As businesses become more complex so does management. Cliched? Yes. But, it still needs to be said. This is because things seem to be resistant to change more than we can imagine. Take for example the role of supervisors in our organizations. What roles do they play? What roles do we expect them to play? Surprisingly, many organizations that are embarking on complex change initiatives don't seem to think that change should and must happen at all levels of management and that includes the supervisory level. Oh yes I know! Supervisors are not 'management level' right? Wrong! Nothing could be more damaging to the eventual success of a change effort than neglecting the supervisors. In fact, some of the manufacturing concerns that I have rendered my services to are beginning to realize that supervisors are not merely 'quality control police' or 'keep-up-the-productivity' brigade. They are, in fact, an important part of the management's chain of command.They are no longer viewed as message carriers but as an important contributor of ideas and strategies that are received and acted upon by their managers. Many of these organizations are also comfortable in using management lingo and labels to deal with their supervisors.
Yet, there are instances where supervisors are viewed as nothing more than order carriers. Their skill development is neglected. There is nothing to give them pride as supervisors. Their suggestions and recommendations are often times disregarded arbitrarily even though they are the ones closest to the work floor. At the same time, somewhere in the plush offices of the 'management level' managers and their managers undergo extensive change management programs.
Ironic I must say!
