AAOM Handbook

Supervisor The term Supervisor is used in this paper for the roles that lead teams of people directly executing the production and service work of the process. A supervisor has accountability for the performance of their team and for the process during their working time, but does not have the accountability outside of their working time. At the end of the day supervisors and their teams are about the execution of specific tasks to deliver performance. Senior roles have designed policies, processes, systems and standards that are intended to deliver the required business outcomes, now and into the future. The supervisor role is where it all comes together. Supervisors must use the designed processes and systems and lead their team such that they work within the approved standards to deliver the process outcomes. For many of the senior roles the differentiating contribution of that level could be described with one or two broadly descriptive bullets points. At the level of the supervisor, the differentiating contributions are many, and are more precisely defined. This will not be an exhaustive list; the intention is to capture the essence of the role. In terms of accountability:  Apply the standards, processes and systems so that the teams can deliver the business outcomes with minimal variability.  Develop team awareness of all workplace risks to themselves and the business. (Risks are not limited to safety, health, environment, but also includes risks to volume, quality, stocks, costs, and any other designated business outcomes).  Develop team awareness of the means to control all of those risks  Develop team discipline such that those means to control risks are applied in all circumstances where the risks are present. The following are identifiable behaviours or “work process expectations” that if executed properly would be predictors of a supervisor’s success in achieving the accountabilities. In the language of accountability they would be the actions that are judged for appropriateness under the circumstances. People  Get to know the members of the team. Know them well, likes, dislikes, capabilities, hobbies, ambitions for themselves and their families, etc.  Assess their individual level of awareness of risks to themselves and the business. (Safety, quality, costs, reliability, etc.). Prepare and implement plans to fill knowledge gaps.  Assess their individual level of awareness of means to control those risks. Prepare and implement plans to fill knowledge gaps  Assess their commitment to reliably execute according to the work standards and specifications. Prepare and implement a plan to gain the required commitment  Call team-members to account for their actions