2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Safety, health, and physical welfare of
subordinates
Development of cooperation
Development of morale
Training and development of subordinates
Records and reports
Balanced supervision
These seven areas of responsibility are discussed in
the following paragraphs:
1. Production. The supervisor is responsible for
seeing that all work is done properly and on time. This
is true both in the office and in the shop. To meet these
goals, the supervisor must function in three main ways:
a. The supervisor must organize and plan the
workload to ensure maximum production
with a minimum of effort and confusion.
b. The supervisor should, as often as possible,
delegate the authority for completing work
assignments, keeping in mind that the final
product is the responsibility of the
supervisor.
c. The supervisor must control the workload
and see that all work is completed correctly.
2. Safety, health, and physical welfare. Safety and
production go hand in hand. The safe way is the efficient
way. When shop personnel are absent because of injury,
they are nonproducers. A good supervisor stresses safety
to the crew; sets an example by working safely; teaches
safety as an integral part of each job; and, most of all,
plans each job with safety in mind. A good supervisor
does not wait until after an accident happens to start a
safety program.
Showing concern over the health and physical
welfare of your crew will pay off in increased
production. It will add to their feelings of trust and
confidence in you as a shop supervisor and will increase
the amount of respect they have for you.
3. Development of cooperation. Developing
cooperation among the members of your shop is
paramount to effective production. Some supervisors,
however, tend to overlook the need for cooperation in
two other directions:
a. Cooperation with management
b. Cooperation with supervisors on other ships,
or in other departments, divisions, or work
groups of your ship
In the course of a routine equipment overhaul, you
will often have to deal with numerous people in shops
or units of the repair activity. It is particularly essential,
therefore, that you develop a rapport with the
management and supervisory personnel of the repair
activity.
4. Development of morale. The esprit de corps of
a group and their willingness to work toward common
goals depend to a great extent upon your leadership. A
group with high morale is a producing group.
5. Training and development of subordinates. A
good shop supervisor is invariably a good teacher and
leader and is a developer of men and women. One of the
greatest contributions you can make as a supervisor is
the development of your people. You should make sure
that at least one trained person is ready to assume
responsibility as shop supervisor should the need arise.
It is a sign of good leadership when you can take leave
and have the shop or division continue to run smoothly.
Do not be afraid to teach every phase of your own work
to at least one or two subordinates. Since much of your
time will involve teaching, you should try to improve
your teaching ability.
6. Records and reports. In chapter 2, we discussed
a few of the records and reports with which you will be
associated. Keeping records and preparing reports are
not tasks that you will always enjoy doing, yet they are
a vital part of your work. Make it a point to keep neat,
accurate records and get reports out on time. Paperwork
may seem to be a waste of time, but in the long run, you
will realize how much your success as shop supervisor
depends upon your ability to handle paperwork
properly.
7. Balanced supervision. Think about the major
duties and responsibilities we just covered. You must
pay the proper amount of attention to each phase of your
job. Do not emphasize production at the expense of
safety or training. Also, do not become so concerned
with the human element that production is neglected.
Keep up with paper work as it occurs. In this way you
can maintain control of your work day by day and will
never need to neglect your more active duties so you can
attack a stack of papers. Always attempt to place the
proper emphasis on each of your responsibilities, and
you will be practicing balanced supervision.
RESPONSIBILITY TO USERS
Your responsibility to users is twofold. First, you
must ensure that all equipment is ready for maximum
use at all times. Second, you and your shop personnel
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