily to give the respondents both
information and understanding of the work to be performed.

At this point, it may be well to restate what has been stated before that “the secret of
effective leadership is not ordering people, but creating an atmosphere where they perform their
assignments because they want to perform them.”

Guiding and leading are interpersonal aspects of managing by which subordinates are
led to understand and contribute effectively to the attainment of the enterprises’ objectives.

To be able to direct, guide and lead, in line with the function of a supervisor of “watching
over”, he must know what is gong on, who is doing what and what the working conditions are.

Managing Others. Expressed correctly, supervision is the job and responsibility of managing
others. Those at the higher level of management know for a fact that authority must work in two
ways. As the president of one large corporation said pointedly: “I have final responsibility of the
firm, but I can only be successful if I have competent people making decisions within their own
sphere of responsibilities. It is my job to have a clear view of the total operation and make sure
that each part of it is working properly.” Effective management, then, is working with and
through people.

Here are some simple guides that can make authority work in two ways and thus
increase the supervisor’s effectiveness:

a. Authority should be used with prudence and justice. Prudence means being cautious
and discreet, using sound reasoning, sagacity, meticulous care and frugality in the
management of affairs.
 3

b. Authority should go hand in hand with responsibility. It is not altogether uncommon to

hear about those who commit mistakes when using authority to look for someone to take
the blame. This bespeaks of the lack of strong character on the part of the erring official
for which he cannot earn the respect of his subordinates and colleagues.
c. Learn to profit from mistakes. The failure of some individuals is not in falling down but in
refusing to get up. Every time we fall, we must rise. Mistakes at times are unavoidable,
no matter what we do. This should not be taken as a reflection of the ability of the
supervisor but rather an opportunity to do better next time and rise to greater heights in
terms of achievements or accomplishment. By le4arning from our mistakes (as well as
of others) we are able to succeed. Only those who are enveloped in stupidity do not
profit from mistakes.
d. Set sights on goals. Unless goals are set and set right, one will never know whether he
is coming or going. Moreover, without specific goals, the supervisor cannot be effective
in supervising subordinates under him. The supervisor who fails to understand the
importance of organizational goals cannot hope to accomplish his duties and
responsibilities.
e. Delegate authority with responsibility. A good supervisor must know how to delegate
work to those who are competent to do it. This means that the supervisor must have a
thorough knowledge of the resourcefulness, intelligence and job capability of the
employee under him. Implicitly, it means that the supervisor has confidence on the
capacity and ability of his employees to do the delegated task. When leadership lacks
confidence, organization tends to break down.
f. Be counselor and a coach. Many workers and employees have problems on their job,
serious or trivial ones. Unfortunately, a number of them are hesitant, if not afraid, to seek
the help of supervisors on the wrong assumption that it is wrong to do so. Supervisors in
their multifaceted roles and responsibilities invariably act as a coach and counselor.
Unless such individual seek the help of their supervisors, the latter will not be in a
position to help them since they are not aware that such individuals have problems on
their jobs.
g. Adapt and use good ideas. No man is expected to know everything under the sun. A
good supervisor does not stand still. Imbued with the desire to reap success in his role
as a supervisor, he tries to make use of his vivid imagination, observation and moreover
adapt and use good ideas.
h. Review job assignments. It is not enough that work assignments are farmed out to
subordinates. Equally important is the knowledge that such workers and employees
assigned to do the job understand what they are told and instructed to do. Moreover. To
insure that work is being performed well in accordance with plans and instructions, the
supervisor must conduct a periodic review of the work of all his subordinates.
i. Set deadline. Since business is highly competitive, deadlines must be set. A job may be
performed well but if it is completed beyond the time limit, it defeats the very purpose for
which it is done.
j. Try to cultivate and develop cordial and harmonious employer-employee relations. This
is vital for the efficient working of an organization. Without it, no organization can
succeed. In fact, it should not escape attention that management and employee are
inseparable and like the bow and arrow, one is useless without the other.
k. Provide a climate of caring. As a corollary to the above, a good supervisor must always
endeavor to provide a climate of caring that allows sufficient freedom to individuals so
that they can satisfy some of their personal needs through the job.

Coping with Conflict. If conflict is not managed, it can break out into open warfare. But
conflict in itself, in the words of Ronald H. Hermone in “Supervisory Management”, is not
“unhealthy”, for it can actually mean that the parties involved in the conflict want to make the
best decision for their organization. Conflict can offer an opportunity to find new and creative
methods and solutions if the energies it produces are channeled positively.

According to him, there are generally three causes of conflict, poor communications,
structural differences and personal differences.
 4

Poor communications. Antagonism toward supervision may come about as a result of

poor communication, that is, the use of semantics and unfamiliar and ambiguous language or
incomplete information as to keep the workers and employees in fuzzy land.

Structural differences. Structural conflicts are caused by power struggles in which two or
more individuals or group strive for dominance. Reward systems for different groups also cause
structural conflict. One way to resolve conflict is to use a common yardstick – affording the
same kind of treatment to all personnel of the organization.

Personal differences. One of the troublesome conflicts in an organization is that of

personal differences. This is because as has been said time and again, individuals differ in
attitudes and beliefs. Nevertheless, where this is present, efforts to solve such differences
should be exerted without let-up. One way is conducting a problem-solving meeting between
parties involved where they afforded the opportunity to listen to all aspects of the problem.
Ideas and suggestions toward their solution should not be looked over. Rather, they should be
encouraged. The more ideas they are, the better, for often the final solution could come from a
number of alternatives.

Keeping a Good Program Growing. A good program should revolve around the following:
a. Safeguarding the health of the employees. It is a truism that health is wealth. Unhealthy
people cannot work well – and continuously. It is thus a moral responsibility of every
management to safeguard the health of its workers and employees. Specifically,
management should provide good working conditions and adequate safety measures
adopted to prevent industrial accidents.

b. Keeping working conditions to standards. If the shop is too hot or cold, such situations
pose a health hazard to the workers and employees in the company. If the light is too
dim or poorly located, accidents may happen. If the air is bad due to poor ventilation o
because it is full of toxic solvents or sprays, management is faced with a problem of
protecting the worker’s well – being. The wise supervisor makes sure that workers and
employees have no legitimate reason to complain about working conditions in the plant r
office.

c. Counseling employees. Top teaching techniques and the most modern training methods
fall far short on the attainment of desired goals and objectives if a supervisor fails to win
the confidence of his workers and employees or are not convinced that the program of
the company is designed purposely to promote their welfare as it promote its own.
One of the easiest ways for employees to distrust supervisors and charge them with
indifference is their utter lack of inattention given to employees under their care and
supervision, if not to say, turning a deaf ear on the grievances, fancied or real. Unsettled
grievances generally lead to walkouts and strikes and thus a consequent slowing down
or interruption in the production.

d. Providing periodic performance appraisal. A good program must provide for periodic
performance appraisal. It need not be mentioned that in every organization, promotions
in rank and in pay, are generally based on merit. Unless periodic performance evaluation
is conducted, it would not only be difficult but impossible to determine with unerring
accuracy those who are deserving of promotion.

e. Keeping communication open. Communication holds the key to the building of

harmonious management – labor – relations. Organization layers are the natural
enemies of adequate communication. Traditionally, the layers between the front office
and the rest of the body corporate tend to insulate company officers from those who
must carry out policies; the greater the number of layers, the more effective the
insulation ( a variety of Parkinson’s Law). Cutting put layers is one of the best
techniques in establishing communication between those who issue orders and those
who are asked to implement them. Where a vacuum exists, communication becomes a
 5

failure. It is ineffective in sending the desired message just as the feedback becomes
difficult, if not impossible.

II. The Supervisor – “The Firing Line”

Viewed from a correct perspective, the management hierarchy of an organization is
composed of three important levels: top, middle and lower.

The top management level is represented by the executive, a relatively high-level

member of the management family whose work is largely in the realm of decision-making and
policy-formulation. His capacity is such that his judgment, perspective and skill in properly
delegating responsibility will weigh heavily in the long-term success or failure of the business.
The executive predicts long-range demands and system needs, interface between the
organizational and its social, economic and political environment. And moreover, supervises
middle managers. Thus his job is in “the front line.”

Middle management is represented by the manager, called “The Crunch” based on his
functions and responsibilities. One of the important responsibilities of a manager is the
development of people he manages. It is his duty to get results from others. People react to the
manager in two basic ways. They react to him as an individual and they react to his power
position within the organization.

The middle man or manager designs, evaluates, maintains and modifies the
organization’s system, policies and procedures. He supervises supervisors. The manager is
the coordinator of the work system. His role is to coordinate on the front end by giving
assignments, to monitor work process and to evaluate outcomes.

The third level of the managerial hierarchy is represented by the supervisor. Supervisory
activities involve the manager and the supervisor in coordinating other people’s work.

Varied Titles. Owing to the changing as well as the constantly increasing roles of the
supervisors in many companies, as evidenced particularly in highly industrialized countries as
the United States, Britain and others, such a circumstance accounts for the various titles given
to them: foreman, working supervisor, key man, man-in-the-middle, marginal-man, first level
supervisor and many others.

Martin M. Broadwell in his book entitled “The Supervisor and On-the-Job Training” used
the term supervisor and foreman interchangeably. Getting the best out of his subordinates in an
industrial plant makes him popularly known as a foreman. Such foreman may be a salaried one
who spends most of his time directing the work of others; or hourly-paid and spends much of his
time doing actual production work. In the latter, he is called as the working supervisor.

The Working Supervisor. The working supervisor both supervises people as those under
him and works along with them. As Strauss has pointed out, “these college people, with their
eyes on better jobs, and with their special background and training have subverted the working
supervisor, who has usually secured his education and technical skills in the school of hard
knocks.”

Aptly noted, there appears two kinds of working supervisors which could be
distinguished from one another. The most obvious one is known in many industrial plants in the
United States under any of the following titles: working foreman, leadman or group chief. He is
the leader of a group of men who roughly the same sort of work. He shares their work and
some additional quasi-supervisory duties as well.

The other type of working supervisor is vested with some authority by virtue of his
technical position in the work team, anchored on the recognition that his work is essentially
different from and more skilled than others. In a number of instances, this type of working
supervisors receives no formal recognition of authority from management.
 6

At his point, the supervisory duties of both types of supervisors vary from plant to plant.
They generally assign men to duties, coordinate operations where two or more men involved,
make technical decisions as to which machines should be run and how fast, keep records and
inspect the product. In addition, they formally discipline members of the work group and
recommend formal discipline to the foreman. Unlike foreman, they wear overalls, get hourly pay
and belong to the union if there is one.

The Foreman. The foreman is both a subordinate in the organization and as a

management representative dealing with union organization. As a subordinate, he should have
sound understanding of organizational procedure. He is known as a first-line supervisor, others
call him as section or department manager. As first-line supervisor, he occupies a strategic
place in the hierarchy of an organization. As manager’s representative he is undoubtedly a vital
link in the upward and downward flow of communications.

MacFarland describes him in the following: “He is often a key individual in the lives of the
men who work form him. To the extent that he obtains their confidence as a leader, they depend
on him for his ideas, information, suggestions, approval and criticism. They look for him for
decisions, for timely information, for friendly counsel guidance and for answers to questions that
may arise. They expect him to be fair and to use common sense in working with them.”

In some companies, he adds, “there may be considerable antagonism between workers

and their foremen. Sometimes workers develop fears, hatreds and frustrations which produce
conflict and stress in their jobs. Resentment and anger are expressed toward him. The
attitudes of subordinates toward their supervisor are conditioned by general company decisions,
policies and values and by their own experiences with particular supervisors.” He concludes
with no little amount of emphasis: “The supervisor is the distributor of rewards and punishments
and may elicit positive or negative feelings on the part of the subordinates.”

The Man in the Middle. Studies made by social scientists tend to show the supervisor as
the “man in the middle,” a description popularized by F.J. Roethlisberger in an article which
appeared in 1945. his job differs from that of other managers because the group he supervises
is different. This situation requires him to deal and interact in an authoritative relationships with
two groups, first, workers who are subordinates and second, managers who are his superiors.

