Chapter 9

Supervising Office Employees

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
1 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Factors That Determine Amount of
Leadership Ability of Supervisors

1. Hierarchical level of supervisor.

2. Number of individuals for whom supervisor is
responsible.
3. Nature of work performed by supervisors.
4. Background of subordinates.
5. Stability of work unit.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
2 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Leadership

Is the ability to get things done

through and with others.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
3 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Behavioral Theories of Leadership

Leadership
Styles

Autocratic Approach
Democratic Approach
Laissez-faire Approach
Leadership
Orientation

Achievement-oriented Supervision
Subordinate-oriented Supervision
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
4 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Autocratic Approach

Supervisors make decisions without seeking the

ideas, suggestions, or recommendations of their
subordinates.
Supervisors exert extensive control over the
behavior and actions of their subordinates.
Supervisors rarely deviate from the norm.
Supervisors tend to be inflexible.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
5 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Situations in Which Autocratic Approach
May Be Appropriate

1. An emergency situation.
2. A situation that requires an immediate
decision.
3. A new employee who is unfamiliar with the
tasks he or she is expected to perform.
4. An insubordinate employee.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
6 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Democratic Approach

Supervisors make extensive use of the ideas

suggestions, and recommendations of their
subordinates.
Supervisors often invite subordinates to
participate in making decisions about situations
that affect the subordinates; this is known as
participative management.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
7 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Situations in Which Democratic
Supervision is Well-Suited

1. Sufficient time is available to permit subordinate

participation.
2. Significant pending changes require significant
subordinate input.
3. Subordinates have a number of concerns they
wish to express or have solved.
4. Situations or problems confronting the work group
need to be resolved.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
8 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Management-by-Objectives (MBO)

Makes extensive use of democratic processes.

Employees and their supervisors jointly establish
objectives about employees’ tasks.
Progress toward objective achievement is
periodically evaluated.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
9 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 MBO is Well-Suited in These Situations

1. Work group is well-educated.

2. Work group is self-motivated.
3. Work group is goal oriented.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
10 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Laissez-faire Approach

Gives subordinates considerable freedom and

provides little supervisory input.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
11 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Laissez-faire Approach is Well-Suited
for These Situations

1. Work group is highly skilled.

2. Work group is well-educated.
3. Work group is comprised of a number of
temporary or leased employees.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
12 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Leadership Orientation

As a behavioral theory, examines the nature of the

supervisor’s orientation toward subordinates.
Mainly concerned about
Achievement-oriented
subordinates’ achieve-
Supervisors
ments.

Subordinate-oriented Mainly concerned about

Supervisors subordinates’ welfare.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
13 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Situational Theory of Leadership

Is based on the belief that the amount of leadership a

supervisor should exert will vary from situation to
situation.
Some situations require extensive amounts of leader-
ship; other situations require much less.
Amount of leadership exerted ranges between boss-
centered (autocratic) and subordinate-centered
(democratic) extremes.
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by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
14 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Functions of Supervision

Planning

Controlling Organizing

Directing Staffing

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
15 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Planning Amount of time consumed
by planning is generally
directly related to the
hierarchical level of the
supervisor.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
16 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Organizing This function involves
determining which
subordinates are best
qualified to perform certain
tasks.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
17 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Staffing This function involves
selecting new employees,
orienting and training
them, appraising them,
etc.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
18 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Directing This involves leading,
motivating, developing,
and appropriately
recognizing subordinate
efforts.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
19 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Controlling This involves comparing
actual results with
anticipated results,
using appropriate
standards, and then taking
corrective action when
necessary.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
20 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Characteristics of Effective Supervisors

Getting others to cooperate

Listening to others
Delegating responsibility
Understanding subordinates
Treating others fairly

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
21 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Getting Others to Cooperate

Is one of the most important characteristics of

supervisors.
Is often done by convincing them that higher
management is dependent upon them.
Is also accomplished when subordinates’ ideas are
accepted and implemented.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
22 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Listening to Others

Extent to which a supervisor is willing to listen to

a subordinate is often related to the feelings the
supervisor has about the subordinate.
Good listening involves hearing what the
subordinate is actually saying-not just what the
supervisor wants to hear.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
23 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Active Listening is Generally More
Effective Than Passive Listening

In active listening, one “hears” the message as

well as the feelings being communicated.

In passive listening, one “hears” neither the

message nor the feelings.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
24 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Delegating Responsibilities

Is a critical skill of supervisors.

Reasons Supervisors are Reluctant to Delegate
1. They believe they can perform the tasks more
efficiently than those to whom they might delegate.
2. They find it easier to perform the tasks themselves
than to teach someone else to perform them.
3. They want the tasks done their way, which might
be different from the way the subordinates might
choose to do them.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
25 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Delegation Guidelines

1. Select the appropriate person to perform the

task to be delegated.
2. Select tasks that can be delegated.
3. Help the person to whom tasks have been
delegated.
4. Make sure that work assignments are fully
understood.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
26 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Understanding Subordinates

Requires understanding a number of back-

ground characteristics, including
Ability to think
Social traits
Personality traits
Character
Work habits
Relations with Others

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
27 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Treating Others Fairly

A perceived lack of fairness is as damaging to the

supervisor-subordinate relationship as is actual
lack of fairness.
A lack of fairness often stems from the feelings the
supervisor and subordinate have toward each other.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
28 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Building Teams

Is an important role of supervisors.

