Why people behave the way they do?

Determinants of human behavior: Values, attitudes, cultures, needs and expectations

Personality is the complex mix of knowledge, attitudes, and attributes that distinguish one from others.

Determinants of personality:

Physiological/biological factors (sex, age, race, height and weight)

Early childhood influences: Individual’s ability was built and programmed at early age.

Environmental (situational) factors: Adult experience also contributes to one’s makeup.

Cultural (social) values: Individuals are educated, trained and encouraged to be a part of their culture.

Recognizing human differences and similarities: Individual’s personality could be different, but every group of persons must have the similarities in their culture.

A good supervisor/manager is the one who leads a group based on approach in similarities rather than differences.

Motivation is willingness to put efforts in achieving a goal, based on individual’s need.

The hierarchy of needs (Maslow)

Biological (physiological needs as food, water, cloth)

Security (safety as house, job, medical care, income, retirement)

Social (belonging, identity, friends, colleagues)

Self-respect (recognition, achievement, status, sense of accomplishment, self-worth)

Self-fulfillment (self-realization, the desire to use one’s capabilities to the fullest)

Motivation-Hygiene theory (F.Herzberg)

Motivation factors: Opportunity for growth and advancement

Achievement or accomplishment

Recognition for accomplishment

Challenging or interesting work

Responsibility for work

Hygiene factors: Working conditions

Money, status and security

Interpersonal relationships

Supervision

Company policies and administration

Expectancy theory is based on worker’s perceptions of the relationships among effort, performance, and reward. It is common to expect any effort leads good performance, then results positive reward, but it doesn’t have to be so in the reality.

Theory X and theory Y (McGregor)

Theory X: Most employees dislike work, avoid responsibility and must be controlled

Theory Y: Most employees enjoy work, seek responsibility and are capable to self-direct

How should motivation theories be applied for every employee? Variety and challenge

Broadening the scope and importance of each job

Job rotation is switching job tasks among employees

Job enlargement is expanding one’s job with a great variety of tasks to perform

Job enrichment is more challenging tasks with more decision-making responsibility

Job redesign (well-designed jobs lead to increased motivation)

Skill variety: the degree to which an employee has an opportunity to do various tasks

Task identity: the completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work

Task significance: the degree to which the job impacts the lives or work of others

Autonomy: the amount of independence and freedom that one makes decisions

Feedback: the amount of information one receives on job performance

Employee involvement programs as problem-solving teams, quality circles, semi-autonomous or self-directed work.

Supervising with Management-by-Objectives (MBO): Employees are setting their performance target and appraising.

Questions for discussion

Why is human behavior a complex subject?

What are the basic elements of theory X and theory Y? Should these be considered as "right" and "wrong", "good" and "bad"? Can you think of any reasons why theory Y should not be appropriate for every supervisor?

Why might an employee not respond positively to the supervisor’s efforts to enrich his or her job?

 

 

 

Leadership is the ability to guide and influence the behavior of the others

Leadership can be developed and trained, but first it must be desired

Effective supervisory leadership as a dynamic process, and communication is the key

Contemporary thoughts on leadership.

Expectations for leaders:

Direction – A leader should have a clear idea what to do and where to go

Trust – A leader should be trusted

Hope – A leader should have a believe, be optimism

Results – A leader should accomplish difficult tasks

Leadership theories

Managerial grid/matrix (R.R.Blake & A.A.McCanse) – Concern production vs. people

Contingency theory (F.Fiedler)-Leader-member relations, task structure, position power

Path-goal theory (R.House) - Charting out and clarifying the high performance path

Leader style theory (Vroom & Model) - Quality on decisions and be commitment

Hersey & Blanchard theory-Task/support behavior, interrelating, employee’s willingness

Transformational leadership (B.Bass) – A leader transforms/changes his/her followers

Authority is the legitimate or rightful power to lead others, the right to order and to act

Delegation is a process of receiving and in return, assigning the authority up and down

Origin of formal authority – flows down through the chain of command until the lowest

