Read the following Chapter Outcomes and Learning Objectives… Read the followingChapter Outcomes and Learning Objectives  Organizations and

Read the following Chapter Outcomes and Learning Objectives… Read the followingChapter Outcomes and Learning Objectives  Organizations and Their Levels Supervisors work in places called organizationsOrganization – A systematic grouping of people brought together to accomplish some specific purposeSupervisors work in places called organizations. An organization is a systematic grouping of people brought together to accomplish some specific purpose. Your college or university is an organization, so are supermarkets, charitable agencies, churches, neighborhood gas stations, the Indianapolis Colts football team, Nokia Corporation, the Australian Dental Association, and Cedars-Sinai Hospital. Common Characteristics of Organizations Every organization has a purposeEach organization is composed of peopleAll organizations develop a systematic structure that defines the various roles of members and that often sets limits on members’ work behaviorsAll organizations, regardless of their size or focus, share three common characteristics. First, every organization has a purpose. The distinct purpose of an organization is typically expressed in terms of a goal or set of goals that the organization hopes to accomplish. Second, each organization is composed of people. It takes people to establish the purpose and to perform a variety of activities to make the goal a reality. Third, all organizations develop a systematic structure that defines the various roles of members, and that often sets limits on members’ work behaviors. Exhibit 1-1, Levels in the traditional organizational pyramid  Although organizations and their structures vary widely, often adapting to the environment in which the organization operates, we can show—in most traditional organizations—an organization’s structure as a pyramid containing four general categories.  Organizational Levels Operative employees – Employees who physically produce an organization’s goods and services by working on specific tasksTop management – A group of people responsible for establishing an organization’s overall objectives and developing the policies to achieve those objectivesThe base level in the pyramid is occupied by operative employees. These employees physically produce an organization’s goods and services by working on specific tasks. The common feature these operative workers share is that they generally don’t manage or oversee the work of any other employees.Top management is a group of people responsible for establishing the organization’s overall objectives and developing the policies to achieve those objectives. Titles of typical top management positions in business firms include chair of the board, chief executive officer, president, and senior vice-president.Organizational Levelscontinued… Middle managers – All employees below the top management level who manage other managers and are responsible for establishing and meeting specific departmental or unit goals set by top managementSupervisors – Oversee the work of operative employees and are the only managers who don’t manage other managers; see also first-level managersMiddle managers include all employees below the top management level who manage other managers. These individuals are responsible for establishing and meeting specific goals in their particular department or unit. The objectives set by top management provide specific direction to middle managers regarding what they are expected to achieve.Like top and middle managers, supervisors are also part of an organization’s management team. What makes them unique is that they oversee the work of operative employees.  Supervisors, then, are the only managers who don’t manage other managers. Organizational Levels continued… First-level managers – Managers who represent the first level in the management hierarchy; see also supervisorsAnother way to think of supervisors is as first-level managers. That is, counting from the bottom of the traditional pyramid-shaped organization, supervisorsrepresent the first level in the management hierarchy. The Management ProcessManagement – The process of getting things done, effectively and efficiently, through and with other peopleProcess – The primary activities supervisors performEfficiency  – Doing a task right; also refers to the relationship between inputs and outputsEffectiveness  – Doing the right task; goal attainment The term management refers to the process of getting things done, effectively and efficiently, through and with other people. Several terms of this definition warrant some discussion: process, efficiently, and effectively. The term process represents the primary activities that supervisors perform. We call these the management functions. The next section describes these functions.Efficiency means doing the task right, and refers to the relationship between inputs and outputs. Because supervisors deal with input resources that are scarce—money, people, and equipment—they are concerned with the efficient use of these resources. Consequently, supervisors must be concerned with minimizing resource costs. Effectiveness means doing the right task. In an organization, this translates into goal attainment. Exhibit 1-2, Efficiency versus effectivenessExhibit 1-2 shows how efficiency and effectiveness are interrelated. The need for efficiency has a profound effect on the level of effectiveness. Management FunctionsPlanning – Defining an organization’s goals, establishing an overall strategy for achieving these