SUPERVISORY CONCEPTS AND PRACTICES

Running Head : SUPERVISORY CONCEPTS

DISCUSSION FORUM 1

SUPERVISORY CHALLENGES

The 21st century corporate workplace is set against a highly competitive backdrop . Economic uncertainties saw to it that the only way a company can survive in today 's corporate world is to be the best and most flexible in the market (Coy , 2000 . Ensuring this excellence and flexibility now falls to the supervisors working closest with the employees

Among the challenges supervisors face in the current workplace , the most pressing are the key productivity factors that would determine the corporation

's survival in the economy : quality work , ethical standards and diversity (Coy , 2000

Foremost is the guaranteeing of top quality of work from the employees which in turn guarantees a healthy clientele and a respected reputation The supervisor is expected to set and enforce quality control standards among the workers in his /her team as well as motivate them to give their best performance (Certo , 2003

In this era of modern technology , escaping detection for unethical behavior is getting easier . Thus , ethical behavior has now become a growing demand as more and more corporation shareholders are outraged with the corruption charges and scandals plaguing executives (Krohe , Jr 1997 . It is the supervisor 's task to promote and uphold ethical behavior in his /her team , as well as to uncover any unethical activities conducted by the employees

In the 1950s , the employed consisted of male workers earning enough to feed their children and stay-at-home wives , thus popularizing the man in the gray flannel suit ' ideal . Today , however , housewives are being replaced with career women as the female population joins what once was a predominantly male workforce (Laabs , 2000 . Ethnic minorities and immigrants are now being offered job opportunities in the same workplace as the ordinary citizen , as well as , to a lesser extent , the physically and mentally handicapped . Yet the scope of diversity is not merely limited to gender , race , and disabilities , but also includes age , social status , religion , and , in a growing trend , sexual orientation . Diversity now points more to the individuality of each employee . The supervisor then must know how to harness that individuality into productivity to get an edge on the market (Bateman Snell , 2004

References

Bateman , T Snell , S (2004 ) Management : The new competitive landscape , Sixth Edition . McGraw-Hill /Irwin , 330-331

Certo , S (2003 . Supervision : Concepts and Skill-Building , 4 /e McGraw-Hill /Irwin

Coy ,

(2000 . The creative economy . Business Week , August 21 - 28 76-82

Krohe , Jr , J (1997 , April . Ethics Are nice , but business is business Across the Board , 16-22

Laabs , J (2000 , October . Celebrating National Business Women 's Week Workforce , 79 (10 , 32

RESEARCH 1

SUPERVISORY PLAN OF ACTION

This academic seeks to present an analysis of the supervisory concepts and practices essential for any beginning supervisor , and on how s /he can apply them in a plan of action for supervising communicating , and motivating his /her employees , as well as in making decisions Roles and Responsibilities

I believe that a supervisor 's role in any...