Effective Supervision: An Adaptive and Relative Process ¹

Abstract

Summary and Conclusions 1. A ttempts to discover specific supervisory behaviors related to effectiveness of supervision have had limited success. The results are frequently conflicting and inconclusive. Specific supervisory acts may be effective in some situations but not in others, effective with some subordinates but not with others. 2. The response of a subordinate to a supervisory act depends upon the meaning of the act to the subordinate, not only upon the nature of the act itself. This meaning always depends upon the relationship of the supervisory act, as perceived, to the expectations, values, and interpersonal skills of the subordinate. 3. All of the perceptions, expectations, values, and interpersonal skills of the subordinate influence his response to each act of his superior. Supervision is, therefore, an adaptive and relative process in the sense that a supervisor, to be effective, must always adapt his behavior to fit the expectations, values, and interpersonal skills of his subordinates. 4. The converse is equally true. For effective interaction, the subordinate must relate his behavior to the expectations, values, and interpersonal skills of his superior (or peers). 5. This does not deny the importance of universal principles in supervisory‐subordinate relationships; it indicates only that a broadly applicable principle must allow variation in interpretation in such a way that meanings , not necessarily acts, are consistent with the principle. This broadens rather than restricts the range of applicability of basic principles. Current managerial theory and practice with regard to supervision and supervisory training must be re‐appraised in the perspective of being an adaptive and relative process.