Management Principles for Supervision

 

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Principles related to directing and control are directly related to supervision. But principles of planning, organizing and resourcing are no less relevant.

Principles of Directing

Related to the Purpose of Directing

Principle of harmony of objectives

    Effective directing depends on the extent to which individual objectives in cooperative activity are harmonized with group objectives.

Principles  Applicable to Process of directing

Principle of unity of command

    The more completely an individual has a reporting relationship to a single superior, the less the problem of conflict in instructions and the greater the feeling of personal responsibility for results.

Principle of direct supervision

    Effective direction requires that management supplement objective methods of supervision with direct personal contact.

Principle of supervisory techniques

    Since people, tasks, and organizational environment vary, techniques of supervision will be most effective if appropriately varied.

Principles of Delegation

Principle of functional delegation

    The more a position or department has clear definitions of results expected, activities to be undertaken, organization authority delegated, and authority and informational relationships with other positions, the more adequately individuals responsible can contribute toward accomplishing enterprise objectives.

Principle of delegation by results expected

    The authority delegated to an individual managers should be adequate to assure his ability to accomplish the results expected of him.

Principle of absoluteness of responsibility

    No superior can escape, through delegation, responsibility for the activities of subordinates, for it is he who delegated authority and assigned duties.

Principle of parity of authority and responsibility

    The authority delegated has to be consistent with the responsibility assigned to a subordinate.

Principles of Control

Related to the purpose of control

Principle of assurance of objective

    The task of control is to assure accomplishment of objectives by detecting potential or actual deviation from plans early enough to permit effective corrective action.

Principle of efficiency of controls

    The more control approaches and techniques detect and illuminate the causes of potential or actual deviations from plans with the minimum of costs or other unsought consequences, the more efficient these controls will be.

Principle of control responsibility

    The primary responsibility for the exercise of control rests in the manager charged with the execution of plans.

Principle of direct control

    The higher the quality of managers and their subordinates, the less will be the need for indirect controls.

(The principle may termed as principle of reduced controls. A superior can spend less time in control activities if he has more higher quality managers and their subordinates in his department.)

Principles related to Structure of control

Principle of reflection of plans

    The more controls are designed to deal with and reflect the specific nature and structure of plans, the more effective they will serve the interests of the enterprises and its managers.

Principle of organizational suitability

The more controls are designed to reflect the place in the organization structure where responsibility for action lies, the more they will facilitate correction of deviation of events from plans.

Principle of individuality of controls

    Controls have to be consistent with the position, operational responsibility, competence, and needs of the individuals who have to interpret the control measures and exercise control. 

Process of control

Principle of standards

    Effective control requires objective, accurate, and suitable controls.

Principle of critical-point control

    Effective control requires attention to those factors critical to appraising performance against an individual plan.

The exception Principle

    The more a manager concentrates his control on exceptions, the more efficient will be the results of this control.

Principle of flexibility of controls

    If controls are to remain effective despite failure or unforeseen changes in plans, flexibility is required in the design of controls.

Principle of action

Principle of Action

    Control is justified only if indicated or experienced deviations from plans are corrected through appropriate planning, organizing, staffing and directing.

References

Harold Koontz and Cyril O’Donnell, Principles of Management: An Analysis of Managerial Functions,  4th Ed., McGraw-Hill, New York, 1968

Harold Koontz and Cyril O’Donnell, Principles of Management: An Analysis of Managerial Functions, 2nd  Ed., McGraw-Hill, New York, 1959