WHITE PAPER

CHANGING THE ROLE OF THE SUPERVISOR

TO TEAM LEADER:
A NEEDED PARADIGM SHIFT IN ASACa

Author: Dr. Bob Ruotolo

Quantum Performance Institute
Phoenix, AZ
 A WHITE PAPER ON CHANGING THE ROLE OF THE SUPERVISOR TO
TEAM LEADER: A NEEDED PARADIGM SHIFT IN ASACa

INTRODUCTION

In this paper I will state why this change is required that is to change the position of all
Supervisors to Team Leaders. I will propose how we should go about making this change
through a ‘change management process’ focusing on the changing role of supervisors and
employees.

OUR COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT

Today all of AlliedSignal including ASACa faces tremendous pressure from a very
ferocious world market competition. To be successful in such an environment requires
high performance; high flexibility to meet the rapidly changing technology and market
conditions; and high commitment from a multi-skilled workforce capable of meeting
customer requirements and working towards continuous improvement.

Using team structures and empowering employees to manage themselves is one of the
means that we have to be competitive. TQL, TQF, TQS are all contributing to changing
our work environment to be more competitive. A clear vision and set of values with
associated behaviors, skills in group problem-solving, decision making, are all attributes
of us becoming a high performing organization. However, a critical step in unleashing the
potential within our organization is to redesign our production and manufacturing work
systems. A key piece of this redesign is the role of the supervisor.

In the traditional organization, much of the supervisory role is involved in planning,

controlling, coordinating and improving the daily work. As organizations move towards
self-directed work teams, the team begins to assume responsibility for these planning and
control tasks.

The most important step in the transition to self-directed teams is to work with
supervisors to help them identify the new role and contributions they will be called on to
make. Supervisors are critical to developing teams and empowering employees. To win
their support they have to see a meaningful role for themselves emerging from this
change process to self directed work teams and the transition from 'supervisor' to 'team
leader'.

 Robert A. Ruotolo, 1994 www.QuantumPerformance.net

SYMBOLISM ASSOCIATED WITH TITLES

One of the major reasons for recommending the change in title from supervisor to team
leader is the symbolic message that this will make to the organization. Although many
supervisors may already be carrying out the behaviors of the Team Leader, the title
supervisor denotes a set of behaviors that is no longer appropriate for the leadership
requirements in work teams. We need to be explicit in what these behavioral changes are
and these changes must become performance requirements for the new role. In the
traditional organization supervisors assigned tasks, enforced rules, solved problems,
controlled information, expedited the work, and were responsible for meeting goals in
budgets.

In the new role as Team Leader, they conduct training, team building, coaching,
information sharing, joint goal setting and problem solving, linking teams to resources,
customers and suppliers, and conflict resolution. Team Leaders manage less by control
and more by influence and credibility. They are more often a coach, facilitator, developer,
and integrator. They help their teams set goals, solve problems and confront issues.

FOUR CRITICAL FUNCTIONS OF THE TEAM LEADER

Team Building
The first is building teams. This involves knowledge about how teams develop and
function and the kinds of interventions that build team cohesion and facilitate effective
teamwork.

People Development
This involves knowledge and skills in areas like coaching and training. It is important for
Team Leaders to have an appreciation for individual differences and to be able to provide
people with specific meaningful feedback.

Performance Management
Being able to work with teams on performance management issues. This involves helping
teams to develop measures of their performance, assist them in setting improvement
goals, providing performance feedback, facilitating problem solving and corrective
action, and providing recognition for team accomplishments.

Boundary Management
This involves linking the team to the wider organization. It requires knowledge of
organizational resources and processes and group communication skills to help resolve
issues between work groups.

To carry out these functions successfully requires a high level of inter-personal skills.
Skills like communicating, listening, providing feedback, dealing with conflict, and
negotiating are critical to a person's success in this new role.

 Robert A. Ruotolo, 1994 www.QuantumPerformance.net

EMPOWERING A TEAM AS A PROCESS

Empowerment is really a gradual process of transition of responsibilities. Rather than just

doing the work, employees increasingly are involved in planning, controlling,
coordinating, and improving the work. As employees take on wider responsibilities the
role of the Team Leader will change. The Team Leader is a critical link in the
development of teams and the empowerment of employees.

