Chapter 2 - Basic Supervisory Skills

Question 1

What is the difference in management and leadership?

Answer 1

Leaders set direction, articulate the organization’s vision, and act to transform both individuals and the organization.

Managers administer, monitor, direct, and refine current performance.

Question 2

Competing values framework:Categories of management and leadership skills

Answer 2

Clan Skills
Adhocracy Skills
Market Skills
Hierarchy Skills

Question 3

Clan Skill Traits

Answer 3

good team builder
communicates effectively
works to build employee’s confidence in their abilities (empowering)

Question 4

Adhocracy Skill Traits

Answer 4

solve problems creatively,
articulate a vision,
and fosters innovation

Question 5

Market Skill Traits

Answer 5

motivates others,
gaining power and influence,
managing conflict

Question 6

Hierarchy Skill Traits

Answer 6

managing self awareness
managing personal stress
managing time
analytical problem solving

Question 7

Characteristics of periods of flexibility or change and are often associated with leadership

Answer 7

Upper Half (Clan Skills and Adhocracy Skills)

Question 8

Associated with stability and control and usually associated with management

Answer 8

Lower Half (Hierarchy Skills and Market Skills)

Question 9

Closely Associated with the Internal Maintenance of the Organization

Answer 9

Left-Hand Side (Clan Skills and Hierarchy Skills)

Question 10

External Positioning - organization’s relationship to its environment

Answer 10

Right-Hand side (Adhocracy Skills and Market Skills)

Question 11

effective supervisors need

Answer 11

both leadership and management skills

Question 12

A mission statement is

Answer 12

A clear, succinct description of an ideal future
A call to direct action
A foundation for setting goals.

Question 13

Questions a mission statementmight address

Answer 13

What is our purpose?
Why do we do what we do?
What are the essential and nonessential elements of our programs and services?
Where do we need to be as a team?

Question 14

The purpose of goals

Answer 14

To serve as a target
To state exactly what must be done, who must do it, and when it must be completed
To foster trust throughout a work group or organization
To provide a means for measuring progress
To help set priorities

Question 15

When a work group becomes a team,

Answer 15

Workers gain a sense of belonging

The whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts.

Question 16

The supervisor’s responsibilities as team leader

Answer 16

Involving employees in decision making
Delegating
Identifying and resolving problems
Making jobs more interesting and rewarding
Integrating employees’ personal goals into organizational goals
Evaluating progress
Determining when goals have been met

Question 17

Supervisors who identify and resolve problems early on

Answer 17

Are approachable
Budget the time to evaluate potential risks within the context of the work team’s mission and goals, and the organization’s expected outcomes
Actively watch for small signs of trouble
Look for trends or patterns that may indicate that a problem is developing.

Question 18

Why is it important to focus your supervisory efforts on the government’s mission and vision?

Answer 18

Supervisors and employees alike are motivated by the knowledge that their work makes a difference - that it contributes to the organization’s success. They will be happier and more efficient if they know how their work advances the mission of the organization. You can also eliminate or minimize activities that do not directly advance that mission.

Question 19

________ is essential in helping employees understand how their work supports the larger purposes of their work unit or the organization.

Answer 19

Mission statement or vision

Question 20

A mission statement generally describes

Answer 20

what an organization wants to do

Question 21

A vision statement generally describes

Answer 21

what an organization wants to be

Question 22

How should you communicate goals in the workplace?

Answer 22

A goal is a target. It states exactly what must be done, who must do it, and when it must be completed.

Question 23

How do successful teams work?

Answer 23

They share the same goals, attitudes and values. They have team spirit.

Question 24

What is included in delegation?

Answer 24

It is one of the foundations of self-managemet.
True delegation involves transferring to others much of the authority to decide HOW the work should be performed.
It does not give up overall supervisory authority.

Question 25

How can you make the work more interesting and satisfying for your employees?

Answer 25

Give employees more control over their work
Resist monotonous work
Redesign to make it more challenging and rewarding for the employee.
Integrate the employees’ personal goals into the job.

Question 26

Why is the supervisor more of a broker than a boss?

Answer 26

The effective supervisor often functions as a go-between who works to balance competing interests - as a director of work.

Question 27

To be effective as a broker the supervisor must:

Answer 27

stay in touch with the needs and views of the work unit;
maintain a steady focus on defined goals;
delegate other work, so as to leave time for brokering among different groups.