goals, and developing a comprehensive hierarchy of plansOrganizing – Arranging and grouping jobs, allocating resources, and assigning work so that activities can be accomplished as planned; determining which tasks are to be done, who is to do them, how the tasks are to be grouped, who reports to whom, and when decisions are to be madeIn the early part of the twentieth century, a French industrialist named Henri Fayol wrote that all managers perform five management functions: They plan, organize, command, coordinate, and control. Most management textbooks continue to be organized around management functions, though these have generally been condensed to the basic four: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.The planning function encompasses defining an organization’s goals, establishing an overall strategy for achieving these goals and developing a comprehensive hierarchy of plans to integrate and coordinate activities. Setting goals keeps the work to be done in its proper focus and helps organizational members keep their attention on what is most important.The organizing function includes determining which tasks will be done, who will do them, how the tasks will be grouped, who will report to whom, and when decisions will be made.Management Functions continued… Leading – Motivating employees, directing the activities of others, selecting the most effective communication channel, and resolving conflicts  among members.Controlling – Monitoring an organization’s performance and comparing performance with previously set goals; if significant deviations exist, getting the organization back on trackEvery organization contains people, and part of a manager’s job is to direct and coordinate the activities of these people. Performing this activity is referred to as the leading function of management. When managers motivate employees, direct the activities of others, select the most effective communication channel, or resolve conflicts among members, they’re engaging in leading.The final function managers perform is controlling. After the goals are set, the plans formulated, the structural arrangements determined, and the people hired, trained, and motivated, something may still go amiss. To ensure that things are going as they should, a manager must monitor the organization’s performance. Actual performance must be compared with the previously set goals. If there are any significant deviations, it’s the manager’s responsibility to get the organization back on track. This process of monitoring, comparing, and correcting constitutes the controlling function.Exhibit 1-3, Management functionsImage transcription textPlanning Organizing LeadingControlling Achieving Setting goalsDetermining Directing, Mo… Show more… Show moreChanging Expectations of SupervisorsSupervisors were the bosses “on the operating floor,” and their job was to keep the employees in line and get the work doneToday’s supervisor is described as a trainer, advisor, mentor, facilitator, or coachThe supervisor’s job is unique in that it bridges the management ranks with the operating employees. No one else in the organization can make that claim. Yet because of this uniqueness, supervisors have an ambiguous role. Supervisors were the bosses “on the operating floor,” and their job was to keep the employees in line and get the work done. They made decisions, told employees what to do, closely watched over those employees to make sure they did as they were told, disciplined them when they broke the rules, and fired those that didn’t “shape up.”  Today you’ll also hear executives describe supervisors using terms such as trainer, advisor, mentor, facilitator, or coach.Supervisors in Today’s OrganizationsEmployee engagement – When employees are connected to, satisfied with, and enthusiastic about their jobsSustainability – A company’s ability to achieve its business goals and increase long-term  shareholder value by integrating economic, environmental, and social opportunities into its business strategiesThe Gallup Organization, which has polled millions of employees and tens of thousands of supervisors, has found that the single most important variable in employee productivity and loyalty isn’t pay or benefits or workplace environment; it’s the quality of the relationship between employees and their direct supervisors. Gallup also found that the relationship with their supervisor is the largest factor in employee engagement—which is when employees are connected to, satisfied with, and enthusiastic about their jobs—accounting for at least 70 percent of an employee’s level of engagement.Although “sustainability” means different things to different people, in essence, according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (2005), it is concerned with “meeting the needs of people today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” From a business perspective, sustainability has been defined as a company’s ability to achieve its business goals and increase long-term shareholder value by integrating economic, environmental, and social opportunities into its business strategies. Transition from Employee to SupervisorFor many, becoming a supervisor is a major turning point in their career. A time when one becomes responsible not only for one’s own work, but also for the work of others.According to Monsanto:10% of first-time supervisors say that they’re well prepared, trained, and qualified48% of first-time supervisors fail40% of supervisors are ranked in the top ninetieth percentile of effectivenessBeing a supervisor can present challenges. Meeting goals, making appropriate decisions, supervising