Supervisors: Balancing Work and Management Challenges - Essay Sample

Introduction

In the case study, the supervisors are facing a lot of challenges when balancing between their work and supervision of the other employees. The supervisors are required to provide leadership and mentorship to the employees as well as manage the projects. As project managers, it becomes hard for them to ask employees to do tasks that they cannot be able to do themselves. They have to deal with employees who have different skills and motivations which means that they have to spend more time managing them. The supervisors are also faced with the challenge of knowing the status of the work. The problem arises as part-time employees perform certain tasks and then hand them over to other employees. It becomes difficult to integrate the task which often leads to conflicts. The supervisors are also faced with the challenge of mediating and resolving the conflicts that arise as employees interact with each other in the workplace.

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Skills Needed by Supervisors to Be Effective Project Managers

The supervisors need various skills to effectively carry out their duties as project managers. They have to have leadership skills and task management to enable them to lead their teams towards achieving the project's goals. Communication skills are also essential for them to be able to articulate their ideas to the team and other stakeholders who are involved in the project. The communication skills also enable them to report to the management the progress of the project and present clarity on the finances used in the project. The supervisors need scheduling skills to enable them to plan for the project in terms of the time needed to accomplish it and the resources required. The supervisors also need to be good risk managers for them to be effective at project management.

Skills Needed to Be an Effective Team Member in a Project

Team members have to have a set of skills for them to effective in a project. The members have to have good communication skills, feedback skills, persuasion and influencing skills, ability to build rapport and conflict resolution skills. As a team player in a project, the skills enable you to work together with other team members in harmony. The ability to create rapport and persuasion skills enable a member to articulate his ideas and convince others why his/her plan is the best. The team members also need to be good time managers to ensure that they can accomplish their given tasks on time to avoid inconveniencing others.

Most Important Characteristic of an Effective Project Manager

Leadership is the most important skill for a project manager. The decisions made by the manager have to be the best for the team and the project at large. The project manager has to ensure that the workers are in line with the goal of the project and provide the required motivation for them to accomplish the objectives of the project within the stipulated time.

Steps That a Project Manager Can Take To Make Their Team More Effective

A project manager can follow a series of steps in ensuring that their team is effective. They have to emphasize team building to ensure that they are in line with their team to facilitate the smooth running of the project. The second step is to create a channel of communication where the team members and the management can be able to articulate their ideas. The project manager has to formulate conflict resolution ways to deal with the problems that arise in the course of the project operation. The motivation of the employee is essential in enhancing their productivity. The project manager has to come up with reward incentives for the employees who perform well in their project. The rewards will encourage them to perform better and boost the performance of the poor performers as they aim for the reward.