What should be the appropriate attributes for Supervisors and Frontline Management?
We are in a knowledge economy. And more important for service based industries, we are in a ‘people’ business. It is cliché to say that people are our biggest assets and when they walk out of the door every evening, our greatest challenge is to ensure that they return the next day morning. Of course, of all these assets, the most valuable are the frontline. There are no two ways about it. They are the ones earning bread for us, and they are also the ones who are directly responsible for the product you are making and / or service that you are providing.
However, it seems that most challenging job is that of the supervisors and frontline managers of these frontline staff. And this is also one of the weakest links in the successful operational performance of an organization. The movement from frontline staff to frontline manager is the most important movement for any individual’s career.
There is always a debate on what these supervisors should be selected, groomed, evaluated and developed so as to get the maximum leverage. This is one of the most highly debated, and yet highly under-developed areas in our study. A lot of job descriptions we find in the market are highly ‘aspirational’, and we are not sure if the company is planning to hire a supervisor or a CEO with them.
There is also a lot of must-haves and good-to-haves. So I would like to present a list of attributes, skills and knowledge that an individual needs to have – I think they are a must – to be a successful supervisor / frontline manager, or rather to broaden the horizon – for any middle level manager:
• Client centricity – knowledge of what the client wants, what SLAs have been signed, what reports are required, and how escalations are made
• Thorough knowledge of the product and procedure – you cannot manage a team if you are not yourself versatile with the nitty-gritty details of your process. Please note we are not talking of senior leadership here. There are immediate supervisors, and they need to be hands-on as much as the frontline themselves.
• Knowledge of people management tools – things like attendance tracking systems, performance management systems, tools and systems used for these. They also need to have sufficient knowledge of scheduling, rosters, shift patterns and of course, HR policies and procedures applicable to their team members.
• Data Management and Analysis – One of the most important attribute of a manager is pattern recognition. This is a broad attribute. It includes ability to identify patterns in data and to discern trends, ability to prioritize, and ability to identify areas of problem solving / process improvement. This also will include understanding if the team is performing consistently, or if there are variations and how to control / manage them.
• Leadership – Quite simply, this is the ability to drive people – a team size that is appropriate at that level. The aspects of leadership may be different at this level and may not require a CEO in the making, but what is needed is that a team of frontline follows this ‘Leader’ of theirs, and the power that he/she has on the team is not just position power, but more.
I think these broadly cover what any organization should be looking at their middle level management. Your comments and suggestions are welcome.
Best
- Shreekant
21-January-10
We are in a knowledge economy. And more important for service based industries, we are in a ‘people’ business. It is cliché to say that people are our biggest assets and when they walk out of the door every evening, our greatest challenge is to ensure that they return the next day morning. Of course, of all these assets, the most valuable are the frontline. There are no two ways about it. They are the ones earning bread for us, and they are also the ones who are directly responsible for the product you are making and / or service that you are providing.
However, it seems that most challenging job is that of the supervisors and frontline managers of these frontline staff. And this is also one of the weakest links in the successful operational performance of an organization. The movement from frontline staff to frontline manager is the most important movement for any individual’s career.
There is always a debate on what these supervisors should be selected, groomed, evaluated and developed so as to get the maximum leverage. This is one of the most highly debated, and yet highly under-developed areas in our study. A lot of job descriptions we find in the market are highly ‘aspirational’, and we are not sure if the company is planning to hire a supervisor or a CEO with them.
There is also a lot of must-haves and good-to-haves. So I would like to present a list of attributes, skills and knowledge that an individual needs to have – I think they are a must – to be a successful supervisor / frontline manager, or rather to broaden the horizon – for any middle level manager:
• Client centricity – knowledge of what the client wants, what SLAs have been signed, what reports are required, and how escalations are made
• Thorough knowledge of the product and procedure – you cannot manage a team if you are not yourself versatile with the nitty-gritty details of your process. Please note we are not talking of senior leadership here. There are immediate supervisors, and they need to be hands-on as much as the frontline themselves.
• Knowledge of people management tools – things like attendance tracking systems, performance management systems, tools and systems used for these. They also need to have sufficient knowledge of scheduling, rosters, shift patterns and of course, HR policies and procedures applicable to their team members.
• Data Management and Analysis – One of the most important attribute of a manager is pattern recognition. This is a broad attribute. It includes ability to identify patterns in data and to discern trends, ability to prioritize, and ability to identify areas of problem solving / process improvement. This also will include understanding if the team is performing consistently, or if there are variations and how to control / manage them.
• Leadership – Quite simply, this is the ability to drive people – a team size that is appropriate at that level. The aspects of leadership may be different at this level and may not require a CEO in the making, but what is needed is that a team of frontline follows this ‘Leader’ of theirs, and the power that he/she has on the team is not just position power, but more.
I think these broadly cover what any organization should be looking at their middle level management. Your comments and suggestions are welcome.
Best
- Shreekant
21-January-10
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