employees, and being the communication vehicle for information that needs to get to employees can be overwhelming. But they can also be rewarding when one has the skills and competencies to be an effective supervisor.A number of recent surveys of first-time supervisors reveal a broad spectrum of reactions to, and realities of, their supervisory position. Supervisory Competencies Supervisory competencies – Conceptual, interpersonal, technical, and political competenciesTechnical competence – The ability to apply specialized knowledge or expertiseInterpersonal competence – The ability to work with, understand, communicate with, and motivate other people, both individually and in groupsMore than thirty years ago, Professor Robert Katz began a process of identifying essential supervisory competencies. What Katz and others have found is that successful supervisors must possess four critical competencies: technical, interpersonal, conceptual, and political competencies. They are as relevant today as when Katz originally described them.Supervisors require technical competence, which is the ability to apply specialized knowledge or expertise. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to supervise employees with specialized skills effectively if you don’t have an adequate understanding of the technical aspects of their jobs. Although the supervisor need not be able to perform certain technical skills, understanding what each worker does is part of every supervisor’s job.The ability to work well with people, understand their needs, communicate well, and motivate others—both individually and in groups—constitutes interpersonalcompetence. Many people are technically proficient but interpersonally incompetent. They might be poor listeners, be unconcerned with the needs of others, or have difficulty dealing with conflicts. Supervisors get things done through other people. They must have good interpersonal skills to communicate, motivate, negotiate, delegate, and resolve conflicts. Supervisory Competencies continued… Conceptual competence – The mental ability to analyze and diagnose complex situationsPolitical competence –  Supervisors’ ability to enhance their power, build a power base, and establish the “right” connections in the organizationConceptual competence is the mental ability to analyze and diagnose complex situations. Strong conceptual abilities allow a supervisor to see that the organization is a complex system of many interrelated parts, and that the organization itself is part of a larger system that includes the organization’s industry, the community, and the nation’s economy. This gives the supervisor a broad perspective, and contributes to creative problem solving. On a more practical level, strong conceptual abilities help managers make good decisions.Political competence is a supervisors’ ability to enhance their power, build a power base, and establish the “right” connections in the organization. Supervisors engage in politics when they attempt to influence the advantages and disadvantages of a situation. It goes beyond normal work activities.Exhibit 1-4, How competency demands  vary at different levels of managementImage transcription textTop Middle Level in ManagementSupervisory Technical InterpersonalConceptual Political Supe… Show more… Show moreAlthough supervisors need to possess all the four competencies, the importance of each competency in any manager’s job varies with the individual’s level in the organization.As Exhibit 1-4 illustrates, (1) technical competence declines in importance as individuals rise in the organization; (2) interpersonal competencies are a constant for success regardless of the level in the organization; and (3) conceptual and political competencies increase in importance as managerial responsibility rises. From Concepts to Skills Skill – The ability to demonstrate a system and sequence of behavior that is functionally  related to attaining a performance goalA skill is the ability to demonstrate a system and sequence of behavior that is functionally related to attaining a performance goal. No single action constitutes a skill. For example, the ability to write clear communications is a skill. People who have this skill know the particular sequence of actions to take to propose a project or summarize a report. They can separate primary from secondary ideas. They can organize their thoughts in a logical manner. They can simplify complex ideas. None of these actions is by themselves are a skill. A skill is a system of behavior that can be applied in a wide range of situations.  Exhibit 1-5, Key supervisory skills Image transcription textRelated to Planning and Control . Goal setting .Budgeting . Creative problem solving .Developing control charts Relate… Show more… Show more What key skills are related to supervisory effectiveness? Although there is no unanimous agreement among teachers and trainers of supervision, certain skills have surfaced as being more important than others. Exhibit 1-5 lists key supervisory skills, organized as they are presented in this text. In aggregate, they form the competency base for effective supervision. The question after reading everything is toIdentify a Current Event Article related to a topic in Chapter 1 and respond in complete sentences to the following questions:   What is the name of the current event article?  Provide a link or citation.How is this current event article related to this chapter?Provide a short synopsis of the article.Explain why you thought this article was interesting.  Business Management SEPS 203S Share QuestionEmailCopy link Comments (0)