A supervisor is an overseer whose main responsibility
is to ensure that a group of subordinates get out the assigned amount of work,
when they are supposed to do it and within acceptable levels of quality, costs
and safety.
The roles of a supervisor in the process of management
include the following:
1.
Coaching: A good supervisor places a high priority on coaching
employees. Good coaching involves working with employees to establish suitable
goals, action plans and time lines. The supervisor delegates and also provides
ongoing guidance and support to the employee as they complete their action
plans. Rarely can job goals be established without considering other aspects of
an employee’s life, e.g., time available for training, career preferences,
personal strengths and weaknesses, etc. A supervisor is sometimes confronted
with walking a fine line between being a supervisor and the employee’s
confidant.
2. Mentoring: Usually the supervisor understands the organization
and the employee’s profession better than the employee. Consequently, the
supervisor is in a unique position to give ongoing advice to the employee about
job and career. The employee can look to the supervisor as a model for
direction and development. An effective mentor-mentee relationship requires the
supervisor to accept the responsibility of mentorship. A good supervisor can be
a priceless addition to the career of an employee.
3. Advocating for the Organization:
Often, the supervisor is
the first person to tell employees about new policies and programs from
management. It’s not uncommon that employees are confused or frustrated by
these new actions, and need further clarification and support from supervisors.
In the rapidly changing world of today’s organizations, it can be a major
challenge to present new programs to employees without their being frustrated. The
supervisor must be authentic, yet tactful.
4.
Advocating for Employee: The supervisor is often responsible to represent the
employee’s requests and to management, along with also representing the employee’s
case for deserving a reward.