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“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” – Peter Drucker
Ever wondered if "supervisor" and "manager" are just interchangeable?
If you said yes, you are not alone. But understanding the key differences between a supervisor and a manager is vital for career planning and seeing the big picture in an organization.
Supervisors and managers play vital roles in organization success. They are usually the authority-level managers who strategically ensure that an organization runs like a well-oiled machine.
By delegation, they form part of a management structure and are responsible for the day-to-day running of the organization, usually working in collaboration. This way, they act as an important feedback mechanism for the CEO.
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Supervisors are professionals who are part of company management, monitoring performance and activities of a team under their supervision.
An example of a supervisor is an individual tasked in the customer support department ensuring that employees report on time, meet their daily quota, and training new employees, among other tasks.
Supervisors work closely with a team of subordinates and collaborates with managers to achieve company goals. A supervisor pays attention to individuals on their team and can help leverage their reports' top skills to improve the department's performance.
Fun fact: the average supervisor salary in the United States is $47,676
Usually, supervisors start as employees and eventually get promoted to supervise their departments. They deliver well on their jobs and have a record of exceeding expectations, thus making them deserve advancement.
Supervisor responsibilities can include:
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A manager is a professional who is part of a company or organization executive level and makes essential decisions – essentially managing – to meet set objectives.
An example of a manager is an individual who manages all aspects of a whole department's budget and reports to the CEO or a vice president monthly. A manager has to balance the internal focus of the department with the external focus necessary to coordinate and collaborate with senior management.
They are stakeholders higher than the supervisor and the regular employees and are in control and have the authority to administer across larger parts of the business. They deal with the majority of the company's resources, including the standard operating procedures, the system, workers, finances, inventory, and supplies. Managers may work with several supervisors to develop training or influence growth.
Fun fact: the average salary of a manager in the United States is $58,651.
Managers represent their entire division. They make final decisions on the recruitment and termination of employees. A manager's primary strategic role is to ensure that all the company's resources are utilized efficiently and effectively to decrease production costs and general expenditures in contrast to revenue. Just like a supervisor, a manager level can also be achieved through promotion, but some companies also offer this to external parties.
A manager's job duties can include:
A managerial position differs depending on the department's director. They include the general manager, human resource manager, operation manager, finance manager, and marketing manager. Managers meet the needs of senior leadership as well as those the manage. New managers should prioritize getting to know the team as well as the business as a whole.
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Supervisors and managers can have similarities, but distinct differences are evident in salary structure, task alignment, significant duties, and management level. Understanding these will illuminate the key differences between these two positions. The roles differ in the following ways:
Managers will have significantly more responsibility and authority than supervisors. This is because being a manager is considered an executive-level role.
Supervisors have more authority over their direct staff members or reports because they work directly with them. However, they are unlikely to have much influence across the company as a whole. They will also answer to other staff members, such as managers. Effective supervisors are able to navigate the chain of command while supporting their reports. Over time, they may take on more responsibilities as their team grows.
Supervisors are often answerable to someone who holds a managerial role. A manager will answer to those who have more senior executive positions.
Supervisors evaluate employee performance, identifies those performing well, and recommends them to the manager for rewards. In contrast, a manager does individual tasks, develops protects and policies for rewarding quality workers, assesses the supervisor's recommendation, and makes a final decision on the outcome.
Managers develop programs and targets for employee training and the supervisor thus implements training in alignment with objectives managers need to prioritize. For example, consider a scenario where a marketing department manager decides to train employees on a new marketing strategy.
In this situation, the supervisor conducts the activities needed to carry out the training smoothly, ensuring the workers understand the new process and can adopt it within the training deadline set by the supervisor in consultation with the manager the supervisor reports to.
Both the supervisor and the manager are responsible for maintaining quality standards. Quality standards include ensuring that the business environment is suitable and employee morale is always high.
The supervisor works directly with the team, using their leadership skills to build employee morale. In contrast, the manager works in the background, assessing employee morale and setting standards for improving confidence.
Supervisors tend to be the first point of contact for their subordinates and clients who wish to speak to a company representative. The supervisor will evaluate the interaction with the employee or customer and forward any concerns to the manager.
Leadership skills are essential for both roles, but each leadership position has different job duties. While a supervisor resolves conflicts between employees, motivates them, and directs them on day-to-day tasks, a manager sets policies for workplace behavior, develops employee engagement programs, and creates communication channels.
A supervisor plans short-term activities, such as delegating tasks like shift duties, based on the manager's long-term plans. Therefore, a manager's strategy guides the supervisor's plans.
Supervisors develop materials to review employee performance and forward the report to the manager. The manager then evaluates the materials and creates manager reports on overall staff performance and works on developing systems maintaining or improving employee skills for the benefit of the team and business.
The manager formulates and develops company policies and procedures with their superiors, while the supervisors help managers implement them.
Although both parties will have a certain amount of influence, managers usually have more impact on desired outcomes than supervisors.
A supervisor influences the team they supervise. A manager is likely to affect a broader range of elements. For instance, managers will often be involved in the recruitment processes, issues that occur within the workplace, and any disciplinary action required.
It is also likely that a manager will be consulted in decision-making processes relating to setting targets for departments and the company. They may also be included in meetings to discuss areas where the company is performing well and areas that need to be improved.
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Although supervisors and managers differ in some instances, there are some similarities. These are divided into the following;
Both roles have more formal authority than other employees. Consumers and customers also view them as being in a position of power.
In small businesses, supervisors and managers could hold a similar degree of authority, although this can vary significantly depending on how a company chooses to differentiate between roles and responsibilities.
The supervisor and the manager possess the leadership and interpersonal skills required to manage people. They are expected to handle a group of people, ensuring high motivation and morale.
The degree of people management will vary depending on their role, the company culture, and size.
Both roles have a higher level of responsibility than employees who don't occupy official positions. The details of their duties depends on the organization or the individual job descriptions.
Each is responsible for managing change and ensuring they can handle expectations set to achieve long-term profits.
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As part of leadership development, you might be required to be either a manager, supervisor, or both. Understanding the intricate differences between responsibilities supervisors and managers have is vital when learning how to delegate tasks, resolve conflict, or boost a team's performance.
At Highrise, we have the tools to assist you in this journey to creating bigger impact, including improving self-awareness, communication, conflict resolution, and the developing the right leadership behaviors to achieve goals and take your professional development to the next level.
Sign up today to get started.
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