Supervisor structure

Supervisors and their Role in the Organization

A supervisor mainly monitors and coordinates the activities of a group of employees involved in particular activities within a unit of an organization. He is a leading manager and is in charge of getting the non-executive employees to carry out the plans and policies done by the management. A supervisor is also sometimes known as a front line supervisor since he is the first link between the administration and the non-executive employees. 

A supervisor plan, direct, organize, and examine the work of non-executive employees at the operational level of the organization. Supervisors are the first-level executives as they have only non-executive employees reporting to them. Supervisors may also be second-level supervisors when they supervise a group of other supervisors and non- executive employees. 

Place of supervisor in the organizational structure

The primary responsibility of a supervisor is supervision that is described as guiding, instructing, and monitoring the employees when they are performing their duties in the organization. Supervisors are a member of management, and hence they also carry out in the front line the so-called four functions of the administration, namely planning, organizing, directing and controlling.

Supervisors need to obtain a sense of the many factors at play in their fields of influence, and from this sensitivity, they should improve invaluable flexibility. This lets them do the right things at the correct times for each situation they face.

Supervisors occupy a vital position in the structure of an organization. They relate the employees to the management and vice versa and therefore become the primary conduit for the flow of data within an organization. Top-down, power confides its goals and values by the supervisors who can best illustrate to the employees what these mean and how they might affect employees. Bottom-up, the front line supervisors, need to make sure that employees’ voices are heard, listened to their concerns and answers to them, and passes that feedback to the management.

Supervisors being in direct contact with the employees have got multifarious functions to perform. The objective of the performance of these functions is to bring stability and soundness to the organization, which is necessary for the production and the efficient implementation of the organization. Various parts of the supervisors are given below:

• Supervisors are required to make the decisions which are taken at the management level implemented by the employees working under them. They need to ensure that all the instructions are communicated to each employee. Supervisors for implementing this function efficiently should be aware of the reasons for those decisions and need to be convinced that the implementation of the findings is going to benefit the organization. In turn, supervisors are to persuade the employees so that the decisions are carried out in good behaviour and manner in the office.

• Supervisors facilitate control. Control means matching of actual output with the planned outcome. Whenever the employees are under constant supervision or examine of the supervisors, then close check can be maintained on the performance at each step of the work. In case of deviations from the plan, supervisors can take corrective measures by immediately issuing revised instructions. Thus the supervision function of the supervisors makes sure continuous monitoring of the job, which in turn is practical in strict control over the activities of subordinates.
• Supervisors, by constant supervision, ensure optimum usage of resources. When the work of the employees is monitored continuously or observed, then they follow the proper procedures of the book, which in turn ensures optimum use of the resources. This leads to a minimum wastage.
• Proper supervision and guidance of supervisors encourage disciplined working of the employees. Disciplined working assists the efficiencies of the employees as well as the processes, which in turn enhances productivity. Disciplined working also results in systematic working, lower waste generation and lower product rejection rate. It also helps employees fulfilling the plans and meeting of the targets.
• As the supervisors handle the supervision from the front line, and they directly deal with the workers, they are the best people who understand the pulse of the organization. In the case of a disturbed environment, they are in a better position to know what is brewing amongst the employees. Hence there feedback is critical and is to be taken very seriously by the organizational management. Additionally, they are the best persons to give feedbacks of subordinates. Their feedbacks report concerning the working of employees working under them usually becomes the basis for the performance appraisal of the employees. Their information is also useful in resolving complaints, grievances and problems of the employees, which in turn makes a peaceful working atmosphere at the workplace.
• Supervisors should be good in communication because they play the role of the connecting pin or mediator between the employees and the management. Supervisors with their communication abilities try to eliminate the relationship gap between the administration and the employees as they pass the management decisions to the employees’ grievances, complaints and problems to the management. As supervisors issue instructions and orders to the employees, they need to ensure that these instructions and orders are understandable to all the employees and carry the meaning of what is intended. In this way, supervisors develop communication in the organization. Organizational management should provide training to the supervisors in the techniques of effective communication.
• Supervisors play an essential role in the improvement of the employees’ motivation. The relationship with the supervisor is a perfect incentive to develop the motivation level of the employees. While guiding the employees, the supervisors inspire employees to perform to their best capacity.
• Supervisors play a crucial role in keeping group unity among employees working under them. This assists in maintaining harmony among the employees since their grievances are removed, and their differences are solved with satisfaction. This helps in teamwork and the creation of a peaceful environment of work.