means examining whether independence is used correctly and ideally whether there
is enough of it. To avoid friction, it is best to perform supervision in the form of an
institutionalized self-check, though doing so still does not completely do away with
the need for supervision on the part of the manager.
Too much supervision can create a climate of distrust and resistance, thus
causing an enormous waste of time and money. Malik suggests minimizing super-
vision and situations involving monitoring to a bare minimum. When it is possible,
one should work with statistically valid samples and concentrate on meaningful
parameters for quality assurance. In addition, systemic supervision must ensure that
problems are recognized as early as possible. Supervision must always be related to
the individual employee. Developing a style of using supervision to assist each
employee is similar to developing a unique communication style for each of them.
Each employee, from veteran to rookie, must be approached differently. I would
like to add that good supervision and good leadership can be effectively used to
administer the self-check method and also to lead by asking questions. Note, too,
that effective questions should not be limited to the management; all employees
should also have the right to ask questions.
Fifth Task: Developing the Potential of Your Staff
People are the most important aspect of the organization. Therefore, managers have
the important task of cultivating and developing the potential of their employees.
“Even the best human resource management team cannot replace the educational
and development work performed by managers in an organization” (Malik 2001,
pp. 247–263). Like many others I have my problems with the term “educational
work” here, because it is the task of parents and teachers to educate young people,
not that of managers. Employees are not children and should not be treated as if
they were. Employees have experience in their specialization and may very well
have more detailed knowledge than their superiors. Further, everything concerning
employees has to happen on an individual level, not the level of the group. The
organization is ideally a learning environment for employees in the sense that it
gives them opportunities to learn and grow. Even if at school, all children are
essentially forced to learn in the same way, as adults each will find his or her
preferred style, which may be: learning by listening, learning by doing, by observ-
ing or by reading. Some learn more from mistakes and some more from successes.
Many upper-level management development programs forget the important point
that everyone learns in a different way. Malik states four substantial elements that
must be considered by the management with regard to the development of their
employees: the task, existing strengths, the superiors and the placement. To me this
point is also important because of human nature. Individuals have the ability to
develop further, and they also need suggestions, chances, challenges and
alternatives. They must leave their comfort zone in order to learn and discover
new talents.
In a society of constant change and ever-shorter innovative cycles, people are no
longer staying on the job, understanding and practicing the same activity time and
again. Operational sequences and authority structures change, companies and
38 2 Occupation or Calling: What Makes for Good Leadership?