Successful Supervision and Leadership

Ensuring High-Performance Outcomes Using the PASE™ Model

Tracey Harris

• Publisher: Productivity Press
• Year: 2020
• Topic: Business
• eBook ISBN:
  9780429603549
• Subtopic: Human Resource Management
• Index: Business

Around the world, hundreds of thousands of supervisors and leaders provide coaching, supervision and leadership to staff every day of the year, yet the majority of supervisors have never attended formal training about how to be an effective supervisor and leader. The majority of supervisors do not refresh their skills, knowledge and capabilities to remain up to date or evaluate their supervisory practice regularly.

Supervision is fundamental to ensure that employees meet the requirements of their role, feel supported and valued, and engage in ongoing growth and development. When supervision is effective, it reduces stress, fatigue and burnout. Supervision ensures that employees reflect on their work to maintain high performance and it supports well-being as a professional.

This latest book is an essential guide for experienced supervisors and leaders. It is a comprehensive book demonstrating how to provide effective supervision and leadership in the modern workplace. It assists leaders to understand the industrial and ethical context in which supervision is provided, how to evaluate the effectiveness of supervision, and shows supervisors and leaders the specific capabilities that are necessary to be a quality leader and supervisor.

This book is a must-read for any supervisor or leader who wants to provide effective supervision and leadership. Each chapter provides valuable information and the latest research on supervision with reflective questions to guide supervisors in their thinking and learning about supervision.

Chapter 1

Organisational Supervision Frameworks

Key focus for this chapter

• The importance of organisational frameworks for supervision
• The principles of an organisational framework
• Minimum standards
• The CAPES organisational framework
• Supervision practice guidelines
• Supervision policy frameworks

Introduction

Professional supervision is fundamental to reflecting on practice and ensuring organisational requirements are met. It supports staff to develop a framework for their professional identity and to feel appreciated and supported in their role (Milne, 2007). Supervision is a professional activity that ensures quality services are provided to clients with identified outcomes. Many organisations see the importance of supervision and provide staff with the opportunity to engage regularly with a qualifiedand well-trained supervisor. Despite this, many supervisors have neither attended formal supervision training, nor do they receive supervision. When supervisors attend training and engage in their own supervision on a regular basis, they are better equipped to showcase their skills and knowledge (capability framework) in a way that enables the supervisees to continue to grow and develop in their professional role (O’Donoghue & Tsui, 2017).

Supervision offers a well-structured process that allows the supervisee to critically analyse their practice in a way that cannot be undertaken in any other forum. This is particularly important where a professional is semi or fully autonomous in their role, and is required to work in complex situations. It allows them to continue to develop their skills and knowledge base in a way that contributes to their own and their colleagues practice. It also encourages supervisees to evoke organisational processes that are committed to continuous improvement (Lencioni, 2012).

Organisational Frameworks

For supervision to be valued and understood, it is important that organisations or businesses have a well-developed organisational framework that espouses key components to form a holistic way of approaching supervision. Having an organisational framework that supervisors consider in their supervisory practice provides a clear message that supervision is a crucial part of supporting professional practice. It also provides a message to all staff across the organisation that taking time out regularly to explore all aspects of their role is the most effective way to perform the role well. An organisational framework needs to be clear and concise, easy to transfer into practice and has a shared language framework that everyone understands (Egan, 2012). It also needs to relate to relevant policies and guidelines and how the organisation communicates its message. When key organisational frameworks and supervision relate to each other, everyone in the organisation can value the role that supervision plays and take it seriously. This will ensure that staff participate more readily, are better prepared for supervision discussions and provide more accurate feedback about how effective it is (Falender & Shafranske, 2017; Lencioni, 2012).

Principles

Developing and implementing an effective organisational framework for supervision needs sound principles that ensure everyone in the organisational environment knows what a framework means, what it can deliver and how to incorporate it into their practice. The following principles provide an overview on the development of an organisational framework for supervision. It needs to be simple to use yet sophisticated enough in its conceptualisation that demonstrates a sense of organisational capability.