Our challenge therefore is to help supervisors to take on this new role of Team Leader
through understanding the nature of their new roles, developing their skills to perform
these new responsibilities and to provide them with support as they make this transition.
Concurrently, it is important to assist team members to understand the changing role of
the supervisor, its impact on all team members, and how each team member can begin
his/her own transition.

Those individuals currently in supervisory positions who may not have either the
willingness or attributes to take on this new role should be re-assigned to positions where
they are better suited to make an individual contribution.

A PROPOSED TRANSITION PATH

Step one is to define the new role of team leader and for management to make a
commitment to adopting this new role and the expectations that surround it. (This white
paper is to be used as a template.)

Step two is to develop an assessment process for people in supervisor roles regarding
their suitability to adopting the new role of Team Leader. This assessment should involve
a self-assessment and then those who feel they are suitable as candidates for the new role
would work with their manager who would use the new performance criteria as a basis
for evaluation.

Step three, each Team Leader with their team, assesses its own stage of development and
draws upon the development curriculum put in place to support the Team Leader and
his/her team.

Step four, a Team Leader support group is established and this group meets regularly as a
support group for their own development to share 'best practices' and 'lessons learned'.

 Robert A. Ruotolo, 1994 www.QuantumPerformance.net

 TEAM LEADER CORE COMPETENCIES (DRAFT)

TEAM BUILDING
This involves knowledge and skill in how teams develop and function and the kinds of
interventions that build team cohesion and facilitate effective teamwork.
• Skilled in empowering - turning over power, information, knowledge, skills,
decisions to others.
• Skilled at listening to people vs. telling people what to do.
• A good role model as a leader - modeling the behavior they want others to do.
• A visible leader - one who is available to people.
• Open, honest and perceived by others as trustworthy.
• Can accept negative criticism and sees some mistakes as necessary learning.
• Encourages risk taking.
• Promotes teamwork.
• Is flexible - open to new ideas and other ways of doing things.
• Celebrates progress - gives positive reinforcement, rewards and recognition to team
members.

PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT
This involves knowledge and skills in areas like coaching and training. It is important for
Team leaders to have an appreciation for individual differences and to be able to provide
people with specific meaningful feedback.
• Skilled in coaching and instructing - excited by other people learning and growing.
• Skilled at listening to people vs. telling people what to do.
• A good role model as a leader - modeling the behavior they want others to do.
• Motivates others through his/her demeanor - enthusiasm, excitement, vision of what
the team can become.
• Constantly learning.
• Reinforces and rewards positive behaviors.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
Being able to work with teams on performance management issues. This involves
helping teams to develop measures of their performance, assist them in setting
improvement goals, providing performance feedback, facilitating problem solving and
corrective action, and providing recognition to afford team member accomplishments.
• Skilled at asking what can we do differently and better.
• Able to solve problems on the spot instead of just passing them up or down.
• Does the right thing.
• Is customer and employee driven.
• Is flexible - open to new ideas and better ways of doing things.
• Skilled at conflict management and resolution.

 Robert A. Ruotolo, 1994 www.QuantumPerformance.net

BOUNDARY MANAGEMENT
This involves linking the team to the wider organization. It requires knowledge of the
organization's resources and processes and group communications skills to help resolve
issues between work groups.
• Focuses on removing barriers across functions that hinder front line people:
eliminates excessive procedures.
• Understands potential problem analysis - skilled at conflict management and conflict
resolution.

ATTRIBUTES
Contained within the above competencies are a number of behavioral attributes that
predispose an individual to being a team leader. These attributes are a part of a person's
character development - they are reflected in an individual's attitudes and motives that
support behaviors. These attributes are:
• See themselves as facilitators of front-line people rather than decision-makers and
rule enforcers.
• Excited by other people's learning and growing.
• Sees their jobs as almost totally people oriented.
• Encourages risk taking.
• Loves change - sees it as an opportunity.
• Has a belief that self-directed work teams is the right way to go even though "we
don't have all the answers".
• Respects people.
• Trusts people.

The above is the first draft a developing a core competency profile for the role of team
leader. There is a need for much more refinement of the above but, at least directionally,
it provides us with a guide in the self-assessment process and the selection process of
supervisors to team leaders. It also can provide a foundation to put together
developmental training that is required for people to develop this knowledge
and skill base to be able to function effectively in the new paradigm.

 Robert A. Ruotolo, 1994 www.QuantumPerformance.net