As described by Keith Davis, the supervisor known as the man in the middle is pressed
between opposing social forces of management and workers. He said, “Management has one
set of expectations from him. It wants him to prevent waste, keep his men disciplined, control
production and otherwise carry out plans. It demands his loyalty and maximum effort. Its
expectations are largely or production-centered. The pressures brought by workers are largely
matters of feeling. They want him ‘to be a good supervisor’, to keep them out of trouble, to
interpret their fears and wants to management, and to be loyal to them. In short, management
expects one set of reactions from the supervisor and workers expect another. As a key man, he
is an agent of both, but as a man in the middle he is merely a mediator and buffer between their
opposing pressures.”

The Marginal Man. The marginal man concept is sociological one referring to the fact
that the supervisor is left out of, or on the margin of, the principal activities and influences which
affect his department. “Who supports the supervisor? Who are his associates, professional and
social?” Davis observed.

The picture of the marginal supervisor is bleak indeed, although he is found in some
organizations.

Meggison has observed, the “marginal man” concept lends itself to the best analysis of
the position of the supervisor today. According to this concept, these individuals stand between
and among, groups and have feeling of both belonging to and not belonging to those groups.
The supervisor is caught between having to report to his superiors and being a representative of
management in his relations to his subordinates.
 7

Donald E. Wray in “Marginal Men of Industry: The Foremen” published in the American
Journal of Sociology, in January 1949. Instead, he is observed merely as a transmitter of
decisions made by superior and has authority for making recommendations.

The Supervisor in Personnel Management. Owing to the multifarious roles of a supervisor in

an organization, he cannot completely dissociate from the various aspects of personnel
management. In a small enterprise where there is no personnel manager, he is involved in
personnel selection and placement. He has the responsibility to provide the training that will
permit the employee to be of invaluable asset to the company just as he is able to develop his
potentials.
In putting the employee on-the-job training, it is important to take into account the following
helpful guides:
a. Explain why. When an employee understands the reasons for doing a job in a certain
way, he undoubtedly is able to learn how to do the job quickly. A person must find
interest on what he is doing; otherwise, he is likely to waste a great deal of his time
doing the task.
b. Encourage the worker to participate. The easiest way to learn the job is through active
participation. During the orientation and training period, a worker should not only be
made to observe but put his hands to work as well. Participation stimulates a worker’s
interest in this way.
c. Allow time for discussion. A good supervisor always finds time to talk with his workers
and employees. The efficiency and morale of all personnel from top management to the
lowest levels within a company depend upon the effectiveness of communication in the
organization. It is of primary importance for the workers and employees to know about
their job duties and know whether they are going or coming.
d. Build confidence. An experienced supervisor knows that a worker or employee learns
best when he is armed with confidence. It is a morale obligation on the part of the
supervisor to strive in creating a healthy climate where the worker or employee has no
reason to fear of failing on the job.
e. Review job performance periodically. Unless job performance is reviewed periodically,
chances are that the workers or employees may start to lose interest on his job. This is
because his efficient performance is taken for granted and promotion takes a long time
in coming.

Developing People. One important aspect of personnel management surrounds the

development of people for eventual succession. As one of America’s leading industrialists once
remarked, “a company’s most important assets do not appear on the balance sheet. They are, “
he explained, “the people who make up the organization.” For unless we are successful in
training our people for tomorrow’s greater responsibilities, business and industry will whither.
The shortage of qualified manpower for positions of responsibility is one of the greatest
obstacles to the growth and expansion of any organization. One of business’ greatest problems
is the shortage of trained manpower.

Skills Required by Managers and Supervisors. For the purpose of effective supervision, two
sets of skills are required by managers and supervisors, namely: analytical skills and interaction
skills. Such skills are important, indispensable to their multifarious functions.

Through the use of analytical skills, managers and supervisors are able to study problem
situations and other aspects of management, break into the minute’s details and as such have a
clear grasp and understanding of them. Among these skills are the following:

a. Planning
b. Scheduling
c. Measuring
d. Cost benefit analysis
e. Problem analysis
 8

Interaction skills include all techniques managers and supervisors use to relate to their
employees for purposes of providing direction and feedback. Among these skills are:

A. Direction
Leading meetings
Assigning work
B. Formative Feedback
Work improvement
On-the-job training
Conflict mediation
Dealing with complaints
C. Motivational Feedback
Hiring and promotion
Performance appraisal
Rewarding good work
Discipline

When a manager or supervisor develops a balanced set of analysis and interaction skills,
he becomes effective in coordinating the work system. This permits the work system to provide
outcomes by which it relates to other systems both within its own organization and in the society
as a whole.

III. Functions and Responsibilities of the Supervisors

If the success of any organization to achieve its goal hinges on good management, it follows
then that among others it should enjoy the unstinted cooperation of the work force through the
ability of its supervisor. A supervisor is not only an invaluable resource but in fact is the key to
the efficient functioning of the organization.

Higher management plays an important role in any organization by devoting the main
thrust of its efforts towards:

a. The establishment of policy. A policy is an enunciation of a company’s goals. It serves in

many ways, which is its control function. Broadly speaking, policies serve as a control
function over men, money and machines which constitute the corporate entity. There are
financial policies, production policies, sales policies and the like but in any company, the
greatest body of policies will more than likely be those concerned with the treatment of
people.
b. The planning of ways to implement such policy or policies. Planning is one of the
cornerstones upon which successful enterprise depends. Management plus plan if it is
to survive and keep its enterprise growing while engaged in the must struggle of daily
competition. Planning, deciding and acting are the three cornerstones supporting
success.
c. The resolution of conflicts that arise when the implementation takes place. In
accordance with their function and responsibility, the supervisor must implement
company policy according to established plans. It all sounds very simple. Lester R.
Brittol has aptly pointed out, implementation is neither automatic nor smooth. As a
matter of act, some technical problems could suddenly crop up. Problems – mostly
human – arise to interfere with plans and goals. According to him, the supervisor comes
into his own when dealing with these unforeseeable and unplanned – for difficulties. This
brings to test his leadership ability.

Overall View of the Supervisor’s Role

a. As a leader. A good supervisor merits his position on his own. As a leader in the work
group, he knows that it is his responsibility to study the abilities and talents of people and
to understand the demands of jobs. That is the only way he can place the right an in the
right job.
 9

As an effective supervisor, he is free from biases, prejudices, favoritism and

discrimination that could becloud his good judgment. Emotional immaturity could make
the supervisor lost correct perspective of what is taking place around him and the
organization.
He should have a keen understanding of people and an exponent and practitioner of
good human relations. As a leader he can do no less.
b. As a coordinator. Much of the success or failure of the supervisor in the performance of
his responsibility to management hinges on his ability to coordinate the efforts of
employees under him. Coordination and leadership are intertwined to one another.
Coordination is “the process whereby an executive develops an orderly pattern of group
effort among his subordinates and secures unity of action in the pursuit of common
purposes” cannot be achieved without effective leadership. When a number of
individuals seek to work together, orderliness becomes highly significant. Coordination is
responsible for good organization which s simply another name for group efficiency.
c. As a Liaison Officer. Since the supervisor is a part of management, it follows that in his
duties and responsibilities, he invariably acts as a liaison between management and the
workers. The supervisor helps to establish a chain of communication between
management and the work force. In doing so, any misunderstanding that may arise as a
result of lack of communication is reduced, if not eliminated altogether.
As a representative of men under him, he is able to bring to the attention of top
management such important matters that affect them such as wage increases, vacation
with pay, special employee benefits and/or whatever of interest to them that they want to
reach the attention of management.
As an extension of management, he is able to explain to the employees’ company
objectives, interpretation of policies and current thinking of management on matters that
vitally affect them.
d. As a Counselor. The supervisor is not only immediate boss of the employees. Rather, at
the same time, he is their friend. As such, when a relation exists, it is but natural for the
employees to turn to him for whatever troubles they may have or appear perplexed with
their job.

He can offer counseling whenever he feels that given circumstances demand it.
Counseling in fact is deemed necessary when an employee is having some difficulty
adjusting to his job. Another instance is when an employee is continually suffering from
declining level in his productivity.

Interrelated Functions. From a broad viewpoint, the supervisor is charged with three
interrelated functions: that pertaining to personnel, to administration and to linking functions.

Personnel Functions. Among others, this includes the employment function which is a
continuing one in almost every company regardless of whether or not the procedure is
formalized. The selection and retention of efficient workers is one of the most important
operations of any company. In a tightening labor market this one of the greatest problems.

Administrative Functions. Corollary to the above, the supervisor has certain

administrative functions which are equally important to the achievement of company goals and
objectives. A supervisor must be an administrator and a linker of activities in an organization.
He tries to guide the activities of people in an organization toward formulating or achieving some
accepted pattern or purpose.

Since supervisor operates in a social environment, he should know how to deal with
people; superiors, fellow supervisors, subordinates and even persons outside the company. A
recurring question faced by every supervisor in his role as an administrator pertains to quality
and quantity output.

Linking Functions. As a linker, the supervisor represents management to workers. On

the other hand, he communicates worker’s ideas and needs to management. He must also
coordinate the performance with other units.
 10

Picking Key Subordinates. An experienced supervisor should have no trouble picking the best
there in the labor market. His success or failure as a supervisor is by and large influenced by
the kind of workers and employees he is able to bring into the organization. In a number of
instances, the good materials are already attached to certain organizations so that the
supervisor is left with no option but use his sound management of those who have potentials to
do good o the job

Some personnel functions of a supervisor are:

1. Picks key subordinates. The best manager is the man “who knows how to surround
himself with people who can do things he can’t do,” remarked a successful president of a
prestigious company.

The following are some of the traits that a skilled manager or supervisor looks for
in choosing people to give him help backing in the direction of a company:
a. Ability to think. The key subordinate thinks about the things and problems that are
happening in his company and how he could help in solving them. His ability to
think and think well makes him a big asset to any organization. He cannot relish the
idea of being driftwood and carried y the current to whenever place it may be. A
great doer must first be a great thinker.
b. Courage. Out of courage come stamina and perseverance, qualities that are
needed by every management. If the manager has a difficult assignment that will
take determination and hard work to complete, he will require the cooperation of an
intelligent person to do it. However, intelligence is far from enough. He must be a
man who has guts – one who doesn’t quit simply because the going is getting
rough. He must have drive and sufficient pride and the ability to take a fresh
approach to every problem he may be confronted with.

c. Ideas. The creative person always comes up with suggestions that make the
manager pause and think about possible answers to the problem. Competent
people never run out of good ideas. Such quality sets apart from the ordinary.
d. Loyalty. No matter what other qualities an employee may have, if he lacks loyalty to
his superior and to the company that provides him with bread and butter, he poses
as a great veritable risk. Loyalty must be freely given out of one’s goodness and a
pure heart.
e. Memory. The employee who can tell his superior what he wants to know at a
particular time without having to consult the company files is a valuable asset –
provided that the information he gives is correct. One with keen memory can be a
mine of reliable facts which ca be of invaluable help to management when making
on-the-spot decisions as called for by an emergency situation.
2. Coaches on the Job. It is not only a saying but in fact a truism that if an organization
wants a person to grow he must be given ample room to grow and develop his
potentialities. This is facilitated by proper encouragement and proper coaching. The
wise supervisor has a sure knowledge of the ability, resourcefulness, and experience of
each subordinate who must properly coach and given chance to use his ingenuity. On-
the-job coaching is personalized and thorough process of making the employee grow
and develop his potentialities to the fullest extent.
3. Gives Assignment. This is not an easy task for a supervisor to do. Whether it is or it is
not, he must farm out job assignments to his subordinates based on their educational
background, experience, training, aptitudes and others. As such, the supervisor must
know the capabilities of each worker under him. To fail to do so, he could fall into the
trap pf putting square pegs in round holes.
4. Instructs Subordinates. Corollary to the above, he should not only give job assignments
but at the same time instruct them what to do, that is, make them conversant of what
management expects of them. He must discuss the assignment with the employee
concerned and encourage him to speak out his mind.
 11

5. Schedules Work. This means setting deadlines. The supervisor should not allocate and
farm out work assignments on an open-end basis. It will contribute to the slowing down
in the level of productivity. At all times, all deadlines must be reasonable and justifiable.
6. Keep Track of Progress. A good supervisor cannot simply delegate certain work to be
done and forget it. Rather, he must keep an eye on its progress. If a n employee makes
mistakes, he should find out the reasons why. It will be wise to review the job
assignments periodically. This will provide a chance for a frank, two-way discussion –
and thus be able to discuss the employee’s mistakes in a constructive way and in an
atmosphere of cordiality.
7. Offers Unstinted Support and Cooperation. Cooperating with various technical experts,
the supervisor serves as a leader and a teacher of employees who have human needs
which by and large are not identical with those of management. Therefore, part his job is
to serve as a personal counselor and as one willing to listen to complaints. In this way,
he helps build healthy and desirable climate of human relationships within the
organization.
8. Shapes the Attitude that Motivates Employees Toward Better Performance on the Job.
Looked upon as their counselor, friend and ally, rolled into one, the supervisor becomes
instrumental in forging better management-labor relations climate and insure the
continuous and smooth operations of the organization.

