Chapter 2 Supervisor's Function Flashcards
What are the three major portions of supervisor’s job
Leading, directing, and controlling.
What is POSDCORB
It represents a concept that is designed to call attention to the various functions of a chief executive.
What does POSDCORB stand for?
Planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, budgeting
Plans that guides daily performance of operating personnel at lower level of hierarchy must be more or less detailed than those near the top?
More detailed for lower levels.
Plans can be classified in different ways. What are they?
Procedural plans (SOPs), Tactical plans- civil disorders, Operational plans - normal duty plans, Auxiliary plans - recruitment, Fiscal plans
Compare a policy to a rule
Policies change slowly because they are based on broad organizational objectives. Rules control explicit behavior and are subject to more rapid change.
Organization structure provides clear downward lines of authority and responsibility and upward lines of accountability.
True
What happens when a supervisor gives an order or makes an assignment and then fails to follow up to see if it is carried out as directed.
He will abrogate his supervisor authority.
Channels of communication and lines of authority become more indistinct as the nature of the organization increases in complexity
True
Characteristics of a Line Organization
Channels of authority and responsibility extend in a direct line, quick decisions can be made.
Describe a functional organization
It divides responsibility and authority among several specialists, such as training.
Disadvantage of Functional organization
Discipline is difficult to administer because of multiheaded leadership
Which is the most common type of organization setup
Line and staff organization
Define line and staff
It combines staff specialists or units with line organization so that the service of knowledge can be provided to line personnel by specialists such as the criminalist, training officer…
What is the law of productivity
assigning to each worker the fewest possible kinds of tasks or operations in order to improve the quality and increase the quantity of his work and giving him the highest class of work for which his natural ability’s fit him.
What is the unity of command.
The principle requires that every employee be under the direct command of on superior.
Describe the span of control
Relates to the number of subordinates who can be supervised effectively by one supervisor
What are the numbers associated with span of control
3-5 at the top of the organization and broadens at the lower levels
In what way can a supervisor reduce his span of control
By delegating work by clearly defining tasks for those who are to perform them.
Define delegation
Relates to the process of committing an activity to another’s care.
How do employees feel if they never get tasks delegated to them
Feelings of insecurity and frustration
Should a supervisor take back a delegated task if a subordinate thinks it is too difficult?
No. Give the subordinate further training and assurance.
What is the exception principle
A supervisor should not personally take on each matter, but only those exceptional matters.