The acceptance theory of authority – no authority until or unless subordinate accepts it

Limitation to authority – political, legal, moral, social, and economic restrictions

Power – the ability to influence others, consists of position power and personal power

Responsibility – subordinate must recognize and accept if delegation is to succeed

Accountability – obligation one has to one’s boss and expectation of employees in tasks

The process of delegation–assigning duties, granting permission, and creating obligation

Barriers for delegating - Shortage of quality employees, fear of mistakes, "do-it myself"

General supervision – setting goals and limits, but allow employees to decide how to do

Autocratic supervision – relies on formal authority, threats, pressure, and close control

Explain concepts of responsibility, authority, and accountability

Why are supervisors reluctant to delegate? What benefits accrue to a supervisor who learns to delegate?

Is autocratic supervision always inappropriate? Are there situations in which a supervisor will have to reply on authority in order to receive proper employee performance?

We live with problems and decision-making is a normal human requirement that begins in childhood and continues throughout life

Decision-making is the process of defining problems and choosing a course of action from among alternatives. It is associated with problem solving

Decision-making often depends on what results you are expected and what you want

Types of decisions: Programmed decision is descriptive in the same sense to be applied the problem and it is a specific procedure or program

Nonprogrammed decision is a spontaneous suggestion to the problem and is unstructured and situation-based solution

The decision-making process:

Define the problem (what is the problem? What do we need?)

Analyze the problem (gather facts and information)

Establish decision criteria (applicable alternative criteria)

Develop alternatives (brainstorming and creative solutions)

Evaluate alternatives (eliminating alternatives, risk management)

Select the most suitable alternative (optimizing and satisfaction)

Follow up and appraise results (action and feedback)

An exercise in brainstorming

A term-customer tells you that your competitor can provide the same service that you offer but a significantly lower price. The customer wants to know whether you can meet or beat the price. You have the authority to reduce the price, but no to the extent the customer implies. The competitor’s price is less than your breakeven point. Your promise to give the matter some thought, check with others, and get back with an answer tomorrow afternoon.

Working alone take a few minutes to make a list of at least three reasons the customer may have for wanting a price reduction

Get together with your group and spend the same amount of time, and brainstorm as many options as you can, other than cutting price, that might meet the customer’s needs.

Analyze the brainstorming activity. Did the process help you to see variety of options?

What will you say about the benefits and limitations of brainstorming?

 

Planning is a deciding process in advance for what is to be done in the future. It includes analyzing the situation, forecasting future events, establishing objectives, and setting priorities, necessary actions to achieve those objectives

The process of establishing goals and making decisions that will enable an organization to achieve it’s long- and short term objectives

Mission statement: A statement of the organization’s basic philosophy, purpose, and reason of being

Visioning: Management’s view of what the company should become that sets the foundation for plan and activities

All managerial levels perform the planning function as CEO plans new markets and new products, supervisor plans tasks for tomorrow

Planning periods: Short term planning is less than a year, and long term beyond a year

Strategic planning, tactical planning, operational planning

TQM means a total effort toward meeting customer needs and satisfaction by planning for quality, preventing defects, correcting mistakes, and continuing of improvement

ISO 9000 is a series of quality management standards that can apply in many companies

Baldrige quality award is the U.S. Department of Commerce award to outstanding firms that exemplify world-class business quality standards

Organizational goals and objectives (a goal as long target vs an objective as short term)

MBO- Management by Objectives is a system for participative management. It inculdes:

Joint determination of specific measurable objectives

Inputs as resources that need to achieve objectives

Activities and process for achievement

Results and compared against objectives

Standing plans: Policies, procedures, methods and rules that can be applied to planning

Single-use plans: Budgets, programs, and projects

Planning tools: JIT, CPM, PERT, Gantt charts. Those are programmed plans

Supervisory forecasting: The survival and success of any organization depends very much on its managers’ skills in forecasting and preparing for the future

Supervisory concerns in forecasting and considers future events that may affect department operations

All forecasts contains certain assumptions, approximations and estimates, so the accuracy is the key element for forecasting