Mistakes Supervisors should Avoid. Several mistakes of supervisors could easily be avoided
if they try to take cognizance of them. Some of them are:

1. Getting the credit of another. Consciously or unconsciously, some supervisors err in

trying to grab the credit for a job well done from their employees. This is unethical and
does not speak well of them.
2. Eavesdropping. No supervisor can succeed and be happy if time and again he spies or
eavesdrops on his employees. It means that he does not trust them. In like vein, he is
one man who cannot be trusted as well.
3. Slandering subordinates. To slander an employee regardless of the gravity of his offense
is not only demeaning but it creates contempt not for the erring employee but to the
supervisor who is bereft of good manners and right conduct. Ana yet, there are
supervisors who try to insult or slander his employees in public so that his being “boss”
will be taken notice of.

Why Supervisors Fail on Their Job. In a study conducted by the “National Management
Association” of 86 companies in the United States, the following are the most common faults of
supervisors which make them fail on their jobs:
a. Poor personal relations with workers or with management people.
b. Individual shortcomings such as lack of initiative, emotional instability, and others.
c. Lack of understanding of management’s point of view.
d. Lack of skill in planning and organizing work
e. Inability to adjust to new and changing conditions. Some supervisors are dogmatic in
their ways and attitudes.

IV. Leadership Qualities

A supervisor is more than just a leader of people – his work team. He plans, organizes,
and controls the activities of the firm toward the accomplishment of organization’s objectives. As
such, he should possess all qualities of a leader if he is to be a success.

James Menzies Black and Virginia Todd Black, husband-wife team, in their book “The
Front-Line Manager’s Problem Solver,” pointed out three things that top management asks of a
supervisor: (1) the ability to think logically and to make sound decisions; (2) the patience to
follow up on details without losing sight of the big picture; and (3) the willingness to train
subordinates so that they carry out their assignments properly. Ralph Currier Davis and Allan C.
Filley added: “Successful leadership is the product of three main factors: (1) the leader, (2) the
follower, and (3) the situation.
 12

The first is concerned with the leader himself: his characteristics, his biological heritage,
his methods. The second is concerned with the people whom he leads; their leadership
demands, their acceptance of different kinds of leadership, the importance of their functional
experience. Finally, one must understand the conditions under which leadership takes place;
the effect of changing economic conditions, of company growth.

Qualities of Leadership. What qualities make up a successful leadership? Psychologists have

debating this for untold number of years. “It’s difficult to say,” said one, “what characteristics
identify the leader. They are so varied.” However, there are two attributes most great leaders
seem to share. They are: fear of failure and fear of being sick.

Attributes Found in Successful Leaders

a. The leader is endowed with bountiful intelligence especially when compared with
followers. He has the intellectual ability to reason clearly about problems which he
faces.
b. The leader is well-rounded from the standpoint of interests and aptitudes. Because
he must deal with many types of people from time to time, he is able to adapt himself
to a variety of situations. He is flexible.
c. The leader has great facility in his language of communication. As such,
he is able to express himself clearly and devoid of ambiguities.
d. The leader is mentally and emotionally mature. This is important sine
time and again he may have to make important decisions.
e. The leader is full of enthusiasm and powerful drive that are responsible
for his accomplishments.
f. The leader recognizes the fat that in many endeavors, there is a need
for cooperation. Thus, he understands and practices social skills.

Briefly summarized the traits found in a successful leader are: intelligence, experience,
originality, receptiveness, personality, communicative ability, initiative, tenacity, human
understanding, courage, a sense of justice and fair play.

Chester I. Bernard of New Jersey Telephone Bell Company had this to say about
leadership. He said:

“Leaders lead. This implies activity, and suggests the obvious question “What are they
have to do? An obvious function of a leader is to know and say what to do, what not to do,
where to, and when to stop, with reference to a general purpose or objective of the undertaking
of which he is engaged.

Qualities Needed by a Supervisor. A close examination of the role of a supervisor as a leader

brings us the conclusion that he needs certain abilities to perform the role creditably. Among
these are:
1. Technical competence. While technical efficiency alone is not enough to transform
worker into a foreman, to get production (or service) and moreover to command as a
leader, it is necessary that the front-line supervisor be efficient in technical matters.
2. Ability to recognize and develop individual ability. One important responsibility of every
first-line supervisor is to understand that the key to successful leadership is
understanding and maximum use of the talents and skills of people.
3. Ability to get teamwork. Supervisor must find ways and means of inspiring his
subordinates to exert their efforts in production. Workers must be taught that collective
effort is better and desirable than individual effort alone. It must thus be inculcated into
their minds that what is impossible of attainment by a single individual is possible with
collective team effort.
4. Helping workers to meet performance standards. Supervisor should explain to all his
subordinates why performance standards are in itself an achievement and could lead to
promotion and awards.
 13

Supervisor’s Guide to the Use of Authority. Black and Black give a helpful guide in the use
of authority and they are:
1. The supervisor should never think even for a moment that authority is his right of
position. Authority may be conferred on a supervisor by his superior, but before it is fairly
recognized by subordinates, one must be able to demonstrate his ability and
competence if he is to earn their respect.
2. Corollary to the above, use of authority should never be abused. The supervisor should
accept final responsibility and must not under any instance look a scapegoat when things
get rough.
3. The supervisor should never neglect his duties as a coach. It is a major responsibility of
a supervisor to train the employee to do the job effectively and efficiently. He should
never leave things to chance. The supervisor gets good results from the good training
he has given his workers to peak of their abilities.

4. The supervisor doesn’t hesitate to delegate. Delegation is an important tool of

management. Skill in delegation represents the hallmark of good managers and good
supervisors. A good manager or supervisor is one who develops the ability to delegate
authority properly by helping his subordinates learn how to assume greater authority.
5. Authority must go hand in hand with responsibility and vice-versa. Authority without
responsibility is a farce. Authority consists of the right to prescribe what action is to be
taken and to direct others to take such action. It provides supervisors with the power to
coordinate the activities of subordinates and to secure performance if circumstances
arise in which subordinates are not inclined to cooperate.
6. Goals must always be made clear. The terms “objectives”, “goals”, and “targets”, refer to
desirable future results, they may be called objectives. Supervisors should make sure
that his subordinates know the objectives of the organization of which they are part and
parcel to achieve the established goals.
7. The supervisor must profit from mistakes. No one is immune from making mistakes.
Mistakes must at all times be avoided because it could result in slowing down of
production, or increase costs per unit of output. Mistakes though, could be corrected.

Guides to Creative Thinking. There are specific steps to practical creative thinking and any
supervisor equipped with mental alertness can follow them to his advantage and interest.

1. Be a keen observer. Don’t accept the present way of doing a job – if you think there are
better ones but not yet tried. Things could be changed for the better just as methods
could be improved. Robert N. Lehrer, supervisors can be aided greatly by two levels of
endeavor:
a. Achieving better performance from the present system of producing and
managing.
b. Achieving better performance by modification of present systems to improve their
“potential” for performance.
2. Learn to identify a problem. No solution is possible unless a problem could be identified.
A Problem must always be ahead of a solution. It cannot be the other way.
3. List everything you know about the problem. Since the problem may consist of several
parts, it is better to list down everything about it.
4. Learn how to combine. It is better to avail of the talents and skills of those within a
department or unit. As is commonly said, more heads are better than one.
5. Don’t expect the big jump. A journey as they say consists of the first step, then another
and so on. The same way may be said with most human endeavors.
6. Be an innovator. J.C. Penny remarked, “No supervisor will be more valuable to his
company’s success than is his ability to move the company forward and progress. He
must be willing to make changes.”
7. Conduct periodic check up of work assignments. Such an advice given to any
supervisor cannot be overstresses. Needless to say, two people trying to do the same
job could be a sign of poor organization. It tends to show that the supervisor is not
aware of the details of the assignments.
 14

V. Selection and Placement

Personnel selection is the process whereby applicants are segregated into various
categories according to their acceptability for employment. It should be made on the basis of a
careful and thorough analysis of the applicant’s qualification. Otherwise, selection becomes a
farce transformed into nothing but a meaningless formality.

Anticipation or Forecast of Needs. In order that recruitment of personnel may be

conducted in such a manner that a business enterprise may e supplied with required personnel
at the time needed and with the least expense possible, a plan or forecast of requirements is
necessary.

Continuous analysis of an organization’s personnel requirements may be deemed

necessary in order that management may be able to plan for the transfer of employees in the
event that one section is in need of more employees. Such planning is part of stabilizing
employment.

Job Specification. The development of job specifications necessary follows the work of a
job analysis. One of the most important results to be achieved by a formal personnel program is
the preparation of written statements covering the requirements of each job. The written
statement covering the duties and responsibilities of a job is commonly referred to as the job
description. The personal qualifications that an individual must posses in order to carry out
these duties and responsibilities are compiled into what is called the job specification. The job
specification may be organized as a separate record or may be included as another part of the
job description.

The content and organization of a job description will vary among companies. For most
part, however, the items covered by a job specification may be divided into two groups: those
covering the skills requirements of a job and those covering the physical demands.

Recruitment. The recruitment of personnel is a specialized function through the

performance of which an organization replenishes or adds to its working force the required
number of workers and employees needed to carry out its established objectives.

Importance of Application Form. Hiring should not be done haphazardly. Rather, every
applicant should be required to fill out a form before he could be considered employment. One
such form requires the applicant to furnish information about him with respect to personal
background and educational qualifications and work experience.

Selection Process. The selection process is initiated when the personnel department receives
a formal requisition from another department for additional or replacement personnel. The
requisition is prepared by the supervisor and approved by the department head.

The number of steps in the selection process and their sequence varies not only with the
company but also with the type and level of job to be filled, the cost of administering the
particular function at each step, and the effectiveness of a step in eliminating unqualified
candidates.

The selection of employees fro some jobs may be accomplished successfully with only
an interview and physical examination, whereas several interviews, battery tests and elaborate
investigations are required for other jobs.

The Preliminary Interview. The application form is a limited selection tool that can do no
more than help narrow the field of job applicants. The firm needs more information about the
worker and the worker needs to learn more about the operation of the firm. This is
accomplished through a preliminary interview, in which each applicant for the position who
seems qualified is brought into the employment office for further screening. The initial interview
may be conducted by a skilled worker, by the actual supervisor of the position to be filled or by
 15

both separately. More companies are making use in the initial interview of the various written
and oral tests that are now available.

The great percentages of tests used in business are generally grouped under four major
classifications, depending upon the purpose for which intended. These are as follows:
a. Tests to determine aptitudes of skills
b. Tests to determine aptitudes in terms of interests, preferences and attitudes
c. Tests to determine aptitudes in terms of personality traits and characteristics for
given type of work
d. Tests to determine special qualities

Type of Tests – Methods. For measuring the foregoing aptitudes, there are three general
methods or techniques. These are used either separately or in combination called battery which
may include al three.

a. Performance tests. In setting up such tests to predict performance on a job the

psychologist selects the important factors on which good performance on the job
depends, and then prescribes some simple operation whereby he can measure how
satisfactorily the testee will be able to handle these factors if he is assigned to the job in
question.
b. Paper and pencil tests. Paper and pencil tests are used in helping to determine mental
ability and alertness, personality, mechanical comprehension, and other specialized
knowledge. Instead of questions, a testee may be given a set of statements against
which he is asked to indicate in blank spaces as to whether the statements are true or
false. Another type of test id where several definitions or words are given and the testee
is asked to check the correct one.
c. Projective tests. These tests are primarily in clinical work as diagnostic tools and require
highly skilled specialists for administration and interpretation. The Rorschach or ink blot
test and the Thematic Apperception Test are two examples of this sort.

