DA-CHARMP2 SUPERVISORY DEVELOPMENT TRAINING

DA-RFO CAR Conference Hall, Guisad, Baguio City

September 26-27, 2019

Supervision: A
Challenge and
Commitment
By: EVELYN ARO-ESQUEJO, MNSA, PhD
BSU-OU/AEDP/PhilEASNet/PAA
 Becoming a Supervisor
The Difference Between Managing and Doing
The Supervisor Transforms

CHANGES AND THE SUPERVISOR DISCOVERING DELEGATION

TRANSITION ADAPTS NEW PARADIGMS BARRIERS AND
BENEFITS
Becoming a
Supervisor
• Changes and Transition
• The Supervisor ADAPTS
Insights on Organizational Change
Challenges (Source: IBM study in 2008 among CEOs)

1 . Changing mind-sets and attitudes (58%)

2 . Corporate culture (49%)
3 . Underestimation of complexity (35%)
4 . Shortage of resources (33%)
5 . Lack of higher management
commitment (32%)
6 . Lack of change know-how (20%)
7 . Lack of motivation of involved
employees (16%)
Why Learn About Changes and
Transition

 Facilitate implementation of change

efforts in the organization.
Ensure attainment of change
objectives by properly managing
resistance and adjustment difficulties.
Equip and enable people to have a
better understanding of a change
process and the roles they play.
Life is Full of Changes and Transition

 Life is a series of frequent changes.

 It challenges us to adjust gracefully to
something new
 Some changes take us completely by
surprise, but oftentimes there are clear
or subtle signals that change is coming.
 The more we can increase our
awareness of the coming change and
how we feel about it, the better we can
prepare.
Change vs. Transition

 There is a difference between

changes and transitions.
 Change is situational. It happens to us.
 Transition is psychological triggered by
change. It is a response to change -
the inner-reorientation and meaning-
redefinition we make to incorporate
those changes.
Transitions

Times of crossing or traveling

from something old and familiar
to something new and
unfamiliar.
 Most are small and pass by
almost unnoticed. Some,
however, involve major
disruptions in routines and force
us to re-examine our values and
lifestyle.
 Transitions range from changes that affect
everyone (social/technological advances
and natural disasters) to more personal
transitions that affect one’s career and
relationships.
 They may be voluntary, like moving to a
larger home, or involuntary, like an
accident, a disability or an illness.
 They may be predictable or unpredictable.
 Transitions and their disruption challenge us
to grow and sometimes even force us to
concentrate on today and the present
moment.
Unfinished Business

 When accepting a new job, moving to a

different home, or finding a new partner,
too often we rush to make a new
beginning.
 We plunge into a new situation only to
find ourselves frustrated, lonely, tired,
resentful, or preoccupied with unfinished
business from the past. We move to a
different community but our minds are
filled with old information.
Difficulty of Making Transitions

 Even positive changes can be difficult in letting

go of the past.
 Often we feel uncomfortable with change.
 A favorite way of dealing with our discomfort is
avoidance.
 Avoiding uncomfortable feelings, however,
establishes patterns that stand in the way of
making new beginnings.
 When we refuse to accept a transition (when
the fear of what lies ahead prevents us from
moving forward), we appear to stand still on
life’s busy road while life speeds past.
Choices with Unresolved Transitions

People who have unresolved transitions

have at least three choices:
 Do nothing and continue to hold
onto unpleasant, negative feelings.
 Relate old experiences to similar
present experiences.
 Squarely face the old business and
take care of unresolved feelings and
needs.
 Unfinished feelings can be positive or negative
 Prevent us from completing today’s transitions
 Dwelling too much in the past, or wishing we had done something
differently, prevents us from fully living and loving in the present.
 The goal is to address and resolve unfinished business.
 When too much unfinished business accumulates, we lose the sparkle and
optimism.
 The ability to make transitions successfully frees up precious energy for living
more fully in the here and how.
The Transition Process

Changes in our lives are like the changing seasons.

. . . a time to close . . . a time to be quiet . . . bursting forth

and for waiting anew with life
Fall Transition

 Transition begins with an ending.