Forecasting means readiness for change because of the uncertainty in the future, and supervisors should exchange forecasts, consult and check with each other

Supervisory planning: Tactical strategies (the strategies best suited for the problem)

Timing alternatives: "Strike while the iron is hot" vs. "time is a great healer"

Target dates and deadlines: A good plan is always attached with a time frame

Responses to organizational change: Mass offensive vs. get a foot in the door

Gaining reciprocity: Mutual exchange (You scratch my back and I will do yours)

Efficient use of space (a floor layout chart, a scientific management approach)

Utilization of other major physical resources (furniture, PC, secretary)

Improvement in work procedure and methods (work sampling and analyzing)

Use and security of materials, supplies and merchandise (preventing loss)

Safe work environment is legal and ethical responsibility of a manager

Observance of safety regulations (Occupational Safety and Health Act 1970)

Safety committees and safety programs (safety is a mandatory)

Employee work schedules (a schedule for a fair, not a maximum output)

Overtime and absences (try to avoid overtime and prepare for absence)

Alternative, part-time and temporary work schedule (flextime)

Full utilization of human resources (recruiting, selecting and training)

Time management is planning for effectiveness

Managing time means reducing stress

Classifying with a time-use chart (routine, regular, special and innovative duties)

Overcoming time wasters by setting priorities

Tools of time management (appointment, meeting, discussion, planning sheet)

Allow your time for creative and innovative thinking

Discuss the supervisor’s planning responsibilities for space and other major physical resources and work procedures and methods, what are the advantages and limitations.

PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIZING are unity of command (only one boss) and span of management (number of subordinates, also called span of control or authority)

A manager can effectively supervise only a certain number of employees (3 – 25)

Supervisory competence (authority, discipline, and planning skills)

Specialized staff assistance (supportive functions)

Employee abilities (self-direct and self-manage)

Locations of employees (easy to manage within the same building)

Nature and complexity of activities (easy tasks allow greater span)

Objective performance standards (an academic performs differently than a clerk)

How managerial levels and span of management are related:

The number of levels depends on the number of employees in each level/group

Departmentation is the process of grouping activities and people into organizational units. It is a principle in division of work or specialization (functional approach)

Functional departmentation (by functions and expertise)

Product or service departmentation (by products and services)

Geographic departmentation (by territories, locations)

Customer departmentation (by customers’ needs)

Process and equipment departmentation (by operations)

Time departmentation (by period of time/project)

Mix departmentation (by different levels)

Work assignments and organizational stability (balancing of work loading)

An organization chart is a graphic portrayal of a company’s authority and responsibility relationships

Line, staff, and functional represent different types of authority relationships within an organization

Line-type organizational structure means orders and reports are carried in a direct line (unity of command)

Line-and-staff-type organizational structure means orders and reports are sometimes carried in duplex lines (command conflicts)

Supervisory relationships with human resources department (balance authority)

Sometimes the functional authority may affect the unity of command

Principle of compulsory staff advice: Situation in which supervisors are required by policy to consult with specialized staff before making certain types of decisions (expertise committee or double check)

Functional authority: The right granted to specialized staff people to give directives concerning matters within their expertise (computer administers)

The matrix-type organizational structure

An organizational structure in which regular functional departments co-exist with project teams made up of people from different departments

It allows one to coordinate activities across department lines and makes an organization’s communication lines as "grid".

Matrix structure becomes more and more popular model for many organizations. It has advantages of resources utilization, good communication, and flexibility. The weakness is interest conflict and overloading for some individuals/departments.

Organizational principles in an era of organizational downsizing

Downsizing is large-scale reduction and elimination of jobs in a company that usually results in fewer middle-level managers, removal of organizational levels, and a widened span of management for remaining supervisors.

Re-engineering is a concept of restructuring a company on the basis of processes and customer needs and services, rather than by departments and functions.

Horizontal corporation is where a firm is restructured by customer process and organizational structure is very flattened.

