Can a Manager be a Supervisor? An Annotated Bibliography

This annotated bibliography explores the changing roles of managers and supervisors in organizations. It discusses how the responsibilities of supervisors have expanded, and how managers are now also responsible for supervising employees. The bibliography includes various sources that highlight the importance of effective supervision and team management for achieving organizational goals. Subject: Management, Course Code: N/A, Course Name: N/A, College/University: N/A

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Annotated Bibliography on can my manager be my supervisor
Mosley D.C., Megginson L.C., & Petri P.H. (1985), Supervisory management: the art of
working with and through people. OH : South-Western Publishing Co., Cincinnati: 18-19.
It must be noted that, managers play different roles in internal and external context, and these
roles are changing with times. In other words, role of the manager is changing in external context
and this happens because of the improvement of subordinates situations in terms of expansion of
the labour rights. As managers started to consider the needs of the employees and also focus on
those factors which motivate them. Now, managers mainly focus on directing their subordinates
and guide them instead of ordering them and exercise control on them, which means, now role of
managers not only limited to the management of employees only as they are also responsible to
supervise them.
Mintzberg, H. (2009). Managing, FT Prentice Hall, London.
Generally, it is assumed that managers are hired to manage the functions of the business in
effective manner and these functions mainly include the planning, supervision, controlling, etc.
Therefore, it is clear that managers of the organization are responsible to supervise also. In this
context, managers hold the responsibility to ensure the culture of good supervision in the
organization. This culture imposes positive impact on the performance of the organization, and
ultimate goal of manger is to enhance the performance of the organization. In terms of this,
manager is under obligation to support the staff for practicing well and also encourage them to be
the best. They are responsible to create the link between the strategic management of the
organization and in the operative functions of the organization for ensuring the effective future
performance. This responsibility of the manager to create effective supervising culture in the
organization makes them supervisor also.
GNOF, (2013. Supervisor Roles and Responsibilities: Helping People Succeed. Retrieved
from http://www.gnof.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Supervisor-Roles-and-
Responsibilities-Packet.pdf.
Role of the supervisors are also changed with the time, as more duties and obligations are
imposed on them by the executives of the organization. Before supervisors represent the power
of the organization, but now they are bound to ensure that goals of the individuals aligned with
the goals of the organization. In other words, they own responsibility towards the employees as
well. All these responsibilities are before imposed on the managers of the organization only, but
with the changing time scope of the supervisor’s responsibility has enhanced and this put them in
the shoes of manager. Some of the extended responsibilities of the supervisors are stated below-
 They are responsible to align the goals of individual with the organizational goals.

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 Provide required guidance to the employees while performing the task and make
amendments in the strategies. As before, supervisors only follow the strategies made by
the managers but now they can also make amendments in these strategies.
Kath, L., Marks, K. and Ranney, J. (2010). Safety climate dimensions, leader–member
exchange, and organisational support as predictors of upward safety communication in a
sample of rail industry workers, Safety Science, 48, 643–50.
There are number of studies which denote the first level supervisors as the middle managers of
the organization also, and this happens because of the administrative capabilities hold by the
supervisors while performing their functions. Before, only managers of the organization hold the
administrative power in the organization, but now situations have been changed as supervisors
also hold these powers. These administrative powers allow the supervisors to access and evaluate
the performance on individual basis, and also give their feedback in this context. Given feedback
to the employees and evaluates their performance is the main job of the managers, as they are
responsible to take the appraisal decisions and continuity of the job. However, situations changes
and supervisors give the feedback to the employees and take relevant decisions in this context
which clearly states that supervisors can also play the role of the managers. Therefore, these
administrative powers and capabilities of the supervisors qualified them for being the manager of
the organization.
Hutchinson, S. and Purcell, J. (2010). Managing ward managers for roles in HRM in the
NHS: overworked and under resourced, Human Resource Management Journal, 20(4),
357–74.
Now, executive’s wants that first line managers of the organization expand their areas of
functioning and in this context number of duties are imposed on them such as they are
responsible to guide and motivate the employees of the organization and also obliged to identify
the issues faced by the employees and resolve these issues in effective manner. Generally, in
organization these obligations are fall under the supervisor’s role and responsibility, but now
manager are also responsible to include these functions in their tasks list. As these expanding
lists of managers function make them the supervisor of the organization also.
SCIE, (2015. Effective supervision in a variety of settings. Retrieved from
https://www.scie.org.uk/publications/guides/guide50/introduction.asp.
In this article, author states that supervision is the process in which single worker is responsible
under the organization to work with other worker in collaborative manner in terms of meeting
the organizational, professional, and personal goals. As all these things in together manner
promotes the best results for the users. As mangers are responsible to ensure one-to-one
supervision in the organization, and this type of supervision incudes-
 Safe and healthy environment of working must be created in the organization.