Before we embrace the new, we must
let go of the old.
 A time to break old patterns. At this
stage we say farewell to familiar
people, places and routines.
 Close the door on the past and open
the door to your future.
 Winter Transition

 Brings feelings of emptiness, numbness, and

confusion.
 At this stage, not yet connected to the new
and not yet disconnected from the past.
 Do
 Increase your self-awareness.
 Retreat to a neutral zone for a few days.
 Learn to look at life’s transitions as a loss and a
gain
 Know what
you want

Do your
research

Audit your
gaps

Ask for Be
Plug your Practice
gaps help realistic
Spring transition

 The new normal has begun to take shape.

 Let go of the old and find new energy to make a new beginning.
 Focus on today and all that you can enjoy and accomplish
before tomorrow.
 What do you want right now. Who would you like to be?
Visualize your future unfolding the way you want.
 Set realistic short- and long-term goals for yourself – the kind of
changes you expect.
 Start today to realize your dreams of who you want to be and
what you want to do.
Successful Transitions:
Practical Strategies

 Develop supportive relationships at work and home.

 Examine your work environment. Bring the ideas and
habits that worked well for you in the past to a new
job.
 Take time to take good care of yourself – physically,
mentally and spiritually.
 Build self-esteem - you are a unique individual with
special talents and interests.
Successful Transitions . . .

 Be open and flexible.

 Concentrate on the good things in life.
 Take control of your life – your thoughts,
actions to take control better how you
respond.
 Use resources (time, family, friends,
good health, skills, talents, positive
attitude) available to you to help you
through life’s transitions.
The Supervisor ADAPTS

 To survive in today’s constantly changing

work landscape, the supervisor needs to
be comfortable in uncertainty.
 Adaptability is what allows organisms,
people and public service to solve
problems, overcome challenges and
move back from the edge of attrition to
the more stable ground of relevance.
 Adaptability, is everything - referring to
how easily you and your service can adjust
to change.
Dimensions of Adaptability (Based on a
research by the US Army Research Institute for the
Behavioral and Social Sciences)

 Handling emergencies or crisis situations

 Handling work stress
 Solving problems creatively
 Dealing effectively with unpredictable or
changing work situations
 Learning work tasks, technologies, and
procedures
 Demonstrating interpersonal adaptability
 Displaying cultural adaptability
 Demonstrating physically oriented adaptability
ADAPTABLE Supervisors
 Adaptable supervisors flourish
amidst chaos while inflexible ones
flounder; they find openings in
situations where others only see
closure.
 Without adapting to change, a
supervisor’s effectiveness is both
limited and limiting because
inflexibility not only precludes one’s
personal growth but also that of
one’s followers.
 About being ready for change.
The Need to Adapt

 Customers change.
 The world changes.
 Technology changes.
 Economy changes.
YOU need to
CHANGE, too
 Adapting to Change in a Rapidly
Changing Environment

 Supervisors’ job responsibilities are

changing. Thus, they need to
prepare themselves to adapt to a
rapidly changing environment
 Adaptability begins with a
willingness to adapt - a mindset
that is open and ready to
accept—and therefore
overcome—uncertainty at
anytime.
Adapting to change is what keeps us relevant,
valuable and at the forefront of the competitive
edge.
Consider this.
 Of the companies listed on the Fortune 500 in 1955, only 61 (or
12%) remained in 2014.
 That means 88% of the original companies either went bankrupt,
merged, or fell from grace due to decreased total revenues.
 Less than one percent of companies actually make the Fortune
500, which means those that do are the best at what they do.
 In fact, another Forbes article highlighted that 50 years ago, the
life expectancy of a firm in the Fortune 500 was around 75 years.
Today, it’s less than 15 years and declining.
1. Become Aware of Your Situation

What is going on now in your job? Relevant questions to ask include:

Mission of your unit?
Purpose of your job?
 Key responsibilities and assignments?
 What your superior expects of you?
 Obstacles standing in your way?
 Resources you have at your disposal?
 How well you are performing?
 How peers and your superior view the importance and
performance of your unit?
 What change is coming?
 Face your fears.
 Broaden your sources of
information to explore new
ideas.
 Spot the trends which may be
signaling change on the
horizon.
 Gather details.
 Anticipate and prepare for it.
2. Understand Change

 It’s only human to fear the unknown.