Questions for the class (homework)

Identify an organization you are familiar with in your daily life, but would like to know more about, e.g. Safeway, Rogers, BC Tel, CIBC, etc.

Do a close/detailed search for this organization, through your sources, as newspapers, internet, library, etc. and find as much information as you can about its culture, philosophy, strategies, leadership, structure, customer groups, etc.

What theories do you think your sampled organization has applied in its structure, culture, leadership and strategies?

 

Supervisory organizing at the departmental level

Supervisory organizing for employee empowerment

Self-direct (self-managed) teams are when employee groups are given wide latitude and considerable authority to make many of their own job-related decisions.

Delegation, decentralization and recentralization

Delegation is a process of receiving and in return, assigning the authority up and down

Decentralization is when decision-making authority is widely delegated downward and throughout organizational levels.

Recentralization is reducing or recall delegated authority when realigning functions or responsibilities. It often meets resistance among employees, so it needs a process to work out.

For proper delegating, it needs an understudy to carry out the tasks. An understudy is someone who can assist the supervisor and is able to run the department I the supervisor’s absence. This understudy will be selected, developed and trained.

Organizational tools and their applications

Organizational chart: Portray authority, responsibility, and communication lines

Organization manuals: Written description of the authority and responsibilities of manager/supervisors as well as formal channels, major objectives, policies and procedures.

Job descriptions: identifying the basic elements, duties, and authority/responsibilities involved in a job

Job specifications: Skills, capacities and qualities

Informal organization (invisible): Informal groupings of people, much based on their social network, so it compensates members’ social and other needs.

Informal work groups can have a constructive or negative influence on the operations

Supervisors (formal) and informal work group leaders need to cooperate if they are not the same people in an organization.

Skills applications for the class:

Develop a departmental organization chart for a company that you know best. How many levels are there for this organization? Can you draw an alternative organization chart for this organization?

Meetings, Committees, and Leading Meetings

The purposes of a meeting for an organization:

Information flow and exchange

Group discussion and opinion exploring

Collective decision supporting

There are a number of rules and formalities for a meeting in an organization.

A meeting can be arranged in a various ways in a high-tech age (phone, e-mail,…..)

The benefits and limitations of meetings:

Benefits: Exchanging, discussing information and exploring ideas may improve the quality of decisions.

Limitations: Time consuming, group responsibility and groupthink.

Committee: A group of people drawn together to solve a problem or complete a task. Members of a committee usually have other full-time jobs, and their committee work is an additional duty or assignment.

Permanent (standing) committee: Group that meets on a more or less permanent basis to deal with a particular issue or problem (long term basis).

Temporary (Ad Hoc) committee: Group that meets only for a limited time and for a specific purpose (project basis).

Summary of guidelines for leading a meeting:

Selecting participants who will bring knowledge and expertise to the meeting.

Notify participants will in advance of the meeting.

Have a plan and prepared agenda.

Begin the meeting on time.

Present the problems and issues to be discussed and the meeting’s objectives.

Encourage all group members to participate fully in the discussion.

Allow sufficient time for participants to offer information and discuss alterntive proposals.

Strive to find understanding and areas of agreement before voting on proposals.

Try to stay on the subject and adjourn on time, but make adjustment as necessary.

Follow up, including distribution of a summary of the meeting (minutes/note) and actions to be taken.

Questions for the class:

Discuss the distinctions between (a) an informational meeting, (b) a discussional meeting, and (c) a decisional meeting. Are these distinctions always clear?

What are the major factors to be considered in deciding on the composition of a committee? Is there an "optimal size" committee?

Labour union (labour organization) is a legally recognized organization that represents employees and negotiates and administers a labour agreement with an employer.

Lobour agreement (union contract) is a negotiated document between union and employer that covers terms and conditions of employment for the represented employees.

A supervisor must understand that unionized employees have divided or dual loyalties concerning their unions and their employers.

Labour unions are often direct response to failures of management to response to employee needs.

Union shop is a union security arrangement, a labour agreement provision in which employees are required to join the union as a condition of employment (obligation).