The principles of an effective organisational framework include the following:

• Clearly relating the framework to key aspects of the organisation’s business such as position descriptions, the organisation’s strategy, annual review process, vision, policy framework and governance processes;
• Ensuring that staff are aware of the relevance of the framework and how it relates to supervision;
• Making it interactive and relational across all roles in the organisation;
• Ensuring it offers a collaborative language framework for all staff to value supervision and
• Having a framework that demonstrates its generic intent, yet it is specific to relate to each supervisee’s role.

The CAPES Framework

Developing an organisational framework is more effective when staff can refer to a visual representation of what the framework looks like and what it is intended to deliver. It is important to meet different learning styles in the organisational environment and therefore having a visual is helpful for the staff to follow.

The CAPES (Communication & Language, Attitudinal Positioning, Partnering & Relationships, Excellence in Practice, Skills & Capabilities) framework developed by Harris (2018) is an organisational framework that guides the way supervision is understood and provided across the organisational landscape. The CAPES framework is central to organisational policy in order for all parties to understand the key components supervision is built upon. The framework incorporates five elements:

1. (C) Knowing the appropriate communication and language in supervision to guide the supervisee in their practice;
2. (A) Knowing what attitudinal positioning is and how mindset, professional identity and qualities play an essential role in the supervisory process and relationship;
3. (P) Seeing supervision as a relational partnership between the supervisor and supervisee. Understanding the importance of developing a positive and productive relationship that demonstrates a partnership approach;
4. (E) Understanding the fundamental role of supervision to ensure that excellence and best practice occur. The framework provides an overview of what excellence in practice is and how it is demonstrated through supervision and
5. (S) Provides an overview of the range of required skills and competencies the supervisor is to demonstrate to ensure their supervisory practice enhances supervision outcomes.

The CAPES framework is overviewed in Visual 1.1.

Visual 1.1 CAPES framework.

The CAPES framework incorporates the following:

• C Communication & Language
• A Attitudinal Positioning
• P Partnerships & Relationships
• E Excellence in Practice
• S Skills & Competencies

C – Communication & Language

Communication and language in supervision can influence the outcome of the supervision process, lead to better practice outcomes, provide guidance to the supervisee and change the course of a discussion. The use of language in supervision enhances the conversation, refuels the supervisee and impacts on mindset. The use of particular language and style of communication by the supervisor can also support and validate the supervisee’s decision-making process. When a supervisor is well versed in different communication styles and knows how to effectively use words and language, the supervisee can feel confident in the supervisor’s ability to perform the role. Supervisors need to understand how words and language impact the brain’s emotional centre (i.e., flight, fight and freeze), and can evoke different responses from the supervisee in different situations (Farmer, 2009).

A – Attitudinal Positioning

Attitudinal positioning demonstrates how both parties in supervision present and engage with each other, what their mindset is like and what position they take with each other through their values. Having attitudinal positioning requires high-level insight, reflection and professional maturity. Being able to position oneself in a positive way, in respect and consideration of the other person, is a desirable quality in a professional supervisor. Understanding how cognitive and decision-making biases impact the supervisory role is another crucial skill for supervisors to utilise. We all hold different beliefs and biases, so understanding these assist the supervisory relationship to be purposeful and meaningful (Farmer, 2009).

P – Partnerships & Relationships

Supervision is a highly relational activity. Having the ability to develop, maintain and end relationships positively is an important part of an organisational framework for supervision. This requires knowledge about humanism, how relationships form and end, and the importance of any rela...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Author
• Introduction
• 1 Organisational Supervision Frameworks
• 2 Developing a Professional Excellence Framework
• 3 The Contextual Nature of Supervision
• 4 The Importance of Supervision Models
• 5 The Ethical and Industrial Context of Supervision
• 6 The Art of Reflection in Supervision
• 7 The Neuroscience of Supervision
• 8 Evaluating Supervision for Effective Outcomes
• 9 Supervising Student Placements
• 10 Providing Supervision in a Cultural Context
• 11 The Feedback Loop
• 12 Supervision Experiences
• References
• Index