 To cope with change, understand it: what is happening, why,
and how
 Don’t fall victim to rumors, speculation, or the inclination to
assume the worst.
 Wait for an explanation. If the boss does not explain the
change, ask about it.
 Flexibility and a willingness to embrace change will make you
a more valuable member of your organization—one who can
reliably deal with many different opportunities and
circumstances.
 The change may not appeal to you, but if you resist, you will
not prosper.
3. Build Your Skills and Knowledge

 Adapting to change frequently requires the

effective use of your acquired skills.
 May also call for the use of other skills—skills
which you might not yet have mastered, or
even begun to acquire!
 In a fast-changing work environment, skills
also become obsolete.
 Prepare to deal with change successfully –
build as many skills as you can before their
use becomes essential for organizational
survival.
 Never stop learning, if you want to maintain your value in
your job and the organization.
 Take responsibility to educate yourself - keep your skills
current. Read.
 Be more visible and viable candidate for a promotion or
new assignment. Volunteer.
 If education (formal or non-formal) cannot be an option,
broaden your reading and personal study.
 4. Other Tips to be Compatible with
Change and Adapt Easily

 Embrace technology. Don’t run from new technologies.

 Increase your speed. Always look for breakthroughs.
 Learn to live with ambiguity and uncertainty.
 Act like an entrepreneur – always concerned with doing
their best and getting the most out of their employees.
 Add value to the organization.
 Know your niche.
 Fix, not blame.
 Adapt to personalities of employees, coworkers,
customers.
 Address differences between you and your supervisor
 Sustaining Competitive Advantage

 Adapt to change. To do so,

 Improve. Fill the gap of uncertainty with
momentum.
 Fuel curiosity – a gap between what you
know and what you need to know to be
effective.
 Leverage technology – use media
platforms to cater to different learning styles
 Be clear about the big picture making
people aware of the end state and in what
direction they need to row.
If you’re still
worried about
weathering
change when it
happens, don’t
be. Change can
be a blessing in
disguise if you’re
prepared with the
right mindset.
 The Difference
Between Managing
and Doing
• Discovering New Paradigms
• Delegation Barriers and
Benefits
There are
distinctions
between
Leadership and
Management
MANAGER
Management ‘Push’ vs. Leadership ‘Pull’
 Most managers manage the  More people focused.
project, not lead it.  Leaders don’t typically tell
 Very rational and task-oriented. people what to do.
 Focus on events and processes  Motivate team members by
(calculating effort, estimating appealing at an individual
duration, allocating resources, level and inspiring them to
reporting progress, etc.) contribute to the overall vision.
Differences lie in the way they
interact with followers and situations
MANAGERS
 Emphasize routine and
control of followers’
behavior thru conformity to
rules
 Give lesser degree of
decision making discretion
or autonomy
 Motivate thru extrinsic
rewards
LEADERS
 Create an environment
where followers’
innovations and creative
contributions are welcome
 Motivate followers through
more personal and
intangible factors
 LEADER

STRONG STRONG
M MANAGER, MANAGER,
A WEAK LEADER STRONG LEADER
N
A
G
E WEAK WEAK
R MANAGER, MANAGER,
WEAK LEADER STRONG LEADER
STRONG WEAK MANAGER, STRONG WEAK MANAGER
MANAGER, WEAK WEAK LEADER MANAGER, STRONG LEADER
LEADER STRONG LEADER
Prepares excellent Neither plans well nor Does most things right. Takes his organization
plans, but nothing gets accomplishes important right over a cliff as he
done goals; Sees that necessary runs out of resources,
things are scheduled breaks laws, or attempts
Does not usually last and happen on time, on the impossible.
long, or the organization budget, and to
will stagnate or fail. acceptable quality People blindly follow
standards. him;

Sees that the right Gives people the sense

people are in place, that he does’nt care how
stimulated to exceptional they meet the targets;
performance, and
handled promptly if they Ignores accounting
underperform. rules.
What Do Supervisors Do?