Union-organizing efforts (e.g. wage negotiation, strike) will sometimes confront the supervisor’s management activities. The supervisor should be very careful not to violate by either actions or statements the labour laws governing union-organizing activities.

The supervisor’s involvement in union-management relationships consists of:

A limited role in negotiating the labour agreement: A supervisor is neither a representative of labour union nor a representative of higher-level managers in a negotiation process.

A major role in applying the terms of the agreement on a day-to –day basis: A labour agreement outlines union-management relationships and it is a policy manual with rules, procedures, guidelines and limitations, applied by a supervisor.

The supervisor must know the provisions of the labour agreement and how to interpret them.

The shop steward and the supervisor: A shop steward is a full-time employee who is elected or appointed to represent the employees at the departmental, particularly in processing of their grievances.

A grievance is a complaint that has been formally presented by the union to management and that alleges a violation of the labour agreement.

A major responsibility of the shop steward is to process complaints and grievances on behalf of employees.

Questions for the class:

What are some of the principal reasons why employees join labour union?

How does a labour agreement complicates a supervisor’s job?

The Supervisor and Employee Recruitment, Selection, Orientation and Training

Staffing is the recruitment, selection, placement, orientation and training of employees, a part of supervisor’s responsibility.

Some particular steps are e.g. preparing to fill staffing needs:

Determining the needs for employees (manpower to complete jobs)

Developing job descriptions and job specifications (qualifications)

Determining how many to hire (amount of manpower)

Assistance in recruitment and selection (procedures and criteria)

Interviewing and deciding (evaluations on candidates)

The selection is the process of screening applicants to choose the best person for a particular job (resume, tests, reference or background checks and interviews).

Basic approaches to interviewing:

Directive interview: Interview approach in which the interviewer guides the discussion along a predetermined course.

Nondirective interview: Interview approach in which the interviewer asks open-ended questions that allow the applicant greater latitude in responding.

Blending directive and nondirective approaches: Asking situational questions (e.g. what if questions?).

Preparation for an employee selection interview (for an applicant)

Influence of equal employment opportunity laws (be aware of most common areas of illegal and potentially illegal inquiry.

Applicant’s background and checking

Preparing key and critical questions

Conducting the employee selection interview

Opening the interview (directly to the point)

Explaining the job, sharing of information with the applicant in mission, values and future direction of the organization, and all aspects of the job.

Effective questioning

Taking notes

Selection interviewing and evaluation should be avoiding of:

Halo effect: The tendency to allow one favorable aspect of a person’s behavior to positively influence judgment on all other aspects.

Horns effect: The same tendency goes to the negative direction.

 

 

Post-interview Evaluation Form is a quantitative ranking (by marks) and summarizing concerning each job candidate.

The hiring decision usually includes the following steps:

Employee (work team members) involvement in the hiring decision (because they are knowledge about particular job requirements.

Documentation is necessary for some higher-level managers, and it is required to state reasons for hiring (especially academic and opening positions).

Orientation of new employees:

Using a checklist (welcome and information providing for new employees)

Discussing the organization (benefits, policies and procedures)

Being supportive (guidelines, advises and coaching)

Training and development for employees:

On – job training: Training for the proper methods/standards of job performance.

Off – job training: sending employees away for courses or training programs.

Ongoing development of employees: An advanced level of on-job training that aims developing of employees’ skills and potential of their job performance.

The supervisor should be able to see the needs (what), the persons (who) , the developing trend (when), and the motivation (how) of the training for employees.

The best way to training people is to integrate their learning lessons into their work:

I hear and I forget

I see and I remember

I do and I understand

Questions for the class:

What are some of the major activities of the human resources department that can assist the line supervisor in the staffing function? What should be the primary responsibility of the human resources staff and of line supervisors for various employment and other staffing activities?

Discuss the differences between a directive interview and a nondirective interview. Does the employee selection interview tend to be directive or nondirective in nature or both? Why?

 

Why are supervisors and many employers now required to document why they did or did not hire applicants they have interviewed?