Placement. According to Pigors and Myers in their book entitled “Personnel Administration: A
Point of View and a Method”, placement “has an experimental element,” but for most employees
it is a decisive step and should consist in matching what the supervisor has reason to think that
the new employee can do with what job demands (job requirements), imposes (in strain, working
condition, etc.), and offers (in the form of pay rate, interest, companionship with others,
promotional possibilities, etc.).

Training. The first form of training a new employee encounters is known as orientation
training. Some call it induction training for the reason that it is concerned with the problem on
introducing or orienting a new employee to the organization.

Induction constitutes a significant part of what E.W. Bakke calls it the “fusion process”,
which is a simultaneous operation of the socializing process by which the organization seeks to
make a agent of the individuals for the achievement of the organizational objectives and of the
personalizing process by which the individual seeks to make an agency of the organization for
achievement of his personal objectives.

It would be to the best advantage and interest on the part of the new worker or employee
to ask his supervisor during his face-to-face meeting with him whatever he is doubt.

Apprenticeship Training. Most workers have to undergo apprenticeship training to

enable them to understand and perform the assigned task effectively.

Any firm, employer or group or association, industry, organization wishing to organize an

apprenticeship program may choose from any of the following apprenticeship schemes as the
training venue of apprentices:
 16

a. Apprenticeship conducted entirely and within the sponsoring firm, establishment or

entity;
b. Apprenticeship entirely within a Department of Labor training center or other public
training institutions; or
c. Initial training in trade fundamentals in a training center or other institutions with
subsequent actual work participation within the sponsoring firm or entirely during the final
stage of training.

Job Training and Retraining. The primary purpose of job training at the beginning of an
individual’s employment is to bring his knowledge and skills up to a satisfactory level. As the
individual continues on the job, training may be used to provide him with additional information
and to give him opportunities to acquire new skills. Retraining, on the other hand, needed to
update the employees on the new inventions and installation of new equipment, much of which
is highly automated.

VI. Directing and Counseling

Directing. A leader leads. So is the supervisor. As pointed out earlier, he directs and guides his
subordinates toward the attainment of company goals and objectives. Directing, a s a
managerial function is running the organization in accordance with policies and plans laid down
by top management.

Direction, defined. Direction is the function of interpretation and instruction concerning

the requirements for the execution of a plan or some phase of it. As explained by Ralph Currier
Davis, its primary purpose is “the constraint and regulation of action by interpretation,
explanation, and instruction concerning the project and its requirements.

Counseling. Employee counseling is defined as discussion of an emotional problem with

employee with the objective of decreasing it. The functions which counseling accomplishes are
advice, reassurance, communication, emotional release, clarified thinking, and reorientation.
The last function is usually performed only by professional counselors, but supervisor practiced
the other five functions.

The general objective of counseling is to give the employee support in dealing with his
problems so that he will grow in self-awareness, understanding of his environment, self-control,
ability to work productively with the organization.

The counseling objective is achieved through performance of one or more of the

following counseling functions:

1. Advice. Giving rightful advice is not an easy nut to crack and in fact, such advice
whether in the form of encouragement or discussion requires the help of a counselor.
As is true in the case of any illness, diagnosis must be first made. Wrong diagnosis
would only render the giving of wrong medicines. So it is true with employee
emotional problem. The cause behind such problems must first be identified.
2. Reassurance. Counseling can provide an employee with reassurance, which is a
way of bolstering his courage to face a problem that he can face it as well as
overcome it.
3. Communication. Communication provides an important tool for counseling. Through
it, the gap between the top hierarchy of management and the rank-and –file
employees is reduced, if not eliminated. Counseling thus helps improve both upward
and downward communication to a considerable extent.
4. Release of emotional tension. Counseling is an important tool in releasing emotional
tension that has been bottled up for a time. This important function of nearly all
counseling situations is called as emotional catharsis. People tend to get an
emotional release from their frustrations and other problems when they have the
opportunity to confide their problems to someone who is sympathetic to their
predicament.
 17

5. Clarified thinking. Another function of counseling is to help clarify the thinking of the
individual who has a problem. Counseling would be appropriate in attempting to
bring about a change of attitudes or general outlook.

The Supervisor as Counselor. There is god reason to believe that every supervisor should be
something of a counselor in his own right. A supervisor should at least (1) know how to listen to
workers who have problems they want to talk about, and (2) know how to spot worry and
dissatisfaction in his unit.

“Helping employees with their problems is not social welfare,” says Schuyler Dean
Floslett. He says “it is god management. When a worker is emotionally upset, usually he is not
performing on the job in the best way he can,” he adds, “perhaps, his minds is distracted from
his work. He is often irritable, making it harder for other workers to get along with him. He is
subject to fits of bad temper, resulting in flare-ups and clashes of personalities which may
disturb the morale section or branch.

As a result of worry, the worker may be losing sleep, not eating well, and these effects of
a troubled mind will tend to decrease productivity and efficiency. “He adds, “that excessive
absenteeism is also a common result of personal worries. Worry may cause slip-ups, mistakes,
accidents, injuries involving others, and loss in production. Hence, he is management’s
concern.”

Signs and Symptoms of Worried Workers. The “Industrial Mental Health Manual” points the
following as signs and symptoms of the worried workers.
1. sudden change of behavior
2. irritability
3. sudden sadness
4. too many mistakes
5. increased accidents
6. increased absenteeism
7. increased fatigue
8. excessive use of alcohol

Counseling Principles and Techniques. Leslie R Beach and Elon L. Clark, in their book
“Psychology in Business, “enumerated some principles and techniques in a counseling situation.
1. Provide permissive atmosphere in which the troubled employee will free to express
himself.
2. Display an attitude of warmth, friendliness, and understanding.
3. Find the real cause of the difficulty so that the most effective steps may be taken to solve
the problem.
4. Sort out the facts of the case, maintaining an open mind.
5. Show a sincere desire to help.
6. Hold in strictest confidence information of a personal nature.
7. Attempt to clarify the individual’s thinking.
8. Encourage the employee to work out his solution.
9. Refrain from being judgmental or moralistic.
10. Leave an open door for further counseling.

How to Listen to an Employee. It is essentials to let the worker talk. To help him do this, the
listener should follow certain rules to help the person express his feelings. He should –
a. not argue
b. not ask probing questions
c. not give advice
d. not try to direct the conversation
e. not force answers
f. not take sides
g. listen rather than talk
h. try to grasp what lies behind what employee is expressing
 18

i. remain impartial and never make moral judgment

j. above all, communicate to the speaker that he appreciate how he feels
k. conduct the interview in some privacy.

VII. The New Supervisor

Supervisory positions have their origins form the need to delegate authority and
responsibility. The kind and degree of delegation will vary from job to another on the same level
of authority.

Choosing a New Supervisor. Choosing a new supervisor is not an easy task. There are a
number of factors that no management can afford to ignore. Many of these factors can bring
attendant problems to the company which could adversely affect the morale and attitude of
workers and employees in the organization. The selection of a new supervisor can on the other
side of the coin bring about healthy relationships between management and the rank-and –file
employees – and thus result in closer cooperation between them.

Developing supervisors is primarily a responsibility of line rather than staff, but for
extensive supervisory program, then the personnel department can help in a number of ways:
(1) In the selection of candidates – it can bring to his attention people from other
sections and departments and even those within his own department that he may
have missed. It can furnish the results of tests administered to applicants.
(2) The personnel department can design and conduct supervisory training courses and
orientation whereby actual and potential supervisors are trained in seeing the
relations between production, marketing, engineering, personnel and other
departments - trained to consider the broader picture I their thinking and decision-
making.
(3) The personnel department can handle job rotation whereby candidates from higher
positions spend time working in various departments, particularly switching from line
staff jobs so that they can work more cooperatively later when they are promoted.
(4) The personnel department can suggest education and other self improvement
programs for people being groomed for supervisory position.
(5) Taking the time and effort to train supervisors pay off to both line department and
personnel department because it cuts down the work of handling grievances,
turnovers, and absenteeism and on the positive side builds morale and productivity.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Promoting from Within. At this point, let us consider the
advantages of promoting employees from within.

Promotion is a balm to soothe the nerves of people working in an organization. It

stimulates man greater effort, enables him to develop his talents, skills, and capacity not only to
his personal interest and advantage but equally so with the organization of which he is a
member.

A policy of promoting fro within generates high morale and builds confidence and makes
employees very enthusiastic as they are because of the observation that the company rewards
deserving employees with promotion either in rank, salary increase or both.

When a man is promoted, he moves up in the ladder of success. The promoted

employee becomes a role model employee for others to emulate and follow.

A promotion undertaken by the organization sometimes is accompanied by criticism and

complaint particularly from those who feel they have been overlooked and thus bypassed. As
such, morale becomes low and the whole organization is adversely affected.

The over-all problems of the supervisor in management today stand on a basic conflict in
the role which management expects him to play. Two kinds of pressure converge on him –
pressure from his subordinates – and pressure fro management. These two pressures produce
 19

conflict because they confront the supervisor with two sets of expectation which he often sees
as conflicting. The management he represents put priority on higher output, lower costs, and
meeting exacting production schedules. Management also tends to define a “good” supervisor
not merely as one who can get a high level of performance from his men but also one who is
completely loyal to top management. They should not have reason to ask why.

On the other hand, workers expect the supervisor to put a high priority on sympathetic
understanding of their problems and on considerate treatment of their personal needs.

VIII. Span of Supervisor

“Span of supervision” refers to the amount of managing a person who is able to handle
effectively, direct, guide and lead as circumscribed by the number of subordinates reporting
directly to him. The principle of span of control as it is sometimes invariably called recognizes
the observation that there is limit to the number that can be directly supervised by a manager.

The relationship of the span of control or supervision to delegation of authority and

responsibility and to the chain of command can be seen most easily by looking at the way an
organization develops from its beginning as a shop supervised by one man.

The span of supervision is limited by such factors as the nature of work – its complexity,
importance, and amount; the competence of subordinates, the amount of authority that can be
delegated to them, the effect of poor decisions (how much damage they could do) the
availability of staff assistance, the growth rate or stability of the enterprise, the existence of
policies and of objective standards for measuring performance, and a system of controls for
checking and reporting information.

Acceptable Number of Persons. Even though there is no definite number of persons that
a manager can effectively supervise, we do know that there is a limit to the number. This limit,
known as the span of management, is the reason why the levels or organization are necessary
and why problems of delegation and policy-making are important.

Generally speaking, a first-line supervisor has a wider span of supervision than a higher
level manager. In the higher level the organizational problems are more complex, more people
are affected by decisions, and greater variety of interests must be considered; therefore, a boss
in the higher levels usually has a fewer people reporting directly to him than does the boss on
the lower levels.

But outside these factors that are tied to the nature of the job – there is another set of
limiting factors that is tied more closely to the man. In the number of subordinates one boss can
have reporting directly to him; he is limited by time, distance, attention, knowledge, energy, and
personality.

Determining the Proper Span. The most practical approach is to consider what guides may be
used in determining the proper span for a particular situation. One of the first determinants will
be the nature and variety of functions performed by subordinates.

The span will vary with the capabilities of managers themselves. Are they skilled in
delegating? Do they do the effective job of organizing their own activities? Are they capable of
decision- making without having to go to their own superior too often? Affirmative answers
increase their span of supervision.

Where close control is necessary, the span will be shortened. Where a high degree of
reliability is required in the functioning of all components, the work has to be supervised very
closely.
 20

IX. Supervising Employees.

The Task of Supervising Employees. A supervisor is always caught in a difficult

situation. For among others, he is always confronted with the balancing act of:
1. Providing direction t individuals or group to accomplish company goals and
2. Providing a climate of caring that makes the employees feel that they are important
part of the organization.

In the process of supervising personnel, attention must be given to complaints and

grievances of employees as part of his daily routine work. If the supervisor is to be considered
of great value to the company, these duties among others must be handles very well.

A good supervisor must evaluate each situation that he is confronted with and n the
process be able to bring worthwhile solutions that will result to the satisfaction of the employees
and the company as well. Getting work done by his employees in an acceptable manner, the
supervisor must possess certain desirable qualities or traits, such as:
1. Intelligence
2. knowledge of and interest in the area of activity
3. fairness
4. emotional maturity
5. self-confidence
6. social skills
7. ability to plan and organize activity
8. aggressiveness or drive
9. skills in communicating ideas
10. skill in understanding people

These qualities are considered basic. A person in a supervisory position might well
gauge himself by this standard. These traits should also be kept in mind when selecting and
training probationary personnel.

