Essay on "Supervision Leads to a Mental and Emotional Education That Can Guide Practical"

Essay 7 pages (1820 words) Sources: 10

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Best Practice in Supervision

"[Supervision] leads to a mental and emotional education that can guide practical work, frees from fixed patterns of experience and behaviour and promotes the willingness as well as the ability to act suitably, carefully and courageously" (Koster, 2003, pp. 1-2).

Supervision, in the words of Koster, as quoted above extends its meaning to quite a wide area which will be analyzed in the course of this write-up.

From time immemorial, there has been a misconception regarding the real meaning of supervision. Many scholars have defined and analyzed it in ways agreeable with their respective views. Gaining a better insight into the core meaning of supervision will, no doubt settle the dust raised from diverse scholars, groups and academics. Supervision has its root in Latin. It is two words joined together. In Latin, 'super' means 'over' while 'vision' means 'to watch'. In essence, supervision can be generally defined as watching over something or someone but in this context, it means watching over someone. In the view of Petes (1967: 170), he viewed a supervisor as someone who is contracted to oversee a job and to make sure that standardized job is done. Supervision is an administrative skill that is needed in the promotion and in maintaining good standards of work (Kadushin 1992).

Proctor (1987) expanded the definition as an act of possessing a managerial and educational quality in lending support to the inferiors who are under ones command. Supervision also has diverse definitions depending on the discipline. In the medical profession, it is defined as an approach that enables medical apprentices acquire firsthand learning from watching their medical supervisors do it (Schon 1983; 1987). It process of making assumptions process, makes the work done more creatively. However, this might not always produce correct results (Bolton, 2001: King and Kitchener, 1994: Moon, 1999).

With regards to the words of Koster above, it is clear that certain features have been occurring from the various scholars that have given their voices in defining supervision. They all agree with the quotation of Koster as quoted above on the first paragraph.

BENEFITS of a SUPERVISOR

A supervisor is someone charged with the responsibility of supervision of a work or project. With reference to the law of demand and supply which makes it known that for there to be a supply, there must be a demand for such supply. The values of goods or services wane if demand for such is absent. Supervisors do not just jump from nowhere and begin to oversea a project. A need for a supervisor must first be identified. 'Lane and Corrie' are clinical psychologist and they stated the reasons why a supervisor is needed:

In cases review, supervisors offer some level of protection to their clients

Supervision enables practitioners identify the weaknesses of their clients and patients

It gives enough room for improvement on the patients (Lane and Corrie, 2006).

In addition to the list given by Lane and Corries, diverse views are made available of the benefits if supervisors:

They provide professional service to both the workers and those that hire them

They are, most time, available for a man-to-man advisory service

Many of then can be approached anytime meaning that they ensure an open door policy

They foster team work on their dealings. They encourage the spirit of team which makes work to be done in a relaxed manner.

Their service brings about growth the workplace.

They ensure a better use of team power to get the best out of the workers.

Many of them encourage their workers or subjects to bear their minds

They act as mangers. They help manage the resources of those that hired them

They help prevent time wastage in execution of projects.

Those that work with supervisors gain from the vast experiences of the supervisors.

In situations where better quality of work is needed, supervision cannot be ruled out and this need for quality is the catalyst that formulates a basis for the need of a supervisor. When a better co-ordination of people is needed to achieve a better aim, the need for a supervisor is paramount. To this effect, there are lots of documented facts painting supervisors and supervision in a good light.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics for 03-04, the national voluntary turnover rate is increasing

With regards to the Gallup Organization, in the U.S.A. alone, the cost of turnover exceeded $180billion

Despite the good complexion accorded to supervision, there are still some group of people who are not well disposed to the. In situations like this, results are usually fatal. They often say:

"Supervisors are too bossy and I cannot really work with someone like that"

"Supervisors are too full of themselves thinking they are the Alpha and Omega"

"engaging the services of a supervisor puts stress on my finances"

"all supervisors are not honest"

"supervisors have lackadaisical attitude"

"they are too assuming"

The list is endless as many people both employers and employees have divergent views as regards the relevance of supervision in either their projects or employees, being co-ordinated.

A lot of benefits have been mentioned as an attribute of using a supervisor. There are also dangers inherent in bad supervision.

DANGERS of BAD/POOR SUPERVISION

There are times when supervision can be detrimental to a company. By bad/poor supervision, it may not necessary mean that the supervisor lack basic supervisory skills. On the other hand, it could as well mean that the supervisor lacks the managerial skill required of him. In both instances, supervision can be said to be poor or bad. The severance of poor supervision are too numerous to mention.

Bad unsocial behaviors can begin to germinate among the workers

Code of ethics are broken with careless abandon

There is tension in the workplace

Workers lack the motivation to put in heir best

Mistakes and accident becomes order of the day

Staff loyalty to the company will not be there again

Unwholesome attitudes like theft will be noticed in such workplace

Decline in productivity will set in when the acts mentioned earlier begin to manifest in the workplace

It is needful to mention that there are a number of unprofessional supervisors but there many good ones around as well. There are few situations that can render the supervision of a skilled supervisor ineffective. When there are too many supervisors in a workplace, then "too many cooks will spoil the broth." The workers in such an environment may begin to harbor the feeling that they are being unnecessarily exploited and they become quite hostile to the supervisors. The act of supervision is just like any other professions with work hazards and challenges. Supervisors do face some kind of challenges from both the company that hire them and the workers that work in such company.

CHALLENGES FACED by SUPERVISION

Just like any other professions, supervisors are faced with some challenges. Their experiences are quite staggering but only few will be mentioned:

(i) of all the challenges faced, this very one cut across so many of them. The cat and dog relationship that most times exist between the workers and the supervisor.

(ii) There have been occasions, where supervisors are being rudely attacked by workers.

(iii) the working condition of the company may not be conducive to the supervisor. Some are contracted on part time basis when they report for duty, they only move from one site to another without any provision for real place

(iv) Many at times, supervisors are not insured against occupational hazards. If they are in any way attacked, they fend for themselves

(v) There have been occasion when the company that hire the supervisor actually compete with them for authority

The challenges are surmountable just like any other problem. There are certain qualities expected of all supervisors that will endear them to both workers and those that hire them

QUALITIES EXPECTED of a SUPERVISOR

Every good food has recipe as well as every discipline in formal education has curriculum. There are good qualities expected of a good supervisor that will endear such to the workers under his control and the company that employ him.

(i) Definiteness of purpose is one good quality that works like magic. Let both your employers and the workers under you see this in you.

(ii) Co-ordination is another key. No one wants to give a sensitive position to a dullard. If you show laxity in organization your thought and speech, what the employer will see is a time waster.

(iii) Every supervisor is expected to be updated. The employers are interested in knowing what the supervisor know but if the employer knows more than the supervisor, there is every chance of friction occurring

(iv) it is needful for supervisors to see the workers as humans with feelings. They should be treated as such because that is what they are.

(v) Another quality of note is for the supervisor to be friendly and approachable. This gives some level of confidence to the workers… READ MORE

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