 

 

 

 

Performance Appraisal and Managing the Outcomes of Performance Appraisal

Employee performance appraisal is a systematic assessment of how well employees are performing their jobs, and the communication of that assessment to them.

The effective supervisor provides their subordinates with day-to-day or regular feedback on performance.

The supervisor’s responsibility for performance appraisal:

Peer evaluation is the evaluation of an employee’s performance by other employees of relatively equal rank.

360-degree evaluation is performance appraisal based on data collected from all around the employee – from customers, supervisors, peers, subordinates, etc.

Self-evaluation is employee’s own judgements with self-rating comments.

Timing of appraisal: At least once a year for ordinary employees; and for new employees at the end of probation.

The formal performance appraisal process:

(a) completing a written appraisal form.

(b) conducting an appraisal interview/meeting.

The appraisal meeting is to let the employee know how he or she is doing, emphasize an employee’s strengths and develop good future performance.

Managing the outcomes of performance appraisal:

Coaching is the activities of the supervisor to provide employees with information, instructions and suggestions relating to their job performance.

Promoting employees means advancement to a job with more responsibility, privilege, higher status/potential and better pay.

Promotion within (internal) is widely practiced in many organizations and their common criteria are:

Seniority is an employee’s length of service within a department or organization.

Merit (quality of one’s job performance) and ability (one’s capacity/potential to perform assigned tasks).

Balancing the criteria is also suggested in the practical use.

Employee incentive:

Piecework (pay for each piece produced)

Pay for performance (additional wages pay for achieving goals)

Gain-sharing plans (group incentive plans that pay for improved group performance)

Skill-based pay is rewarding for whose acquiring new skills or knowledge)

 

LEADING

Supervisory Leadership and the Introduction of Change

The leading function in supervisory management:

Directing – tasks and responsibilities

Motivating – employees and co-workers

Guiding – in a difficult or uncertain situation

Influencing – to employees’ attitudes and cultures

Leading: The managerial function of guiding employees toward accomplishing organizational objectives.

Directive is a tool of leading. It is the communications approach by which a supervisor instructs employees what, how, and why something is to be accomplished.

A good supervisory directive should be:

Reasonable – from supervisor’s own point of view and the employee’s as well.

Understandable – It should be understood by the employees.

Specific and with a definite time limit – requirements for quality and quantity of performance and deadline.

Compatible with organizational objectives

Appropriate tone and wording (avoid the term "order")

Approaches to supervisory leadership:

Autocratic (authoritarian) supervision (theory X) is the task-oriented style.

Bureaucratic style of management emphasizes a company’s policies, rules and directives.

Participative management (TQM) is sharing of ideas and information between supervisor and employees in work and problem solving.

General supervision (theory Y) is giving a permit for employees, to work out the details of their daily tasks and make own decisions about tasks performance.

Introducing change: The survival and growth of most enterprises depend on change and innovation. However, a supervisor should be aware of:

Reasons for resistance to change: Lack of information, fear, objection.

Questions for the class:

Distinguish between autocratic supervision, participative management and general supervision. What theoretical differences are implied in each of these approaches?

What are the advantages of organized participative management program such as TQM, and employee participation teams?

How should a supervisor overcome the common barriers that caused employees to resist change?

Understanding work group and their importance: The work exists because it provides:

Companionship and identification for employees

Behavior guidelines

Problem solving

Protection (strength in numbers)

Classification of work groups:

Command group – grouping employees according to authority relationships on the formal organization chart.

Task group – grouping of employees who come together to accomplish a particular task.

Friendship group – informal grouping of employees based on similar personalities and social interests.

Special-interest group – grouping of employees that exists to accomplish something in a group that indviduals do not choose to pursue individual.

Building effective work teams through organized participative management programs

Team work – people working cooperatively to solve problems and achieve goals

Collaborative workplace – work environment characterized by joint decision making, shared accountability, and high trust levels between employees and managers

Self-directed (self-managed) work teams – ultimate/max. effort to maintain a collaborative workplace because employees are responsible for managing themselves and their work

Understanding and maintaining employee moral:

Moral is a composite of feelings and attitudes that individuals and groups have toward their work, their environment, their supervisors and the organization.