Benefits
1. Employees have greater control over their jobs.
2. Teams encourage individual creativity and use of
creativity in solving a variety of work-related
problems.
3. Teams give employees the feeling that they play a
more significant role in determining what
happens in the organization.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
29 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Special Skills of Supervisors

Conceptual
Human
Technical
Teaching
Coaching
Counseling
Communication

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
30 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Enable supervisors to
Conceptual perceive quickly how one
Skills phenomenon may impact
on another.
Enable supervisors to
Human work effectively with
Skills each subordinate in each
situation.
Enable supervisors to
Technical perform tasks their
Skills subordinates perform.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
31 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Teaching Enable supervisors to
Skills train their subordinates.

Coaching Enable supervisors to

Skills develop their subordinates.

Enable supervisors to
Counseling help subordinates in a
Skills variety of ways.
Enable supervisors to
Communication relate well with their
Skills subordinates.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
32 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Supervisors have an important responsibility in
helping employees plan their career goals.

This involves helping

subordinates

Assess their strengths and weaknesses.

Develop strategic plans to attain their goals.
Put their plans into action.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
33 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Supervisors have a significant impact on getting
their subordinates to behave ethically.

Therefore,

Supervisors must behave ethically themselves.

Supervisors and subordinates can develop a code of
ethics by which all employees are expected to live.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
34 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Supervisors play a significant role in
reducing employee tardiness.

Typically involves progressive penalties.

Might involve rewarding employees
for being punctual.
Supervisors must themselves set
a good example.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
35 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Supervisors play a significant role in
controlling absenteeism.

10-20 percent of the workforce is responsible for

75-80 percent of the absenteeism.
Some absenteeism is caused by a lack of job
satisfaction.
Personal day programs help reduce absenteeism.
Some companies reward employees for having
excellent attendance records.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
36 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Supervisors are involved in alcoholism
and drug abuse programs.

Supervisors are responsible for helping detect

employees who have such addictions.
New philosophy is to help employees get treatment
while maintaining their employment status.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
37 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Supervisors are responsible for helping prevent
subordinate stress and burnout.

Technostress, resulting from the introduction of

technology into employees’ work, is of increasing
concern.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
38 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Suggestions That Help Employees
Deal With Stress
1. Develop an appropriate attitude toward work
and life in general.
2. Take an unpaid leave of absence.
3. Transfer to a less stressful position.
4. Join a therapy group.
5. Seek professional counseling.
6. Take advantage of opportunities for physical
activities.
7. Take advantage of vacation time.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
39 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
Supervisors are responsible for assuring employees
are not sexually harassed.

Supervisors must know what constitutes harassment.

Supervisors must also know the provisions of
federal and any existing state laws that make
sexual harassment illegal.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
40 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Supervisors are responsible for dealing with
multicultural issues.

Organizations are increasingly becoming multi-

cultural.
Multicultural training is accomplished by:
1. Attending seminars/workshops dealing with
this topic.
2. Engaging in self-study.
3. Enrolling in courses dealing with multicultural
diversity.
4. Discussing relevant issues with others.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
41 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Disciplining subordinates is an important
role of supervisors.

Organizations generally design a process that results

in the application of uniform and appropriate action
taken against subordinates.
Disciplinary interviews may be an important
component of the disciplinary process.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
42 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Supervisors are also involved in the
termination process.

Employees are terminated for a variety of reasons:

1. Inadequate performance.
2. Misconduct.
3. Inability to perform job duties.
4. Job elimination.
Any employment conditions (such as contracts)
must be considered in the termination process.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
43 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 At-Will Hiring

An employee is hired to work for an indefinite

length of time, and he or she has no employment
rights specified in an employment contract, civil
service regulations, or a collective bargaining
agreement.
Therefore, an employee can quit at will; he/she
can be terminated at will.
At-will termination has generally been replaced
with just-cause termination.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
44 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Just-cause Termination

Is a process that necessitates undertaking

alternative actions to avoid having to discharge
an employee.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
45 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Workplace Violence

Preferred means of dealing with workplace

violence is to diffuse situations before they are
likely to result in workplace violence.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
46 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Workplace Violence

Can be either physical or verbal in nature.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
47 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Some Causes of Workplace Violence

Personal and workplace stress.

Offensive communication style used by some
managers or supervisors.
Tendency of some managers or supervisors to allow
their subordinates to fail.
Failure of some managers or supervisors to deal
with situations affecting subordinates.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
48 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Supervisors are responsible for work with unions
when the organization is unionized.

Supervisors must understand various provisions of the

labor agreement, including
Duration of the Promotions, layoff, and
agreement recall
Union security Discipline of members
Management Grievances
prerogatives Strike clauses
Wages and hours
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
49 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458