 Typically, supervision is
overseeing the productivity and
progress of group members
whom one is working with.
 Supervision is a management
activity and supervisors have a
management role in the
organization
Supervision of a group of
people and their activities
often includes
Applying basic
management skills (decision
making, problem solving,
planning, delegation and
managing meetings)
Organizing use of resources
Spotting the need for, and
designing new tasks or roles
in a group
Supervision of . . .
 Coaching and mentoring
 Individual and group
performance management
(setting goals, observing and
giving feedback, addressing
performance issues, firing
employees, etc.)
 Overseeing conformity to
policies and other internal
regulations
 The profession does not matter - agriculture,
engineering, project management, forestry,
planning. For some of us we yearn to get to the
top spot, and then when we are there, we miss
the work we used to do.
 Managing vs. Doing

You maybe a new entry level Supervisor

or a veteran Manager, the biggest
behavioral conversion is one moving
from being a “Doer” to being a
“Manager.”
Most leaders have a common trait:
they all worked their way up through the
ranks to reach their management level.
Thus, the Manager has attained
his/her current position by being a
very good “Doer.”
There is a need to develop the
Supervisor away from the
overworked Doer who is constantly
task-oriented, directing and doing,
rather than a Manager who is
actually managing and coaching.
 The inherent differences
between the two must be
recognized and worked upon.
The new supervisor must not run
around like he used to.
 Has to change the way he works and
the way he thinks!
 Has to gear himself to understand the
new context and requirements and
prepare himself - in acquiring new
knowledge and skills, in understanding
what he is going through, and how he
can come out successfully.
Managing vs. Doing – Getting the
Balance Right

 Be clear on what is expected of you.

 Set aside time for managing.
 Let go of the jobs you do not need to do.
 Be accessible but manage interruptions.
 Build in some space in your schedule.
 Ask for help if you are getting overloaded
Paradigm Shifts

 Moving from “doing ” the job to a more

uncertain managerial role
 Being responsible for his own work to
being responsible for the work of others
 Using largely his technical skills to having
to use a combination of technical and
people skills
 Being delegated tasks by his boss to
having to delegate to his team
 From being ”one of the boys” to being
“the boss”
New Reality for Leadership – A New
Paradigm
OLD PARADIGM
 Dominance and control
 Centralized, hierarchical
 Carrot and stick motivation
 Rigid budgets & timelines
 Short-term solutions
 Top down goal-setting
 Aggressive internal competition
NEW PARADIGM
 Cooperation and trust
 Decentralized, flat organizations
 Inspirational management
 Continuous adaptation
 Long-range optimization
 People participate in setting goals
 Teamwork
The Shifting Paradigm in Supervision

OLD PARADIGM NEW PARADIGM

 Stability  Change/crisis management
 Control  Empowerment
 Competition  Collaboration
 Uniformity  Diversity
 Self-centered  Higher purpose
 Management/Leadership Paradigms
P1 P2 P3
Management Power-Driven Performance- Purpose-Driven
Paradigm Driven
Time Horizon Immediate Short-term Long-term
Beneficiary Leader(s) Shareholders Society
Goals Leader’s goals Profit contribution Social contribution
Objective Becoming stronger Making money Sustainability
Leadership role Giving orders Setting targets Articulating
purpose
Degree of Very low Moderate – can High – freedom to
delegation and choose own way follow purpose
empowerment to meet targets
Delegation of Authority/Responsibility

 The transfer of authority to

subordinates to enable them to
make decisions and use resources.
 Entrusting responsibility and authority
to others who become responsible
to us for their results, but the source
remains accountable to the superior
for what the subordinates do.
Authority vs. Responsibility
Authority
• Right to act and power to
make decisions
• Resides in positions rather
than in people
• The legitimate right of a
person to exercise influence
or to make decisions, carry
out actions and direct others
Responsibility
• The obligation of a
subordinate to whom a duty
has been assigned to
perform
• Obligation of an individual to
carry out assigned activities
to the best of his ability
Authority vs. Responsibility
Accountability

 Every employee/manager is
accountable for the job assigned to
him.
 He is supposed to complete the job
per expectations and inform his
supervisor accordingly.
 An obligation of an individual to
report formally to his superior about
the work he has done to discharge
the responsibility.
Being a Great Supervisor
 Ability to Delegate

Learn to trust your team with your vision.