Workplace spirituality is organizational efforts to make the work environment more meaningful and creative by relating work to employees’ personal values and beliefs.

External influences – family relationships, care of children, financial difficulties.

Internal influences – compensation, job security, the nature of work.

Some practical tools:

Employee assistance program (EAP) – company program to assist employees with personal or work-related problems that are interfering with job performance.

Exit interview – is an interview with employees who leave a firm to assess moral and reasons for employee turnover.

Attitudes survey – a survey of employee opinions about major aspects of organizational life used to assess moral.

Question for the class:

1. Are self-directed (self-managed) work teams likely to become the dominant form of workplace decision making in the future? Why or why not?

Supervising Diversity

Managing diversity is a bottom-line concern for managers. The reason: Multicultural workforce is becoming a major composition of an organization (in North America)

Protected-group – classes of employees who have been afforded certain legal protections in their employment situation.

Supervising racial and ethnic minority employees:

Effects of previous discrimination – may cause difficulty for supervising

Cultural differences – may create conflict between employees and managers

Language difficulties – may blockade communications

Fairness – is the essential key in all supervisory actions and decisions

Supervising women – requires awareness in many aspects, sexual harassment, family care, equity in wage.

Supervising employees with disabilities – should provide space, facilities, assistance and accommodation for the employees with disabilities.

Older employees should not be discriminated.

Supervising should leave accommodation for different religious views.

Supervisors from a protected group (women, minority, etc.) may face pressures and difficulties due to pre-judgement.

Reverse discrimination – preference is given to protected group members in hiring and promotion over more qualified or more experienced workers from non-protected groups. This may cause some reactions from non-protected groups.

Questions for the class:

Why has management of a diverse workforce become both a reality and business necessity for many companies? Some people view diversity management primarily as being " political correct." Do you agree or disagree with this assessment?

Who are classified as protected-group employees? Does "protected group" mean the same as a " special group" of employees?

How does the concept of reasonable accommodation apply to employees of different religious? Are there limits to reasonable accommodation? Why?

What is meant by "reverse discrimination?" Is it a valid concept, or a weapon used by some employees to defense their standing? How does it affect the practice of supervisory management?

"Protected-group supervisors tend to be more demanding of employees who belong to the same protected group." Discuss this statement.

 

 

 

 

Disagreements and conflicts are a part of the workplace:

Communication breakdowns

Competition over scarce resources

Unclear job boundaries and time pressures

Resolving conflicts successfully requires effective communication (good to negotiate and bring the parts together again):

Withdraw/avoid – when cost for solving the problem is greater than benefits

Accommodate/oblige – "I will buy you a coffee, you listen to me"

Compromise – both parts are coming to reach agreement

Compete/force/dominate – hard line and straight forward/instructions

Collaborate/integrate/problem solve – talking in details and match the interests of both parts

Procedures for resolving conflicts such as grievances and complaints:

Complaints – any individual or group problem or dissatisfaction that employees can channel upward to management, including discrimination complaints.

Complaint procedure – A management designed series of steps for handling employee complaints that usually provides for a number of appeals before a final decision.

Grievance procedure – Negotiated series of steps in a labour agreement for processing grievances, beginning at the supervisory level and ending with arbitration.

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) – approaches to processing and deciding employee complaints internally as an alternative to filling a lawsuit, usually for disputes involving discharge and/or employment discrimination (internal solution).

Supervisory guidelines for resolving complaints and grievances:

Make time available – making effort to set a time for an initial hearing

Listen patiently and with an open mind – get as much has possible information

Distinguish facts from opinions – get facts, but not opinions

Determine the real issue – sometimes a complaint only represents a symptom of a deeper problem

Check and consult – check policies, procedure and agreement, consult with HR

Avoid making individual exceptions to a policy

Exercise self-control – emotional control

Minimize delay in reaching a decision – the quick of the handling, the better

Explain the decision clearly and with sensitivity – bring decision clearly but in a reasonable manner/style

Keep records and documents – supportive records for the next event

Be able to challenge – handling conflicts in a professional manner and avoid having minor issue blockading the major ones.