According to Beach and Clark, other qualities which are desirable but will vary with the
needs of the situation are as follows: sociability, appearance, energy, voice quality, physical
condition, honesty, and dependability. It should be emphasized that the supervisor need not be
expected to excel in all these traits, but he should be average of the group; he must lead in most
of the traits.

Supervising Office Employees. Respect and courtesy are the hallmarks of the successful
office supervisor. Office people are more reserved, not to say, dignified in their behavior than
shop people and put greater emphasis on proper decorum and behavior.

Supervisor’s Guide to the Supervision of Office Employees.

1. Always strive for courtesy in your dealings with your subordinates.
2. Never look down on your subordinates.
3. Such questions should never ignore and allowed to fall on deaf ears.
4. As much as possible, always endeavor to obtain the feedback from your employees.
5. Answer only those questions pertaining to your individual responsibility and on which you
are thoroughly informed.
6. In the role of a liaison officer of management, encourage your employees to
communicate with you for whatever problems that need assistance or help without delay.
7. Likewise, as an arbiter, in the case of misunderstanding between employees, it is
important to listen to both sides of the dispute.
8. Give each employee concerned a chance to be heard before making any decision.
9. If an offense was committed by an employee, he must be told immediately and such
charges, if any, must be specific.
10. If a reprimand is called for, admonish the erring employee in privacy with advice not to
repeat the same.
11. Learn how to motivate your employees as well as in handling grievances.
 21

Supervising Women Employees. In studies of H.M. Volmer and J.A. Kinsey, it was pointed out
that “while 53 percent of male workers like to be consulted by their superiors when he makes
decisions, only 40 percent of the women voiced there wish. They work to do the job and get
paid for it. Getting explanations as to why a particular job should be done in a particular way is
not as vitally important to them as it is to men.

Effective Management of Women Employees. In “The Front –Line Manager’s Problem

Solver,” James Menzies Black and Virginia Todd Black, enumerate some helpful guides for
effective management of women employees.
1. Never generalize about women
2. Use care in placemen.
3. Be courteous and considerate
4. treat women as individuals
5. Understand the feminine temperament
6. Don’t be upset by a little “prima donnaism”
7. Know what office employees expect of you
8. Be alert to their health problems

Span of Control. Supervision has an element of control, that is, the “short rein that keeps
business activities from wandering from their primary intent and keeps the supervisor ware of
the productivity of his operation. Some call this also as “span of management,” which according
to Harold Koontz and Cyrill O’Donnell is as old as organization itself which apparent from the
passages of the Bible dealing with Moses organizing the exodus of the Israelites. The difficulties
that Moses met and the departmentation he employed to meet them are recounted in Exodus
18:17 – 26, in which his father-in-law gave him advice “to choose able men out of all Israel, and
made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties and
rulers of tens . . .”

Management experts call this principle as “principle of span of control: which recognizes
that there is a limit to the number of personnel than ca be directly supervised by a supervisor.
The span of control, or span of management, can usually be greater supervisors at the lower
organizational levels than for those at the upper levels.

X. Developing Employees

Working in the Office. Training of employees in the office is generally known as “on-the-job”
training. Such training may be classified into broad categories based on its objectives: training
for present jobs and training for jobs that may be assigned in the future as the need may arise.
Both types of training involve job skills and attitudes.

Pre-employment Training. Pre-employment training is designed to provide the new

employee with basic skills that are required for the performance of the job. And, of course,
knowledge about the company, its policies, its products, rules and regulations, the use of office
facilities and equipment, and how he could be a worthy member of the work team in particular
and the organization in general. Such kind if training is generally called “apprenticeship
training.”

Induction Training. To restate what has been stated before, training recently hired
workers is called induction training. Sometimes it is also termed orientation training, for the
reason that it provides orientation to the new employee. First impressions tend to be lasting,
and apart from the importance of having the right kind of policy for easing a newcomer into the
work environment, it is important to institute organized induction as a corollary.

On-the-Job Training. Effective on-the-job training depends primarily upon qualified

trainors. Without them, it is simply the old haphazard practice of putting new workers with “old
hand” who may have neither the inclination nor the ability t teach the new employee properly.
 22

As generally practiced, the make-up of the on-the-job training takes many different
forms, including lectures in specific subjects, practice on new machines, job rotation – including
al jobs of a certain group, such as assignments of temporary nature and special workshops by
professional association.

Job Rotation. In a planned rotation program, the job switches are made in periods.
Almost everyone changes from one job to another during a lifetime, thereby gaining broader
experience in the firm or industry. While this method promotes organizational flexibility through
generating flexible human resources, this method is impractical and costly. Also, productive
work may suffer because of the obvious disruption of work caused by such rotation. There is
also the limitation of the amount of job skill that can be developed during the shorter period of
time.

Supervisory Training. This is one of the most important types training in any office.
Training of office supervisors is vital because of their essentiality in good management. Special
courses in supervisory training have been designed and may of these are generally considered
effective.

Delegation – A Tool of Development. Delegation is almost opposite of supervising and

directing. The more you delegate, the less direct supervisory work you do. Supervision and
direction have to do with working closely with subordinates coaching them, showing them how to
do and sometimes giving them detailed instruction.

When a supervisor delegates, he gives his subordinate a chance to help develop into an
asset – an opportunity which he may not have in the absence of delegation. To begin with,
delegating means letting subordinates make minor decisions within the confines of their general
directions. It means staying away from the subordinate while he does the delegated task. A
good supervisor is not only one who has sense enough to pick good men and women to train
them, but who has also enough self-restraint to meddle with them while they work.

William H. Newman succinctly points out that there are chief aspects of delegation of
authority: (1) the assignment of duties by an executive to his immediate subordinates; (2) the
granting of permission (authority) to make commitments, use resources, and take all actions
which a re necessary to perform the duties; and (3) the creation of an obligation (responsibility)
on the part of each subordinate to the delegating executive to perform the duties satisfactorily.

Principles of Delegation. The following involves the well-known and generally-accepted

principles of delegation:

a. Delegation involves superior-subordinate relationship

b. Delegation consists of assigning duties to a subordinate.
c. Responsibility for the assigned task must be accompanied by corresponding
authority as earlier pointed out.
d. Authority delegated must be respected.
e. Subordinates should be permitted to share in decision-making appropriate to their
levels in the organizational structure.
f. Superior must know how to delegate.
g. Scope of the delegated task must be fixed.
h. Subordinates must be accountable for work performance.
i. Recognition, if not rewarded, must be given for satisfactory work performance.
j. Delegation helps spread work load.
k. Delegation helps free executive from use of time and valuable matters.
l. Communication is an important tool in the task of delegation.

What Can be Delegated. To a certain extent, the woes of management among others
insofar as the exercise of delegation is concerned revolve around what can or cannot be
delegated.
 23

Usually, a superior can and may delegate any of the following:

a. Bona fide problems
b. Activities beyond day-to-day operations
c. Project.
d. Problems

What Cannot be Delegated. There is no hard and fast rule as to what cannot be
delegated. Based on studies and experiences, the following may not be delegated:
a. Planning
b. Important matters
c. Activities or projects
d. Evaluation tests
e. Policies

XI. Supervisory Training. A new supervisor is no different from a new employee. He must be
taught and trained – about his duties and responsibilities – and moreover, his relationships with
his superiors, fellow supervisors and subordinate employees. As such, there is today a growing
recognition among those in the top echelon of management for providing supervisory training for
its personnel. The concern is anchored o the belief that training for supervisory position, even
where not needed, can provide positions in which future managers can apply their ideas, if not
their expertise.

The Need for Supervisory Training. Supervisors hold important positions in an

organization. As such, they should be endowed with some basic skills in how to manage
people, train subordinates, improve method, and control costs. Good training can provide
experienced supervisors with a chance to compare and improve. Carefully selected people,
provided they are given proper training, can become good supervisors who will have a major
impact on productivity and profits.

As Bernard L. Rosenbaum in “A New Approach to Changing Supervisory Behavior,”

which appeared in Personnel has aptly pointed out,”supervisory training must now focus on
showing managers and supervisors precisely how to implement principles of participative
management, how to communicate better, and how to motivate, teach and lead effectively.” He
continued:
“. . . teaching managers and supervisors concepts which
most are familiar wastes the time of both trainors and managers. An
exciting and valuable alternative, however, lies in the behavioral modeling
approach to changing supervisory behavior. Behavior modeling training
emphasizes specific supervisory techniques and the consequent results
rather than intellectualized knowledge.”
The purpose of supervisory training then, is not to teach but to create within the
individual the desire to learn. Managers and supervisors don’t need to be taught as much as
they need to be stimulated. Simply said a manager or supervisor who “rests . . . rusts” briefly
then, supervisory training aims to make the supervisor sharpens his work skills on his present
ob and prepare him for positions of responsibility in the future.

Supervisory Training Programs. Dr. J.L. Moreno is credited with distinction of having
developed a technique for training or retraining leaders through the medium of experience
practice “or role-playing,” a useful method for many supervisory training programs.

As further developed by others, this refers to a process by which supervisors

spontaneously act out problems facing them. Learning is achieved through activity – through
the process of seeking truth and insight – and not by the collection of the wise conclusions of
others. It thus differs fundamentally from demonstrations, which are usually carefully prepared
previously and thus oftentimes are more stilted, not to say, artificial. In s typical training
situation, a particular kind of problem is brought up trough discussion. It may be a problem of
 24

absenteeism, handling a grievance, or administering a reprimand. The training leader then

suggests that the solution may be arrived at by observing the acting out of the problem. One
member of the group takes the part of the supervisor and another member the role of the
employee. The same scene can be reenacted by other supervisors, thus giving the group an
opportunity to see through contrast, the small action points that brought about or blocked an
adequate solution. The scenes are discussed by the group, and insight into the principles and
skills pertinent to the particular type of problem gained. Of further value is the fact that
supervisory attitudes toward other supervisors and toward subordinates are revealed as well as
stresses and strains among supervisory and administrative levels. To this extent, experience
practice sessions are diagnostic problems needing solution.

Experience sessions bring out basic problems of concern to supervisors, develop

insights among them into these problems, give opportunity for constructive practice situations
confronting them, and give insights to both the leader and the group into the motives, problems
and attitudes of employees. The problems uncovered form the basis for subsequent training
programs for employee and supervisory group.

Types of Training. Supervisory training may be classified into the following based upon the
areas covered:
1. Presupervisory: designed to prepare a steady stream of potentials by informing
likely candidates of the requirements of supervisory jobs to which they aspire. This
includes an appreciation of the scope of the supervisor’s job, its many obligations,
and the management’s view-point and attitudes that differentiate it from the job of
production worker or clerk.
2. Basic supervisory training: begins with a comprehensive review of necessary
technical and human relations skills. Also disseminates additional information as
needed for satisfactory performance in a new activity. Included are orientation,
methods of organizing work and work groups, motivation, morale, attitudes,
grievance procedures and the like. Leadership is stressed.
3. Advanced supervisory training: proceeds from a review of fundamentals to a more
comprehensive program of management skills. The training is intended to equip
the participants with essential tools and techniques for managing work in the areas
of planning, organizing, appraisal, and enhance their ability to lead by behavioral
framework and skills for effective supervision.
4. Executive development: preparation for higher positions management before or
after promotion has been made. Advanced skill in management of things,
situations, people and self to meet the changing and ever-increasing demands of
executive positions. Includes in the training in organization structure, labor-
management work. Emphasis is on decision-making and policy information with
the understanding that these are not made on authority, as so often the case, but
on logic, impartiality and judgment since there is seldom the opportunity for a
second chance to correct mistakes at this level without a very high price.

XII. Maintaining Discipline. Doubtless, a supervisor’s job would be much more pleasant and
enjoyable if his subordinates never gave him cause to be dissatisfied with them. But such an
ideal situation has never been known to exist. As such, every supervisor must be prepared to
deal with unpleasant work situations. This phase of supervisor’s work is known as disciplinary
action. However, such action is far from easy to administer for the simple reason that in dealing
with penalties – which is necessary part of the process in the correction of the shortcomings of
employees – must be approached with understanding, if not compassion. Too much
punishment if doubtless unfair which will only tend to make erring employee rebellious. But, on
the other hand, too little punishment can instill in the mind of the employee that “committing any
mistake” is worth the punishment and thus make him feel that he can always get away with it.

