Are Supervisors required to know everything
about forthcoming change?
A closer look at any organisation gearing
for change will reveal that supervisors, whose support is
critical for change, are the ones who are more likely to
resist it. The primary reason for this resistance is the
supervisor’s inability to handle questions from subordinates
regarding a proposed change. This inability is a tremendous
blow to his self-confidence.
Supervisors feel pressurised to know everything
about what is going on, and their failure to do so reflects
adversely on their ability. This pressure is partly self-imposed,
and partly a result of the expectations of subordinates.
However, it is unrealistic to expect supervisors to know
everything about the proposed change.
Subordinates often feel that if a supervisor
is not able to provide satisfactory answers to their questions
then he is either unwilling to provide the complete information,
or is simply ignoring people in his department. Whereas,
the fact of the matter is that supervisors may not always
be aware of the complete operational details of the proposed
change. Supervisors are generally busy dealing with the
day-to-day activities of the production line. Even when
they are informed about proposed changes in advance they
do not have time to think about the operational and other
details of the project. When their subordinates start asking
questions they are caught unawares and are unable to give
satisfactory answers.
Most organisations provide technical briefings
and detailed training to their supervisors when a proposed
change is forthcoming. Still supervisors are not willing
to embrace the proposed change in a positive manner. Supervisors
hesitate to inform subordinates about the proposed change
if they are not certain about the details themselves. There
have been instances where supervisors have passed on information
to their subordinates – only to discover that their
information was not accurate as constant changes were being
made. These instances have led to supervisors being accused
of providing incorrect information and at times even ridiculed
for not knowing things they were supposed to know as leaders.
So, to most questions, supervisors tend to
give unresponsive answers like “there is no management
decision on this yet”. This unresponsiveness has a
negative impact on the trust between subordinates and their
supervisors. Subordinates start questioning the supervisor’s
integrity. In fact, when subordinates feel they are being
provided incomplete information they start looking for more
opportunities to point fingers at their supervisors and
become more inquisitive. Such a situation clearly rules
out the possibility of supervisors welcoming proposed change.
The solution to the above problem simply requires
an investment in the preparation for the proposed change
and faith in the potential of supervisors.
Supervisors need to be prepared and trained
to lead the others through the proposed change. Technical
training is only a part of this process. Preparing supervisors
also requires the following:
a) Clearing any doubts supervisors have and
answering their questions
b) Enabling supervisors to be comfortable
in answering employee’s questions even when complete
information is not available
c) Help supervisors develop their own idea
of the future proposed changes.
Supervisors need to be trained to effectively
handle any kind of queries coming from employees, even if
they have only partial information. For example instead
of being non responsive, the supervisors can begin by saying,
“Let me tell you what I know.” Or give them a
clear picture of what stage of the project they are in and
at what subsequent stage of the project their question is
likely to be answered.
The openness in response makes both supervisors
and employees feel comfortable. Supervisors no longer feel
the pressing need to know everything and employees no longer
feel that information is deliberately being withheld from
them. The employees thus reciprocate the trust placed on
them, and welcome the proposed change and so do supervisors.
Leader preparation workshops on coping with
change are beneficial in making supervisors self confident
and comfortable in handling questions about future. It also
helps supervisors in developing their own idea of what the
future holds and why is it important to reach there. Supervisors’
understanding the future is important, as they are the ones
expected to lead the rest through the proposed change.
Once supervisors become self-confident and
create their own vision of the future, they are more than
willing to embrace any proposed change, which leads them
to the future of their vision.
Related Reading:
Why supervisors resist change and what you can do about
it. Mann, D. W.;
The Journal for Quality and Participation.