Fundamentals of Controlling are to regulate the organization’s activities to achieve the goal and blockade negative consequences caused by incorrect activities in the daily work.

The supervisor’s role in controlling is to keep activities in line and get them back to track if necessary.

Nature of the controlling function – is most closely related to planning function

Employee responses to controls – the conflict between regulating and on-job freedom

Controlling should be forward looking – thus correcting action, but not blame the past

Controlling and closeness of supervision – self-controlling without close supervision

Time factor control mechanisms – including following types:

Feedforward (preliminary) control: anticipatory action taken to ensure that problems do not occur

Concurrent (in process) control: corrective action taken during the production or delivery process to ensure that standards are met

Feedback (post-process) control: actions taken after the activity, product or service has been completed

What are effective controls

Understandable – everyone in the process must understand control mechanism.

Timely – the controlling report should be delivered on time, not delayed.

Suitable and economical – prefer less control, but more areas to be covered.

Indicational – a control reflects not only problems, but also their causes.

Flexible – a control should be flexible and prepare for uncertain changes.

Steps in the control process

Setting standards – unit of measurement or specific criteria for evaluation.

Tangible standards – measurable (quantity, cost, time, temperatures)

Intangible standards – difficult to measure such as attitudes, moral, values)

Motion and time study – scientific management (performance motion/time).

Employee participation – employees are involved in control process.

Strategic control points – key performance criteria chosen for assessment.

Checking performance against standards – performance chart (scores/figures).

Some other control processes

Budgetary control – upper/planning levels control

Cost control – detailed and resource expenses control

Inventory control – control for supply, work in process and finished goods

Quality control – control for maintaining quality standards for products / services

Production control – operation schedule, work flow (CPM, PERT)

Question for the class:

To maintain high-quality service in a fast-food restaurant, how should standards be set?

The basis and importance of positive discipline are to ensure and follow up management functions, particularly at the supervisory level.

Discipline – state of orderliness, the degree that employees act according to expected standards

Positive discipline – condition that exists when employees follow the rules and meet the standards of organization

Positive self-discipline – Employees regulating their own behavior out of eslf-interest and their normal desire to meet reasonable standards

Positive employee discipline requires supervisory example (a supervisor has to show a good example of his/her own to demonstrate a self-discipline manner)

Identifying and confronting disciplinary situations (finding / setting up standards)

Ethical codes and policies – guidelines of principles and explanations for employees

Rules of conduct – formal statement or rules of expected behavior for employees

Confronting disciplinary situations – every supervisor will be confronted with situations that require some type of disciplinary action.

The disciplinary process: The purpose of a disciplinary action should not be to punish or seek revenge but to improve the employees’ future behavior. And a disciplinary action should have just cause.

Just cause – standard for disciplinary action requiring of fairness and elements of normal due process, such as proper notification, investigation, sufficient evidence, and a penalty responding to the nature of the infraction.

Any disciplinary action should be normally prepared with:

Investigate the situation – knowing what’s going on here.

Investigatory interviews – collecting information and evidence.

Maintaining self-control – undertaking a fair and objective judgement.

Privacy in disciplining – saving the face for employees but also leave the space.

Practicing progressive discipline includes:

Informal talk – friendly negotiation or seeking for compromise

Oral warning – verbal counselling, a step that urge employee’s improvement

Writen warning – necessary in unionized organizations (as evidence in grievance)

Disciplinary layoff (suspension) – a step of penalty to employees

Transfer – providing a new chance for employee in another department

Demotion – a lower paying position or job (downgrading)

Discharge (termination) – the last step of penalty to employees

Employment-at-will: Legal concept that employers can dismiss employees at any time and for nay reasons, except unlawful discrimination or contractual or other restrictions. This provides employers freedom to dismiss employees and the other way around too.