However, punishment is also form of negative leadership, which can easily get out of
hand. While it is doubtless true that all of us need some ‘negative” forces to impel us in the
right direction, nevertheless, every executive must be on guard against the over-use of negative
as contrasted with positive forms of leadership.
 25

Disciplinary Action, defined. Disciplinary action refers simply to “the measures taken to
punish subordinates with a view to make them conform to desired standards in the future.”
Analyzing this definition brings forth a number of important facts. To begin with, the punishment
is not intended to “take out” on the erring subordinates. The moment employees get such
impression that such is the motive of the supervisor, they inevitable lose respect for him. In fact,
the punished employee may have cause to retaliate.

There are least six dictionary definitions which show the different meanings of discipline.
There are: (1) treatment which corrects or punishes; (2) the training which develops self-control,
character, orderliness, and efficiency; (3) the results of such training; (4) a branch of knowledge
or learning; (5) the acceptance of, or submission to, authority and control; and (6) a system of
rules and methods.

For the purposes of this, the term “discipline” will be limited to three areas: (1) self-
discipline; (2) the necessary condition for orderly behavior; and (3) the act of training and
punishing. The first realm of meaning maintains that “discipline is training that corrects, molds,
strengthens or perfects.” Discipline in this sense, refers to the development of an individual, his
efforts at self-control for the purpose of adjusting himself to certain needs and demands. This
may be called self-discipline.

The second concept considers discipline as “the condition necessary to obtain orderly
behavior in an organization.” This implies keeping order and individual employee control among
a group of workers by using methods that build morale and esprit de corps.

The third concept considers discipline as a “judicial process based upon training and
punishing.” Thus, discipline is a form of punishment which a person incurs as a result of an
undesirable act or behavior. Its function then is not to change past behavior but to prevent a
recurrence of the unsavory act in the future.

Types of Discipline. As can be observed from the three practical definitions, discipline
can be either positive and activating, or it may be negative and restraining. It either case, it is
the force that prompts an individual or group to observed policies, rules, regulations, and
procedures that are deemed necessary to the attainment of the objectives.

The positive type provides workers with greater freedom of self-expression. As such, it
helps promote emotional satisfaction instead of emotional conflict and thereby results in
coordination and cooperation with minimum need for the exercise of formal authority. It can
thereby be achieved best when group objectives and procedures are well known and are basis
for individual behavior.
In contrast, negative discipline involves force or outward influence. This type of
discipline needs not be extreme, though, and it is used best in industry only where the positive
type fails. Force will often cause a person to change outwardly but not mentally and
emotionally. According to Peter C. Reid in “A Case of Malicious Obedience,” it sometimes
results in “malicious obedience,” thereby an aggrieved employee does exactly what he is told to
do so, even if he knows the order if faulty that can only results in getting things fouled up. This
is a way of getting even with his superior, as the later will be blamed and it is difficult to blame
the former who, in all innocence can say that he did only exactly what he was ordered to do.

As the choice as to which type of discipline to use resides with each supervisor, no
generalizations can be made. Suffice it to say that an experienced supervisor will doubtless
attempt to vary the type of discipline he will use to suit the given situation and those of his
subordinates.

It should be stressed herein point that is sometimes glossed over that effective
disciplinary action condemns the employee’s wrongful doing, but not the employee as a person.
It could happen at times that the employee is not breaking the rules of the company nor he
fighting his superior. However, he is not just on top of the situation, but is also not doing his job
 26

satisfactorily and adequately as management hopes and desires. Sometimes, he lacks interest
and motivation – an opportunity for any management to work them out effectively.

It goes without saying that the greater majority of employees re never up in arms against
company rules and regulations. Rather, what they reject is the manner in which a superior
metes out his disciplinary action.

The Need for Discipline. The human resources of a firm must be channeled into the
achievement of the common purpose, the set of objectives. When this suitably accomplished by
the exercise of positive incentives, a satisfactory atmosphere usually prevails. But ours is an
imperfect world and, even with good leadership, there can be personal problems best dealt by
the exercise of a tougher line. When there is an absolute clear case of dismissal, demotion, or
reprimand, for example, this must be carried out firmly but justly, and with a proper regard for the
other person’s feelings. Whatever action is decided, it must be fully justified by the
circumstances, after objective inquiry, fair to the individual employee and consistent with overall
company policy.

Strong action when taken has a sobering effect on the remaining employees, which is
exactly as it should be. For when rules are broken it must be seen that sanction automatically
follow; if not, any respect for management leadership will evaporate, and further infringements
can become a matter of course.

Problems of Disciplinary Action. It is evident that disciplinary action may be a morale

depressant or stimulant, depending on how well it is performed. Disciplinary action is a
managerial process for conditioning the individual and group behavior. Its objectives are the
inhibitions of improper behavior, the integration of personal and organizational interests, and the
assurance of correct action in the future. It accomplishes these objectives through the
application of penalties and rewards. The individual should be rewarded by receiving more than
the normal amount of whatever values he desires for himself when he can be credited with
accomplishments that are above normal. The use of rewards is part of the positive phase of
disciplinary action.

The negative phase includes the use of penalties. The imposition of penalties seeks to
condition behavior by depriving the individual of certain situational values desires. The basis of
the decision to impose a penalty is again a comparison of actual and standard performance,
together with subsequent investigations of the cause of failure. The decision is made when the
facts show that it is due to the failure to conform to policies, instructions, and orders.

Disciplinary Action, a Leadership Function. Disciplinary action is a necessary leadership

function. However, its implementation is beset with certain problems that have merited the
attention of many writers, because of their far-reaching significance. According to Ralph Currier
Davis, the more common principles surrounding the exercise of disciplinary action may be
summarized as follows:

a. Disciplinary action should not be taken unless a real necessity for it can be shown.
Otherwise, such disciplinary action can be properly construed as an act of
arbitraries, if not one of tyranny.
b. Negative disciplinary action must be just, but sufficiently severe to meet the
requirements of the situation. Inadequate disciplinary action weakens the force of
the particular policy, regulation or directive. Strong morale cannot be built on weak
disciplinary action.
c. Decisions governing penalties or rewards should be based on established facts,
not on assumptions which should be made available to individuals or groups
concerned.
d. The rationale behind the disciplinary action should be made clear.
e. Disciplinary measures, both positive and negative, should be applied by the
immediate superior of the individual employee affected.
 27

f. The responsible executive should resume a normal attitude toward the offending
individual after negative disciplinary action has been taken.
g. Negative action should be taken only in private whenever possible.
h. There should be consistency in the administration of disciplinary action. It should
not be cold or hot depending upon the whims of the superior.

Philosophies of Discipline. Research studies on discipline tend to show three basic

philosophies surrounding their administration, such as: authoritarian, anarchic, and due-process.

An authoritarian system of discipline considers the organization to be overpowering in its

exercise of authority. An extreme example of this philosophy is the military in time of war.
Judgment and execution dispensed by the responsible authority without any right of appeal.
Conduct is customary, understood, and rigidly fixed. All decisions are discretionary at the will of
the superior.

If the rights of the individual take precedence over those of the organization, the
anarchic philosophy prevails. Conduct of the subordinates is self-determined; the responsible
authority either permits such action as a matter of policy or has insufficient power to compel
contrary behavior. While this system is usually regarded as the antithesis of discipline, it
actually may be one form of cooperative activity.

The due-process philosophy is viewed as founded on a body of recognized rules and is

administered under some form of judicial procedure. The key factor in this system is formality,
where specific penalties for various acts of misbehavior are stated, and formal methods are
followed in charging, investigating, proving and punishing. Channels of appeal are provided for
the accused, and the discipline is either in the hands of a third party or the final stage of appeal
is reserved for someone in a judicial position.

Effective Disciplinary Action. It is important to the welfare of the employees as well as to

management that there should be effective discipline or adherence to comply with rules
provided, of course, that the rules and regulations are just and reasonable. Most of the
published rules are ordinarily of such a nature that they can help to protect the safety and
general welfare of the worker. Rules must be explained to all personnel and enforced by
management on an impartial basis if they are to yield the desired effect – namely, to emphasize
to the employees the importance of abiding by the rules and regulations.

Disciplinary-Action Penalties. If the facts and policies warrant the application of a

penalty, the superior must choose one from the number he or she is authorized to use.
Ordinarily, there are varying penalties first, second, and third offenses of the same rule. Among
the penalties available in business and industry are:

1. Oral reprimand 5. Layoff

2. Written reprimand 6. Demotion
3. Loss of privileges 7. Discharge
4. Fines

The penalties are listed in the general order of severity, from mild to severe. For most
cases, an oral reprimand may be sufficient to achieve the desired result. If the offense is more
serious, the reprimand may be put into writing. Since a written form of reprimand is more
permanent than oral, it will enter into personal record of the erring employee and impair his
chance of promotion.

The more severe penalties partake of the nature of layoff, demotion, and discharge.
Usually, they fall outside of grant of authority to the immediate supervisor. Disciplinary layoff can
vary in severity from one to several days’ loss of work without pay. The use of demotion as a
form penalty is unfair and highly questionable. Demotion should only be resorted if not only
does the employee commits mistakes almost without any let-up but it if shown upon
 28

investigation that he does not meet job requirements. This then, points to a case of improper
selection and placement.

Discharge is the most severe penalty that a business organization can impose upon its
members. Discharge does not only mean outright loss of gainful income, loss of face, but,
equally could impair his chances of landing on another job. For this reason, this is a very painful
task on the part of management to make.

Steps in Taking Disciplinary Action. Although the detail and time devoted to each step
may vary, there are certain steps that must be taken if disciplinary action is to be truly effective.
They are:

1. Statement of the disciplinary problem. Disciplinary action consists of interrelated

steps, such as:
a. Precise statement of the alleged violation, misdeed, and shortcoming.
b. Ascertainment of the circumstances surrounding the alleged employee
shortcoming.
c. The employee involved in the violation must be clearly pinpointed and
identified. Was there more than one person involved?
d. The frequency of the violations. Was this only the first time? Or a serious of
violations?
2. Fact gathering. The stage of gathering facts relative to the alleged violation is highly
essential to the preceding step as well as to others. Unless proper facts are
gathered and gathered correctly, chances are that wrong penalty may be imposed or
the erring employee may go scot-free.
3. Establishing tentative penalties. If the two foregoing steps have been taken properly,
the executive should start formulating in his mind tentative decisions regarding action
to be taken.
4. Selection of appropriate penalties. When all the facts have been gathered and a
thorough study thereof has been accordingly made, the next step is the selection of
appropriate penalty. The penalty imposed must fit the offense committed.
5. Applying disciplinary action. In applying penalties, there should be no room for
delays. Penalties are most effective when the punishment is closely associated in
the mind of the wrong doer with the act that brought it on. Delaying the imposition of
the penalty could produce distressing effects to the affected employee which could
cause him to lose precious sleeps for untold number of nights. On the other hand,
such delay may give him the impression that his mistake or violation has already
been forgotten by management and consigned to the things of the past.
6. Follow-up. The ultimate objective of disciplinary action is to develop good discipline.
It is thus desirable as well as imperative to make a follow-up of the disciplinary
measures taken by management with a view of determining its effectiveness.
Moreover, when follow-up is conducted on the basis of constructive suggestions and
positive motivation, this step can add to the development of good discipline.

Implications of Disciplinary Action. Employee discipline is an invaluable tool of control on the

part of management. As such, properly exercised, it serves as a method for the maintenance of
authority by management and this authority is doubtless necessary to keep the enterprise going
on a profitable basis.

Today, as may be expected, management’s view of this control function has switched
from the traditional one of discipline as punishment to the modern approached of internal self-
control, orderly behavior and judicial due process. Viewed from this perspective, discipline is
not merely punishment. It is also training which corrects and strengthens proper behavior.

XIII. Handling Employee Grievance. In any employment situation there are likely to be
instances when employment are far from satisfactory to them. These dissatisfactions must be
detected promptly and corrections made whenever possible. If the dissatisfactions of an
employee go unheeded or if the conditions causing them are not corrected, the irritations is
 29

likely to grow and lead to unsatisfactory attitudes and reduced efficiency on the part of employee
other than the individual concerned.

