The Supervisor's role in the modern organization
The supervisor’s role in the new organization
E. Martinez
The supervisor’s role in the modern organizations.
By Edgardo Martinez
MGMT 1152 EXPEDITED PRINCIPLES OF SUPERVISION COURSE
1|Page
The supervisor’s role in the new organization
E. Martinez
Introduction.
For years supervisors have been taken as a “necessary” link between middle management and workers. However the role of the supervisor is becoming more and more crucial for the final outcome of the process since:
The human talent began to be considered as a competitive advantage.
The work force becomes multicultural and, the workplace starts to be more complex, team works are a mix among full- timers, part-timers, temps and contract workers.
Companies started to implement quality and productivity programs (ISO certification, Just in Time, etc.)
The regulation to protect worker’s rights has increased and, occupational health and safety are a big responsibility.
Globalization leads the companies to downsizing, outsourcing and flattening the organization structures by reducing management levels.
From the complicated and vertical organizations in the 70's and 80’s, with innumerable levels of command, where the supervisor was reduced to the penultimate step of the structure and, control and report were its basic functions, it went over to a flat and light structure in terms of levels of command, but more complex, in which the supervisor plays a relevant role facing new challenges on a daily basis. Nowadays there are many substantial differences between the “old style” and the “new style” of a supervisor. To meet all the requirements inherent in
2|Page
The supervisor’s role in the new organization
E. Martinez
the modern structure, due its complexity, the role of the supervisor has changed dramatically. No more top-down approaches, no more people directed through regulations, procedures and policies, no more autocratic
E. Martinez
The supervisor’s role in the modern organizations.
By Edgardo Martinez
MGMT 1152 EXPEDITED PRINCIPLES OF SUPERVISION COURSE
1|Page
The supervisor’s role in the new organization
E. Martinez
Introduction.
For years supervisors have been taken as a “necessary” link between middle management and workers. However the role of the supervisor is becoming more and more crucial for the final outcome of the process since:
The human talent began to be considered as a competitive advantage.
The work force becomes multicultural and, the workplace starts to be more complex, team works are a mix among full- timers, part-timers, temps and contract workers.
Companies started to implement quality and productivity programs (ISO certification, Just in Time, etc.)
The regulation to protect worker’s rights has increased and, occupational health and safety are a big responsibility.
Globalization leads the companies to downsizing, outsourcing and flattening the organization structures by reducing management levels.
From the complicated and vertical organizations in the 70's and 80’s, with innumerable levels of command, where the supervisor was reduced to the penultimate step of the structure and, control and report were its basic functions, it went over to a flat and light structure in terms of levels of command, but more complex, in which the supervisor plays a relevant role facing new challenges on a daily basis. Nowadays there are many substantial differences between the “old style” and the “new style” of a supervisor. To meet all the requirements inherent in
2|Page
The supervisor’s role in the new organization
E. Martinez
the modern structure, due its complexity, the role of the supervisor has changed dramatically. No more top-down approaches, no more people directed through regulations, procedures and policies, no more autocratic