Education: Supervising and Managing
Education can take many forms and modes of instruction, including continuing education or professional development. Some types of education are arrived at empirically in the guise—more often than not—of practical, on-the-job experience. Arguably, this type of knowledge acquisition is the primary conduit for the instruction of first-time supervisors or novice managers. To be sure, much has been written about the role of supervisor to the point, in fact, that a wealth of free tips and advice can easily be unearthed on the Internet for anyone seeking to conduct even the most superficial search on the topic. However, the only tried-and-true method of obtaining a certifiable education in this complex undertaking is by actually donning the supervisory hat and wearing it.
Supervisors must engage and must oversee different (and sometimes opposing!) personalities. Indeed, supervisors can be taxed with directing those who are more knowledgeable than themselves, those who are less mature than themselves, those who are older than themselves, those who are more educated than themselves, those who are less professional than themselves, those who are more skilled than themselves, those who are less punctual than themselves, and…the list goes on and on.
For the health sciences librarian involved in managing professionals and their paraprofessional counterparts, professional development is oftentimes a struggle for both staff and supervisor alike. In the realm of academic health sciences librarianship, for instance, professional development is an ongoing objective to enhance and to augment skill sets, especially in a day and age when maintaining relevance with constituents is key. While many library budgets are somewhat stagnant, career enhancement opportunities abound.
What are some questions a new supervisor might ask at the most basic level? Well, they might ask themselves what is the support framework for professional development at play in the workplace? What, if any, are the separate levels of professional development for employees? What is the chain of administrative authority in the approval process for professional development requests? Is there a request form available to supervisors and to employees to facilitate the approval process?
Authors Caroline Osborne, Carol Watson, and Amy Eaton look at how supervisors can empower subordinates in their professional growth efforts toward success in the article, “Securing Professional Development: Getting to Yes” [1]. While exploring motives and standards for green lighting certain professional development appeals, the writers discuss professional development from differing standpoints. For the supervisor, the authors stress clarity and clear boundaries. According to the trio, it is vital that supervisors establish a set of guidelines and rules for funding as well as for employee leave or official time off.
In the course of the article, the authors tout professional development goals that align with the mission and the objectives of the employer or the overarching organization. The authors also emphasize the role of the professional organization in evaluating requests. If, for example, the job culture encourages a librarian to belong to a professional association or group, the standards of that group are significant to the employer and, therefore, to the supervisor when called upon to underwrite a professional development opportunity for staff.
Furthermore, the authors encourage supervisors to get involved in real and meaningful ways to assist staff in achieving their professional development agendas. Creating and providing employees with a checklist for cost-saving actions and benefits is just one idea floated in the article. Another is guest speakers in the workplace and “lean library” events. Although professional development can be a challenge at the best of times, these authors prove that with some imagination it can be done in spirit and in deed!
Reference
- Osborne CL, Watson CA, Eaton AJ. Securing professional development: getting to yes. AALL Spectrum. 2018 Jan/Feb;22(3):14–8. (Available from: <https://www.aallnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/AALL-Spectrum-JanFeb18_WEB-FINAL_030818.pdf>. [cited 29 Oct 2020].)