The Troubled Employee. It is doubtless impossible to traverse the landscape of

executive career without meeting the problems of troubled employees. They exist in every rank,
from rank-and-file to those occupying near the level of top management.

Most troubled employees affect business performance and could give rise to short-range
problems and long-range conditions. It is not to be both humane and a good supervisor when
one is dealing with an employee whose spouse is afflicted with incurable sickness or suffering
from terminal illness. Death of course is the most traumatic of all the troubles that envelop an
employee. Other problems are those involving drug addictions, compulsive gambling, mental
breakdown and others. While it is salutary observation that there exists continued campaign
against drug addiction, unfortunately, the same cannot be said with respect to alcoholism. On
the contrary, advertisements about beer being patronized by those “iba na ang may
pinagsamahan” and alcohol liquor “ng mga tunay na lalaki” continue to rent the air.

Symptoms of a Troubled Employee. While there is no one typical pattern of behavior on

the part of troubled employees, the most common signs are sullenness, moodiness, worrying,
lack of cooperation or indifference, insubordination, decrease in the quantity and quality of work,
and frequent absences from the job. Such manifestations are indicative of dissatisfaction. It
should not escape our attention that these behavioral patterns may also be palpable symptoms
of other problems that are times unrelated to employment. For these reasons, it is necessary as
well as important on the part of the supervisor to unravel the real cause for the employee’s
change in attitude and/or behavior when handling complaints or grievances.

Grievance and Complaints, Distinguished. A complaint is any expression of discontent

on the part of the employee; a grievance, according to union usage of the term, refers to the
improper treatment in terms of the labor agreement and typically involves such matters as
wages, job classification, layoffs, promotions, transfers, and loss of seniority. As a common
used in personnel management, the term “grievance” refers to any employee dissatisfaction that
is expressed or kept by them.

As defined in the “Primer on Grievance Settlement and Voluntary Arbitration,” published

by the National Conciliation and Meditation Board of the Department of Labor and Employment,
a grievance is “any question by either the employee or the union regarding the interpretation or
application of the collective bargaining agreement or company personnel policies or any claim
by either party that the other party is in violation of the provision of the CBA or company
personnel policies.”

The grievance referred to in Title VII-A of the Labor Code of the Philippines in the
technical or restricted sense, is “a dispute or controversy between employer and the collective
bargaining agent arising from the interpretation or enforcement of company personnel policies,
for the adjustment and resolution of which the parties have agreed to establish a machinery or a
series of steps commencing from the lowest-level of decision-making in the management
hierarchy and usually terminating at the highest official of the company. If such dispute remains
unresolved after exhausting the grievance machinery or procedure, it shall automatically be
referred to voluntary arbitration prescribed in the CBA.

The Supervisor and Individual Grievance. A conflict on interest may result in an

individual or group grievance.

An individual grievance is one that requires adjustment of the worker or the conditions of
his employment for one or a few employees. A group grievance involves general rather then
individual or purely local interests. It involves relatively large number of employees who are
located in different units in a department of the entire company. An individual grievance can be
handled in a mutually satisfactory manner by direct contact and conference between the
employee and his superior. Group grievances require group conferences. The personnel
 30

composing the group normally work under different executives in the organization. Such
conference is an important element in accomplishing a reintegration of interests when conflicts
between personnel and organizational objectives have arisen.

In respect to individual grievance, mention may be made of its basic importance. Unless
immediately attended to and proper measures are formulated and implemented, restlessness
may eventually spread like wildfire. The individual grievance should be adjudicated promptly
and equitable at the lowest level in the organization that has the ability and the authority to do
this.

Preventing Grievances. The best time to handle a grievance is to “nip it on the bud.” As
the oft-repeated saying that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” aptly applies to
the prevention of grievances. If supervisory leadership is positive and stimulating, it creates a
healthy working atmosphere which is an excellent protection against frivolous or uncalled
behavior.

An experienced supervisor can do a lot toward preventing grievances from cropping up.
The checklist could help insure a good working relationship.

a. Let each employee know how he is getting along. This will enable him to have a
concrete picture of his performance on the job. He can improve his performance if he is
falling behind.
b. Credit must be given to whom it is due. Nothing so demoralizes an employee than when
he is denied credit due him.
c. Inform employees of any planned changes. This will help to bridge the gap that would
otherwise ensue if workers are not informed of any changes that vitally affect them and
their interests.
d. Make the best possible use of each person’s ability. Since man is the greatest resource
of any organization, failure to make use of his talent and ability is a sheer waste in
productivity.
e. Get the employee’s ideas. Management people cannot have a monopoly of good ideas,
a reason why employees should be encouraged to share them.
f. A policy that is unfair must be relayed to management. This should not be kept away
from the knowledge of management. Otherwise, management will not be able to correct
it or shelve it permanently.

Important Points to Remember. Since the art of handling grievance is simply the art of good
communication, Black and Black, the husband-wife team recognized as authorities in labor-
management relations in the United States offer the following suggestions that could be
invaluable help:

1. Supervisor should not have an ivory-tower mentality. Rather, they should not only be
approachable but moreover always available to his workers.
2. Corollary to the above, the supervisor must have an open mind. He should look at
whatever gripes are brought to his attention with a welcoming attitude and not close the
door to his employees who have complaints, legitimate or otherwise.
3. Supervisor should refrain from doing all the talking. Good and effective communication
cannot travel on one way traffic. Unless the employee is given and encouraged to talk
freely, whatever is bugging his mind will not be known by management.
4. Gather facts correctly. Fact gathering is essential to getting a good picture of employee
grievance. In simple terms, the supervisor should be conversant with the what, where,
when, and why about the complaint.
5. Put yourself in the shoes of the complaining employee. It is not difficult to visualize a
particular situation when the supervisor puts himself, at least mentally, in the shoes of
the aggrieved employee.
6. Keep communications growing. Gripes are not different from rumors – they keep on
growing and keep multiplying in uncertainty. Lack of information breeds discontent and
resentment.
 31

7. Never take the gripes lightly or for granted. One easy way to damage the relationship
between employees and management is to take employees gripes for granted. Such an
uncalled for attitude and action on the part of management is both humiliating and
insulting.

Common Types of Evidence. The common types pf evidence used in arbitration

proceedings may vary from case to case according to the question involved. There are more or
less specific types of evidence required for each general type of cases:
1. In disputes over the settling of general wage rates – the most important evidence is
documented statistical and economic data on such matters as prevailing practice,
cost of living, ability to pay and the like.
2. In discharge or discipline cases – the most important evidence generally comes in
the form of testimony of witness that will establish the facts that led to the disciplinary
action. If the use is penalty determination, the past record of performance of
employee and evidence of past disciplinary action will be material.
3. In contract interpretation cases – the history of pre-contract negotiations and the past
practice of the parties in applying the disputed provision will be important.

XIV. Motivation and Morale. The study of motivation must start with an understanding of the
purposeful behavior of human beings. Man is motivated by a multiplicity of interests which
according to Maslow appear in hierarchical order.

At the apex of such interests is physiological, or the needs associated with hunger, thirst,
rest, exercise, shelter and so forth. Then there is the need for safety, or the need for protection
from danger, threat, deprivation, or conversely, a search for security. There are also social
needs, the need for belonging, associating or the needs concerned with man’s self-esteem and
with his recognition and approbation by his peers; and self-fulfillment, or the needs for self-
realization through some form of creativity.

Motivation. Motivation is not only important. Rather, it is in fact an essential element in the
task of managing. Through it, level of performance on the part of the work force is improved,
morale is heightened and company goals and objectives are attained.

Douglas McGregor pointed out: “The motivation, the potential for development, the
capacity for assuming responsibility, the readiness to direct behavior toward organizational goals
are all present in people. Management does not put them there. It is responsibility of
management to make it possible for people to recognize and develop these human
characteristics for themselves.”

He continued: “The essential task of management is to arrange organizational conditions

and methods of operation so that people can achieve their own goals best by directing their own
efforts towards organizational objectives. This is a process primarily of creating opportunities,
releasing potential, removing obstacles, encouraging growth, providing guidance.”

Motivation, explained. The term “motivation” was derived from the Latin word movere
which means “to move.” The Encyclopedia Britannica describes motivation as “the process of
an activity in progress.” While a number of definitions of motivation may be found in literatures
on psychology, no one definition adequately describes it. An analysis of major definitions would
indicate that motivation is primarily concerned with (1) what energizes human behavior, (2)
directs or channels such behavior, and (3) how this behavior is maintained or sustained.

Every business and industry, big and small which has become successful operates on
the cooperation extended by workers to management and to one another. In other words, each
worker has a role to play in the organization.

But the supervisor is the key man who must motivate the workers under him to exert
their best efforts and make them compete with one another by way of striving for higher rate or
productivity and thus become worthy members of the work team.
 32

The supervisor must be able to impress upon the minds of the workers under him that
the workers help themselves when they get out the most of their own skills. Brains, know-how
and motivation are the prime instruments which could spur workers to greater production
through the spirit of brotherly competition within the organization.

Choosing the Appropriate Incentives. Once the needs and desires of an employee are
known, or at least estimated, the supervisor is able to apply some form of incentives, positive or
negative, material or non-material, as a stimulus to induce him to increase his productivity.

What are incentives? Motives are the drives within the person which incite him to action.
Incentives are the external situations or stimuli which trigger the motive. They are the conditions
which initiate or halt, encourage or discourage, and direct or inhibit human activities. Thus,
incentives are the situations which arouse dynamic forces within employees or the conditions
introduced in jobs with the expectation of influencing or altering the behavior of people. The
stimulant chosen by management should appeal to the motive which is not prominent in the
individual involved.

Broadly classified, incentives are either non-financial or financial or both.

Non-financial Incentives. There is an important group of motivating forces that can be

considered under the broad heading of “non-financial incentives.” Among such nonfinancial
incentives are: security, praise and recognition, participation and others. They want to feel that
they will be protected against loss of job and earnings whether it is because of accident, illness,
insufficient work to keep them busy, arbitrary firing, or other reasons. They are concerned over
security in the years after retirement.

Equally important is praise and recognition. As human beings, every employee desires
that his performance be praised and given recognition.
With respect to participation, it is recognized as one of the best incentives for stimulating
employee production and for providing job satisfaction. Aside from providing opportunities for
the employee to participate in meetings and conferences or serving on committees, the
employee’s involvement would make him feel that he is worthy member of the organization, the
success of which is his success and its failure is his own failure as well.

Financial Incentives. Financial incentives granted by companies are of several kinds.

Among them are: promotions and salary increases, stock option plans, profit sharing and others.
All respond to praise, and some deserve it. A desire of praise is a universal longing of people.
The most tangible form of praise is expressed by a promotion or by a salary increase attributed
to merit. Stock option plans encourage the ownership of company stock and so give the
employee who takes advantage of the plan a small stockholder’s point of view and direct interest
earnings of the company as in the case of profit sharing scheme. Bonus systems are also a
widely used form of financial incentive and generally granted during the Christmas season, part
from the 13th month pay mandated by our Labor Code.

Morale. In a very real sense, the state of the employee’s morale which may be defined as “the
attitude of the employee toward his work environment,” by and large, is dependent upon the
degree to which the employee’s deep-seated wants are affected by the work situation.

According to Ralph Currier Davis, the effects of morale are:

a. Wiling cooperation
b. Loyalty to the organization and its leadership
c. Good discipline
d. Strong organizational stamina
e. High degree of interest in the job and the organization
f. Organizational initiative, and
g. Pride in the organization
 33

XV. Performance Evaluation. Employee evaluation which is actually but a continuation of the
supervisor-subordinate relationship is a means by which the supervisor lets the employee know
how he is going. It is part of the feedback of results and can be used to stimulate the
employee’s continues learning and continued improvement on his job. In certain instance, the
employee can measure the quality and quantity of his performance against the standards of
work performance and such is able to know where he stands insofar as his contribution to
production is concerned. In his daily contact with his employees, the supervisor is making
informal evaluation of them. He is making judgment about them when he assigns special job to
others. In the same vein, he is making judgment when he recommends them for transfer,
demotion, or dismissal. While a number of decisions may be product of sudden judgment or
impulse, for proper and good employee evaluation such should be made on the basis of
planned, impartial, fair and accurate observation.

Personnel Evaluation. The procedure of personnel evaluation is commonly referred to

as performance evaluation. Such evaluation partakes of the nature of rating the quality of
performance of each individual employee at all levels in the organization.

