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Cumulative class essay about supervisor


Timcago 8 / 4  
Nov 23, 2008   #1
Hello, we were told to write a 4 page essay on our supervisor at work using the material we have been discussing throughout the semester. It had to be written in the 3rd person.

I have not written the conclusion yet, but could someone Please check what i wrote for grammar errors?

A collection of people who work together and coordinate their actions to achieve individual and organizational goals is a fitting description of Target. The sales floor position in the market department is quite a structured job thanks to the leadership of the departments' supervisor, Debbie. Debbie's subordinates' job is to maintain the presentation of the department, help keep it fully stocked, ensure spoiled goods are salvaged, and audit the vendors to make sure they are completing their duties properly. Debbie had a very neurotic personality. Her anxiety levels were often very high and even a remotely negative remark about her would result in a meeting with Human Resources. Her Type A personality created a hostile environment that made her subordinates feel uncomfortable.

Debbie was an intrinsically motivated worker. Prior to employment at Target, she was making double her current wage at a grocery store, but was laid after a huge union strike in California. She did not care to strike and instead applied for a team lead position at Target. A position she was satisfied with. The store in which she worked was one of the worst Target stores in the country, and their expectations for job performance were very low. This did not stop Debbie from striving to meet her own expectations that she had set for herself including her expectations for her subordinates. Debbie used positive reinforcement by praising her subordinates for their achievements by writing them note cards with thankful messages, but also used negative reinforcement by verbally criticizing her subordinates when they failed to meet her expectations. In a store that was on the lowest of Targets ranking scale, critical red, Debbie's market department was the highest rank -- green.

Communication between Debbie and her subordinates was mandatory. If Debbie and her subordinate were both on the clock, then face-to-face communication was required before and after each task was completed. If she and her subordinate were not working at the same time, then a journal was to be kept by the subordinate that listed everything they accomplished during the day. The grapevine did not dare enter the market department. Rumors and gossip were out of control in this Target store due to the extreme corruption of its management, but if any such information was discussed by Debbie's subordinates, she would write them up. Communicating during work about non task related issues were prohibited by Debbie, unless it took place in the break room. Communication is vital to the productivity of the group.

Institutionalized Role Orientation was the method Debbie used on newcomers. Newcomers were taught to respond to situations the same way that she would. Once the newcomer was accustomed to his or her role, they were a part of the command group and were responsible for reporting all task related information to Debbie. Auditing each group member's contribution to the group was important because of the reciprocal task interdependence of the job. The group status for the market department was higher than that of any other department, even though sales were quite low. This is because Debbie was very demanding in management meetings and she had a very powerful voice in the organization. When a highly skilled employee transferred from Texas to California, she obtained this employee even though other departments were in much greater need. The norms of the group were structured around her desire to maximize the potential of the group's decision making.

Although it may appear that Debbie had a very autocratic decision making model, she was actually quite democratic. She always asked her subordinates which task they wanted to do, and if the subordinate said it was up to her, she would become angry and force the subordinate to make a decision. Programmed decision making was always backed up by a series of binders full of performance programs that would lead the subordinate to the correct decision. Reading through these binders was an assigned task, so there was little room for nonprogrammed decision making. When a subordinate worked alone they were allowed to choose the order in which they completed the tasks. However, certain tasks had priority over others, so if checking for outdated product was not completed one night; it would become a mandatory first priority the next day. The effectiveness of the decision making by her subordinates was a result of her coercive leadership style.

Task structure was the focus of Debbie's leadership style. The question of "how are you" was rarely asked to her subordinates, and the question of "how far along are you" was quite common. The only time she asked personal questions to her subordinates was the first day that she met a subordinate. If the tasks were completed and her department was green, then the work environment was much more pleasant. Debbie's position power was far higher than it should have been for a department supervisor. She could manipulate company decisions in management meetings to fit her needs and the needs of her subordinates. Other supervisors often complained, but their complaints were dismissed because their authority was not as respected. Debbie's in group included everyone on her team and her out group was everyone else. When it came time for raises, Debbie's subordinates always got the highest pay raise.

The market supervisor is big on enrichment. She does not allocate any specific job to any particular person. Instead she wants each of her subordinates to do some of everything including challenging jobs that are reserved for supervisors, like ordering new products when stock is running low. The skill variety for a market employee is high and requires various different skill including customer service, organization, an eye for detail, and an understanding of computers to access Targets workbench system. The task identity is great because an employee starts on a project and works on it until they are finished and is able to help customers in the market department, then take them up to the front lanes and check them out. One aspect of the job design that Debbie is really skill with is feedback. Every day she provides her employees with feedback about how they are doing and what they need to improve on and she gives much praise when someone does a great job.


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