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Security Management
home > Unit 3: supervision
Women of the year: whistleblowers
Supervisory
development
new supervisors often
unprepared, "may revert to their former, comfortable, and
secure roles performing the basic functions of a line-level production
employee." New
supervisor must be willing to learn, but also important that
the organization provide mentoring, training, external consultants.
- abusive or petty tyranny: if
subordinates feel supervisor shows "sustained display of
hostile and verbal behaviors."
- subordinates may feel powerless to resist it
- may be mixed with normal behavior, so subordinate thinks it may end
- may fear separation more than the abuse
- Ashford's research into categories
of petty tyranny:
- self-aggrandizement, including playing favorites
- belittle subordinates
- demonstrated lack of concern for subordinates
- forcing and demanding that others take manager's viewpoint
- discouraging subordinates from taking initiative
- reprimanding and punishing for no apparent reason
- can create vicious cycle, where supervisor takes credit for subordinates' achievements, looks at them as objects to manipulate, may add to stress, reduce productivity -- abused workers do less, don't complain.
- Research by Tepper, Duffy, Shaw (2001)
found abused workers react one of 2 ways:
- constructive ways, to try to resolve issues
- passive-aggressive, to satisfy
need for redress: may "forget" a duty, procrastinate,
etc.
- Problem employees
- 2 ways to deal with them:
- address issues during performance review or on daily basis
- continual process: give employee immediate feedback
- some analysts think supervisor's role should be limited to detecting and documenting inadequate job performance. Others think that supervisors should assist troubled worker.
- emphasis on informal discussions
to help improve performance -- used to negotiated and define
expectations, remedies of problems -- but also to rigidify the
divisions and problems
- supervisors in "conformist" category are willing to have direct conflict with workers, while conformist workers are more cooperative, less likely to seek conflict
- confrontational relationships: both like conflict, but eventually leads to resolution
- rebellious relationships: supervisors tolerate or excused bad behavior without setting limits, and deferred confrontation
- pacifist category: supervisors don't exert authority, employees don't attempt to redefine performance
- 2 ways to deal with them:
--Balser and Stern, 1999
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