Supervision: Concepts and Skill Building 10th Edition by Samuel Certo Solution manual

 
Examples of supervisory responsibilities where accountability is required include:

1. Staff performance to standards of quality and productivity
2. Conduct of staff relative to organizational requirements, such as courtesy in greeting customers, refraining from sexual harassment behavior, respect among co-workers, and so forth
3. Skill level of employees
4. Staffing levels
5. Absence of formal grievances by employees
6. General housekeeping in work area, such as the absence of clutter and unsafe conditions
7. General morale of employees in the work unit
8. General condition of equipment and materials used in the work unit

 

4. Exercise to explain how supervisors are responsible to higher management, employees, and co-workers:

 
The purpose of the following exercise is to have students evaluate a work situation related to supervisor accountability. This will give them an opportunity to check their understanding of the concept and evaluate their own attitudes toward accountability.
 
Copy the Case Study on page 1-16 of the Instructors Manual for each student. Have them work either in small groups or individually and answer the questions following the case study. Discuss their decisions with the whole class.
 

1. Should Terry be held accountable for the customer complaint and employee gripes? Why or why not?

 
Answer: Yes. Terry is responsible for meeting productivity and quality requirements for service to customers. He is also responsible for the general morale of his employees.
 

2. What suggestions can you make to Terry to help him be successful in his job?

 
Answer: Terry needs to watch staffing more carefully, especially during busy periods. He should take corrective action to see that staff is moved or enlisted to busy times or places. He should also talk with the staff more often to find out what they need and what general problems may be forming in the department.
 

Case Study
 
Is Terry Being Blamed Unfairly?
 
Terry was recently promoted to supervisor. Things were not going as smoothly as they should. In the past few days it seemed that the manager of the division was being unreasonable. She had talked to Terry about the performance of the work unit. There had been a customer complaint last week about the slowness of service. There were also a few gripes from employees about the way he treated them. Although he felt bad, he did not think he was really responsible for either situation. After all, at the time the complaining customer requested service they were very busy. And the gripes, they just liked to complain. What could he do about that? But since he wanted to succeed, Terry has asked you to help him out.
 

1. Should Terry be held accountable for the customer complaint and employee gripes? Why or why not?

 
 
 

2. What suggestions can you make to Terry to help him be successful in his job?

 

Learning Objective 1.7: Describe the typical background of someone who is promoted to supervisor.
 

1. Teaching Notes:

 
Most supervisors start out working in the department they now supervise. Because technical skills are relatively important for first-level managers, the person selected to be supervisor is often an employee with a superior grasp of the technical skills needed to perform well in the department. The person also might have more seniority than many other department employees. Good work habits and leadership skills are also reasons for selecting an employee to be a supervisor. Sometimes a company will hire a recent college graduate to be a supervisor, perhaps because the person has demonstrated leadership potential or a specialized skill that will help in the position.
 
Becoming a supervisor marks a big change in a person’s work life. All the changes are bound to lead to some anxiety. One way to combat the anxiety is to prepare for the job. A new supervisor can learn about management and supervision through books and observation. He or she can think about ways to carry out the role of supervisor. A supervisor can also strive to learn as much as possible about the organization, the department, and the job.