When tasks begin to pile up and the more you
stretch yourself thin, the lower the quality of
work becomes, and the less the output.
Key to delegation is identifying the strengths of
the team, and capitalizing on them.
Find out what each team member enjoys
doing most.
Remember, in delegating

 Enables the supervisor to function independently

within the broad limits of authority specified by the
superior.
 The superior doe not delegate total authority, but
retains a part of that for himself.
 A supervisor cannot delegate what he does not
possess.
 Delegation does not mean giving away authority.
 The superior, cannot escape the responsibility for
the delegated activities of his subordinates.
What to Delegate

 Things the subordinate can do

better.
 Things the subordinate needs to do
for growth.
 Operational work.
 Things for which the supervisor does
not have time.
What Not to Delegate

 What you yourself is not able to do.

 Works your subordinates cannot
perform effectively.
 Management decisions.
 Personal accountability.
When to Delegate

 When the task offers valuable training to an

employee
When an employee has more knowledge or
experience related to the task than the supervisor
When the task is recurring and all employees should
be prepared or trained
When the task is low priority and you have high
priority tasks that require your immediate attention.
Benefits of Delegation
Barriers of Delegation

Impact on quality
Misuse of power
of work

Failure to fulfill the task Non-delegable

duties

Delay Burden on
employees
The Delegation Process

Determine
Access skills
what to Define the task
required
delegate

Provide Supply
feedback and Check progress authority &
reward success support
Transformation

 A dramatic change process,

conversion or modification of one’s
frames of reference (his perspectives,
habits of mind, mindsets) to make
them more inclusive, discriminating,
open, emotionally capable of change
and reflective so that they may
generate beliefs and opinions that will
prove more true or justified to guide
action
The Supervisor Transforms

Being a Leader Who

 Knows how to listen
 Knows the difference between an amateur and a pro
 Leaves his ego at the door
 Lives outside their comfort zone
 Has emotional fitness
 Builds people up
Transformational Leader

 Emphasis on intrinsic motivation and positive development of

followers
 Raises awareness of moral standards
 Highlights important priorities
 Fosters higher moral maturity in followers
 Creates an ethical climate (shared values, high ethical
standards)
 Encourages followers to look beyond self-interests to the
common good
Transformational Leadership

 Promotes cooperation and harmony

 Uses authentic, consistent means
 Uses persuasive appeals based on reason
 Provides individual coaching and mentoring for
followers
 Appeals to the ideals of followers
 Allows freedom of choice for followers
 Holds positive expectations for followers, believing that they
can do their best. Thus, they inspire, empower, and
stimulate followers to exceed normal levels of performance.
 Focuses on and care about followers and their personal
needs and development
 Guides them through an uncertain environment, thus makes
them challenged and feel empowered. This nurtures them
into becoming loyal, high performers.
Components of Transformational
Leadership (4 I’s)

1. Idealized influence (II)– serves as an ideal role model, walks the

talk, embodies the qualities he/she wants in his team
2. Inspirational motivation IM) – able to inspire and motivate
followers through a vision
3. Individualized consideration (IC) - demonstrates genuine concern
for the needs and feelings of followers and helps them self-
actualize
4. Intellectual simulation (IS) – Challenges followers to be innovative
and creative; encourages them to challenge the status quo
• Changes in the environment
are triggering challenges to
the organization.
• . . . which ignite necessary
transitions in the lives of
management and staff.
The supervisor . . . must abandon . . . by MANAGING
needs to ADAPT his old paradigms rather than DOING

. . . Delegating authority . . . Eventually commit to become

when necessary a transformational leader
 MANAGER

People Skills
Conceptualizing
S
T
A
F
F

Technical Skills