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 Flow of information must be appropriate and effective in the organization.
 Process and procedures of the organization must be valued and understood by the
management at all levels.
 Managers are also responsible to ensure the emotional support, task assistance, and the
reflection related to practice.
 Managers need to arrange the training in this context.
All these activities of the managers put them in the shoes of the supervisors because it creates
good and valuable outcomes for the employees and workers and enhance their performance. All
these things ultimately results in better performance for the organization which is the ultimate
goal of the managers. Therefore, it can be said that manager can also be the supervisor of the
organization.
Besigwa, E. T. (2011). Quality of Supervision and Employee Performance in Mairye Estates
Ltd. A Research Paper. Uganda: Makarere University.
Performance review is another area through which manager involves the supervision functions of
the organization. Generally, supervisors give the performance reviews to their employees but
these sessions are awkward and difficult. In these sessions, it is required that issues faced by the
employees must be assessed during these sessions and actions must be taken to resolve these
issues. This area involves the requirement of manager, because manager holds the capability to
communicate with the executives and give them information in this context. Therefore,
supervision of manager in the process of performance review is required.
Baldoni, J. (2018). The Role of Leader-Manager. Retrieved from
https://www.amanet.org/training/articles/the-role-of-leader-manager.aspx.
In this author stated that leadership skills of the managers mainly includes the responsibility
related to particular function and department within the organization such as from the
accounting, marketing, sales, customer support, etc. In these different departments, there are
number of experts who required supervision to fulfil their tasks or perform their functions.
Lencioni, P. (2016). The ideal team player- How to recognize and cultivate the three
essential virtues, Audible Inc.
In this book, author defines the importance of the team management in terms of achieving the
goals of the organization, and further states that manager is responsible for ensuring the effective
tem management. For fulfilling this responsibility, it is necessary that manager must possess the
qualities of the supervisor as well. In other words, for managing the team in effective manner and
for achieving the objectives of the organization, manager needs to fulfil the responsibilities of the
supervisor also, and this fact makes them supervisor of the team also.

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AMA, (2018). 6 Managerial Skills that will make you indispensable. Retrieved from
https://www.amanet.org/training/promotions/six-skills-for-managers-and-leaders.aspx.
This article defines the managerial skills required by the managers of the organization in terms of
managing the teams of employees for ensuring effective performance of the organization. As
stated, communication is the most effective tool for ensuring effective management of the team
and this manager needs to use this tool. Generally, communication is done by the supervisor of
organization for identified the confusions of the employees and resolve it. But now, things have
been changed because manager needs to
Brocker, J. (2016). The Process Matters Engaging and Equipping People for Success.
Princeton University Press, London.
In this book, author states that engagement of people is necessary for effective performance of
the organization and this engagement is the responsibility of the supervisor. Currently, this
responsibility is shifted on the manager of the organization and this responsibility put them in the
shoes of supervisor.

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References
Mosley D.C., Megginson L.C., & Petri P.H. (1985), Supervisory management: the art of working
with and through people. OH : South-Western Publishing Co., Cincinnati: 18-19.
Mintzberg, H. (2009). Managing, FT Prentice Hall, London.
NOF, (2013. Supervisor Roles and Responsibilities: Helping People Succeed. Retrieved from
http://www.gnof.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Supervisor-Roles-and-Responsibilities-
Packet.pdf.
Kath, L., Marks, K. and Ranney, J. (2010). Safety climate dimensions, leader–member exchange,
and organisational support as predictors of upward safety communication in a sample of rail
industry workers, Safety Science, 48, 643–50.
Hutchinson, S. and Purcell, J. (2010). Managing ward managers for roles in HRM in the NHS:
overworked and under resourced, Human Resource Management Journal, 20(4), 357–74.
SCIE, (2015. Effective supervision in a variety of settings. Retrieved from
https://www.scie.org.uk/publications/guides/guide50/introduction.asp.
Besigwa, E. T. (2011). Quality of Supervision and Employee Performance in Mairye Estates Ltd.
A Research Paper. Uganda: Makarere University.
Baldoni, J. (2018). The Role of Leader-Manager. Retrieved from
https://www.amanet.org/training/articles/the-role-of-leader-manager.aspx.
Lencioni, P. (2016). The ideal team player- How to recognize and cultivate the three essential
virtues, Audible Inc.
AMA, (2018). 6 Managerial Skills that will make you indispensable. Retrieved from
https://www.amanet.org/training/promotions/six-skills-for-managers-and-leaders.aspx.
Brocker, J. (2016). The Process Matters Engaging and Equipping People for Success. Princeton
University Press, London.