Reference no: EM133241357

Short answer activity

1. As a first-line supervisor, how would you attempt to relate honestly with your immediate superior if that manager's attitude strongly suggests that "bad news" is never welcome?

2. As a new supervisor, how would you determine what expectations you will be called upon to meet?

3. What would you do if you found yourself in strong disagreement with a mandate your immediate superior expects you to implement through your employees?

4. Consider this question: "Do You Really Want to Be a Supervisor?" It is a question to be taken seriously because not everyone is equally suited for supervision.

List at least three advantages and three disadvantages of a supervisory role as you perceive such a position (as it might affect you personally should you become a supervisor). In a single sentence complete the following: "I believe I (should or should not) accept a supervisory position because _

5. Why is it necessary to concern ourselves with internal customers?

6. Employees are our "best customers." What does this mean?

7. How would you respond to customer demands that were clearly unreasonable?

8. Oftentimes, why do hospital patients complain most about food, cleanliness, and staff treatment rather than about the quality of care?

9. Do you believe managed care has made customer service more difficult? Why, or why not?

10. How are the quality of health care and excellence in customer service related to each other?

11. How does present-day customer service relate to the increasing tendency toward competition among healthcare providers?

12. Can employee turnover be a significant barrier to good customer service? Why, or why not?

13. Think about the importance of customer service relative to your job. Why is it suggested that we "underpromise" and "over-deliver"?

14. According to the author, what has the greatest influence on an employee's willingness to deliver excellent customer service?

15. Planning is a key element of a job. Then why do we so often rush directly into doing a job without planning?

16. What can we gain from applying planning principles to supposedly routine activities?

17. What are two significant reasons why a particular objective or target may not be attained as planned?

18. What kinds of plans are of most concern to the working supervisor? Why?

19. Identify the primary differences between these two terms: mission and vision

20. According to the author, what are the three essential components of an appropriate objective?

21. As a supervisor, why is it important for you to be fully knowledgeable of the precise limits of your authority?

22. Explain how the controlling function does or does not relate significantly to the planning function.

23. Why is it necessary for the organization to have a formal code of ethics? Shouldn't sound personal values be sufficient?

24. Consider these functions: planning, organizing, coordinating, and controlling. Which two functions are more the concerns of higher management than of the first-line supervisor? Why might this be so?

25. How would you handle a situation in which the supervisor of another department approaches you with a strong complaint about one of your employees?

26. Why is it stressed that effective coordination requires persuasive ability?

27. Consider this scenario: Seriously incorrect information reaches you by way of the grapevine. As a supervisor, what would be your response?

28. Explain how you would respond to an employee who says to you: "Don't hand me this reengineering stuff. That's just a fancy way of saying you're going to cut staff."

29. Compare and contrast these two principles:

a. Vertical integration of responsibilities

b. Horizontal integration of responsibilities

30. Organizations undergoing significant reengineering efforts often engage the services of an outside consultant. Why is this often done?

31. Why should a supervisor make regular use of reasonable deadlines for employee assignments, and why is follow-up on such deadlines crucial?

32. When two departments are combined under a single supervisor, how does the supervisor adapt to this change without automatically working significantly longer hours?

33. Why is the prospect of a major reengineering effort or a merger of organizations stressful to both rank-and-file employees and supervisors?

34. The environment within which an individual supervisor must work is often subject to significant change, so how can we legitimately say that the supervisor's essential task remains constant?

35. Why does a supervisor's visibility and availability remain important even at times when the staff are experiencing no problems and raising no questions?

36. Explain what is meant by "the soft side of management" and further explain why attention to it is of extreme importance.

37. What is a Gantt chart and how is it used?