Supervisory Management Skills

Course Overview

The business operating environment has become inherently challenging and competitive with the future to be traversed equally awash with uncertainty. As such the human capital deployed in their various positions must perform to expectations and yield optimal returns for their organisations. As such, this training is a deliberate, research based facilitative tool intended to unlock the capabilities of supervisors and promote results-oriented practices in discharging their main job functions for the organization. This two-day course focuses on the supervisor as a key functionary in any enterprise. Supervisors are the anchor of operations ensuring that strategic and operational plans translate into quality products and services and doing so in full conformity with statutory and business regulations as well as observing ethical values and practices. The course will help supervisors to relate fluently to their subordinates, peers, middle and senior management. We will expressly explain the supervisory role and explore the complementary qualities, skills, competencies, habits, attitudes, and behaviours that enhance the supervisor’s contributory value towards mission performance and vision realisation.

Target Audience

This course is suitable for a cross-disciplinary functional and business audience in leadership positions who are planning to develop their supervisory skills. These may include team leaders, supervisors, sectional heads, and divisional managers.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course participants will be able to:

• explore critically what supervision is and what it is not.
• explain and analyse the supervisory management function in organisations.
• describe supervisory styles and their appropriate applications.
• discuss; demonstrate key supervisory qualities, competencies, attitudes, and behaviours.
• enhance subordinate performance through support, development, and recognition.
• demonstrate effective communication that leads to role clarity and relationship building.
• describe critical areas of communication in business.
• conduct discipline as prescribed by operational labour laws.

CONTENT COVERED

Module 1: Supervisory Management – An Overview

• Defining supervisory management.
• Management levels: supervision, management, and leadership.
• The significance of supervision.
• Supervisory management as a process.

Module 2: The portrait of a supervisor (competencies and qualities)

• Supervisory technical skills.
• Supervisory conceptual skills.
• Supervisory interpersonal skills.

Module 3: The Supervisory Management Function

1. Planning

• The meaning.
• The nature of planning.
• The value of planning.
• Steps in planning function.

 

1. Organizing

• Defining organizing.
• The scope of organising.
• Principles of organising

 

1. Leadership function of a supervisor

• Understanding leadership.
• Leadership staff development tools.
• Qualities required to lead people.
• Leadership styles and their impact on followership.
• Toxic leadership and its sustenance.

1. Controlling

• The concept of control.
• Significance and relevance of control.
• Steps in the control process.
• Styles of control.

Module 4: Problem Solving and Decision-Making

Problem Solving

• Defining problem solving.
• Problem solving and its fusion with decision making.
• 5 steps in problem solving.

Decision Making

• Understanding decision making.
• The characteristics of decision making.
• Key steps in the decision-making process.

Module 5: The Practice of Delegating

• Delegation – meaning and concept overview.
• Objectives of delegating.
• The relevance and significance of delegating.
• Reasons why supervisors may not delegate.
• Delegation – what, when. how and who.
• The 4 – stage process of delegating authority.

Module 6: Time Management for Supervisors

• Understanding time and the practice of time management – overview.
• The importance of time management.
• Using the Time Management Matrix (TMM) for best use of time.
• Time management: worst vs. best practices
• The great enemy – procrastination.

Module 7: Supervisory Communication

• The meaning of communication.
• Appreciating the channels of communication.
• The essence of communication to supervisors.

 Module 8: Conflict Management

• Defining conflict and conflict management
• The nature of conflict
• Triggers of conflict
• Conflict management strategies

Module 9: The Administration of Discipline

• Overview of applicable labour legislation and instruments.
• Understanding the primary objective of a disciplinary hearing.
• When to and not to hold a disciplinary hearing.
• Conducting a fair disciplinary hearing.
• The steps followed when conducting a disciplinary hearing.
• Misconducts, disciplinary punishments, and appeal procedures.

DELIVERY MODE AND FACILITATION STRATEGIES: The programme will be facilitated through structured classroom activities and/or live virtual sessions including:

• Pre-course evaluation questionnaires
• Lecturing,
• Discussion facilitation,
• Simulation group discussions and presentations, and
• Real life case studies.

ASSESSMENTS METHODS

A variety of assessment tools will be used throughout the course to gauge the level of understanding of the participants. These include mixture of individual and group presentations done in class and Q and A sessions.

CERTIFICATION: Certificate of attendance will only be issued upon continuous attendance and successful completion of the course. For one to be eligible for a certificate, one must attend all the three days of the course throughout the duration of the programme and participate in the activities of the programme.