Through such evaluation program, a considerable amount of information is obtained

which serves as a good basis for purposes of making salary increases, promotions, demotions,
transfers as well as terminations. Moreover, evaluations can serve as a check upon the
effectiveness with which such functions as recruiting, selection, testing, placement, and training
are performed within the personnel program.

Objectives. The following objectives underscore the importance of performance

evaluation to any organization, such as:

First, to furnish employees with sufficient feedback relative to job performance. The
employee is provided with the opportunity to understand where he stands and why and how he
can improve his work performance.

Second, to assist in providing a basis for modifying or changing behavior toward the
cultivation of more effective working habits; and

Third, to assist managers with available data that is of value in serving as a basis for
judging assignments as well as compensation in the future.

While performance feedback and coaching is no less than a day-to-day basis,

performance evaluation is a once-a-year activity. Owing to the positions they hold in an
organization, managers and supervisors serve as evaluators of their subordinates. To be able to
discharge their task with effectiveness, they must meet certain criteria, as:

a. Opportunity to observe. They should conduct close personal observation of

subordinates which will enable them to evaluate their performance against
established standards and such take direct action based on such evaluation.
b. They must possess clear understanding of job requirements. Unless evaluators have
a clear understanding of job requirements, they will not be in a good position to
appraise and evaluate correctly what amounts to a satisfactory job performance of
their subordinates.
c. Performance evaluation should be on the basis of established standards. This will
help minimize, if not avoided, errors of judgment in performance evaluation.

Methods of Appraisal. There are some definite advantages that accrue from performance
evaluation of employees. Some of these are: (1) knowing the progress that each employee is
making on his job; (2) ascertaining sooner than would otherwise be possible which employees
represent good potential value to the organization and such must be given opportunity for
training directed toward their advancement, and (3) pointing out which employees are not
 34

making satisfactory performance in relation to the job situation, and as such must be given
greater assistance and encouragement.

The methods of Evaluating Employees are many and varied. A few of them are:

Graphing Rating Scale. This is one of the most commonly used methods for rating
employees. This method consists of a list of traits or characteristics on which the employee is
rated. They are arranged so that degree of acceptability can be readily indicated. As such, this
method enjoys ease in rating employee.

Critical-Incident Method. As an evaluation method, the critical-incident method involves

the identifying, classifying, and recording critical incidents in employee behavior.

Critical incidents are facts and not generalizations. For instance, a typist is able to type
only a few letters which below the expected output and moreover littered with mistakes in
spelling. Thus, under this method, the supervisor makes a notation as “bad” in accordance with
performance.

Appraisal by Results or Objectives. As may be observed, the forced-choice and critical-

incident methods tend to be more performance-oriented based on the standards established by
management for purposes of revaluating employee performance.

One important approach to performance evaluation which is in accord with Peter

Drucker’s concept of “management by objectives” is that credited to Douglas McGregor which
consists of the following interrelated steps:

a. Clear statement of the important features of the job. Instead of formal job description,
a document is drawn by the subordinate based on his studies of one company
approved statement.
b. From this statement of responsibilities, the subordinate then establishes his goals
within a period in which it shall achieve through specific courses of action.
c. At the end of the specific period, the subordinate then makes his own appraisal
whether he has achieved his goals within the date set or not.

The Field-Review Method. Under this method, the performance of each employee is
reviewed in detail by the supervisor with the help of the personnel department.

The Process of Evaluation. The evaluation of one person is as old as man himself. Men have
typically assessed the value of other men in a variety of situations. That of his subordinates is
merely an extension of this general tendency. In the latter situation, it is important that the
principles underlying the evaluation of personnel be understood. Knowledge of human
characteristics and problems encountered in assessing them in relation to job requirements is
basic to ant personnel evaluation.

Concept of Individual Differences. The concept of individual differences in connection

with employee testing applies equally to employee performance which can and should be
measured in as objective manner as possible.

Errors of Judgment. If it is possible to evaluate all employees in terms of the numbers of

units produced, dollars or peso value of merchandise sold, or other objective criteria, the
evaluation process would be relatively simple and accurate. However, since judgments are the
basis of most evaluations, the evaluation process in thus subject to the same errors made in
evaluating job applicants plus some additional errors.

Halo Error. The most common error in evaluating other is the halo error, which is the
tendency to rate an individual high or low in many traits because the rater knows or believes the
individual to be high or low in some specific traits which the rater likes or dislikes.
 35

Overemphasis of Recent Behavior. While most evaluation reports are designed to cover
a period of six or twelve months, it is quite natural for the supervisor to be influenced primarily by
what the subordinate has been doing most recently. In order to guard against overemphasis
upon recent behavior, raters must give careful thought not only to what has been the typical
behavior of the employees during the period under consideration but also to the level of
performance that the employee can be expected to maintain in the future.

Personal Bias. Supervisors have their own likes and dislikes that often color their
opinions about a person. They will seldom admit that a subordinate’s religion, ancestry,
educational level, and similar characteristics have ant part in influencing their opinions about an
employee’s performance.

Constant Errors. In addition to the mentioned above, each evaluator introduces a

constant error by the manner in which he rates his subordinates. A more common error is the
error of central tendency or a middle of the road approach to evaluation in which ratings are
grouped around or the middle or average. This error may be caused according to Chruden and
Sherman “by the failure of the raters to take into account that there are wide variations in
behavior or performance, but is probably just as often the result of unconscious desire not to
‘rock the boat’ by showing some individuals as superior.” Very often these employees who are
rated high are transferred to better jobs.

Use of Merit Rating. Which ever method merit rating is selected, supervisors must be trained
in its correct usage, its limitation, and in the best ways to make the most of a merit rating
system. It cannot simply be installed and then forgotten.

A merit rating program, properly administered, can be extremely valuable in focusing

supervisory attention on employee performance and development.

Properly introduced and used, merit rating can be a definite asset. Improperly
introduced or administered, it may do more harm than good.

Merit Rating, a Help to Supervisor. To a lot of employees, merit rating is generally

associated with money. However, many employees and some supervisors tend to overlook the
important benefits that accrue therefrom. Periodic performance reviews are of big help to them.

First, it points to the employee his relative strengths which he can cultivate on the one
hand and weaknesses that he can eliminate.

Second, it also helps the supervisor with a fair and doubtless an unbiased method fro
determining qualifications for promotions, transfers and rate increases.

Third, it gives recognition to those employees who have demonstrated exceptional ability
and thereby deserve training for positions of higher responsibility and commensurate pay.

Fourth, it provides a basis for eliminating those not qualified for the work they are
assigned. In other instances, it could serve as a means by which employees may be transferred
to jobs to which they are suited.

Employee Should be Told Where He Stands. Since every evaluation is expected to be

fair and constructive, it is incumbent upon the supervisor to acquaint the employee concerned of
his rating based upon his job performance.

In the words of Lester R. Bittel, informal discussions of rating made of an employee will
produce the following desirable results, such as:

a. It will give the employee a clear understanding of how well he performs his job in
accordance with the evaluation conducted by his supervisor.
 36

b. Corollary to the above, the employee will be provided with ample opportunity to
discuss the result of the evaluation with his supervisors that could help relationship
between them.
c. The results of the evaluation will enable the employee to improve his work through the
cooperation and assistance of his supervisor.

Incompetence. One picture that performance evaluation could bring about pertains to
employee incompetence.

Incompetence on the job means any of the following:

1. Deficient in his job performance
2. Being incapable of discharging his job with safety.
3. Inability to produce goods in quantity or quality as desired.
4. Inability to keep up with the accepted standard of performance.

XVI. Setting Work Performance Standards. To be truly effective, supervisor must be framed
against acceptable work performance standards. Unless this is done, the supervisor may be
unable to measure correctly the employee’s actual job performance.
The standards based on the performance of the average worker at normal pace under
normal conditions are viewed as attainable or required performance. Some companies set
ultimate (big task) standards which make no allowance fro non-standard conditions. Ultimate
standards avoid establishing a minimum acceptable amount of output which may become the
maximum obtained; each employee is expected to work to the best of his ability.

Standards and the Supervisor. Standards of performance serve both the supervisor and his
superior in making possible the delegation of authority and responsibility. A delegator is still
accountable for work turned over to a subordinate and must have some system of information
(records and reports) to find out if the work is being done and some measure by which to judge
how well it is being done. Insofar as subordinates are concerned, standards are of big help t
them to whom authority and responsibility are delegated since it arms them with what are
expected of them.

Moreover, one advantage of setting standards of work performance is that the supervisor
can evaluate the performance of subordinate for efficiency rating and thus for the purpose of job
promotion on the one hand and for the purpose of handling problems and grievances on the
other.

An employee may be given his walking papers by the company. Such course of action
must be supported by evidence that the employee has been performing unsatisfactory service
for a good period of time, that is, the work is substantially below performance set by the
company.

It goes without saying then, that when a supervisor has a set of work performance
standards he accordingly knows whether an employee should be rewarded by a promotion in
rank or salary increase (or both). Or those exerting their best which nevertheless are still
average in terms of work performance should be required to undergo further training or
transferred to a position where their skills are best suited. In other instances, it could mean
warning served to the employees concerned.

Setting the Standards. Standards of work performance should not be set up arbitrarily.
When a supervisor is preparing to set up a standard, he should analyze it from the point of the
task it contains and just what the worker is doing or supposed to be doing.

Standards of quantity must be expressed in terms that can be measured or spot-checked

without too much difficulty. In measuring quantity, the supervisor must always bear in mind that
he is looking for an attainable satisfactory performance on the part of the work group. In
measuring the quantity output, the supervisor has to set standards that encourage workers to
give their best efforts to the company. A standard that emphasizes output at the sacrifice of
 37

judgment and cooperation truly can lead to nothing worthwhile but demoralization among the
workers.

Setting up Standards of Quality. In setting up standards of quality, the supervisor should

be guided by the standards that are acceptable in the industry as a whole. There are a number
of bases upon which quality standards can be set up. They can be on terms of rejects by the
inspection department. Or they may be set up in terms of the amount of wastes.

It is necessary that the supervisor relate the quality standards to the quantity standards
and give each its proper importance when setting up performance standards and when
explaining them to the employees. Another way of determining quality standards is approached
in a positive way, in which the supervisor asks himself: What is the purpose of this work? What
is the end that it has served? If the work fulfill its objective, the quality is necessarily
satisfactory.

The other approach is the negative one that is, uncovering the points wherein the work is
unsatisfactory and asking why it is unsatisfactory. When a supervisor asks himself, “Why is the
work being rejected?” or “Why am I rejecting this work?” he is measuring the quality aspects of
the job.

Quality may be set up in terms of errors – that is, three mistakes in a hundred. Another
basis will be in terms of a worker’s doing a job safely in relation to himself and to others.

Introducing Standards of Work Performance. New standards should be tried out temporary
basis until they are found to be satisfactory. Then they should be put on a permanent basis and
not changed unless there is a substantial change in the job content or in the method of doing the
job. A standard to be worthwhile must be considered and measure that will not vary.

When a supervisor introduces standards or performance, he should discuss them in

details with the employees involved so that they will know exactly what is expected of them.

Merely discussing standards of work performance with employees can generate a

healthy effect on them. Such discussions can serve as a morale booster in that their opinions
are heard. This, in a sense, makes them feel important.

When a worker knows that his output is being checked against established standards, he
knows that his success on the job depends solely on himself – and not on anybody else.

Checked Performance Against Standards. It would be highly unethical and immoral on

the part of any supervisor snooping or breathing down on his worker’s neck as a means of
checking their output.

It must be recognized and admitted that some job by their nature and importance
requires close and thorough supervision. As a customary practice, new employees are checked
often to see that they know how to do their assigned jobs satisfactorily so that deviation thereof
could be corrected immediately.

It is, however, a good policy to conduct a continuing supervision of all employees to

insure satisfactory work performance not only for a week or month, but throughout the period of
their employment. Measuring job performance is done on the basis of spot-checking when
things are going normally. But when there are slowdowns and complaints about getting an
unequal share of work, when certain workers appear to be goldbreaking, pretending to work
when actually they are not, such circumstance explains the necessity of continuous supervision.
It is incumbent upon the supervisor to keep a close measure of the output on all the jobs
involved.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL ! ! !

 38

Your Decisions Determine Your Destiny