Managing Up Strategies for Cultivating Effective

Supervisor RelationshipsMichelle Armstrong

Head of Data Management and Scholarly CommunicationsAlbertsons Library – Boise State University

michellearmstrong1@boisestate.eduhttps://works.bepress.com/michelle_armstrong/

The Issue

Why is the supervisor - employee r elationship so challenging?

1

There is a power differential in the supervisor-employee relationship.

People are miserable when the supervisor-employee relationship is dysfunctional.

There is limited discussion and research around the topic of managing up.

“A few realities

about leading that we don’t usually

talk about.

Your boss has a boss.In most cases, supervisors are also employees and deal with the same kind of

pressures of being an employee that you do.

Your boss is a human being and has human emotions and flaws.Supervisors are just as susceptible to things like insecur ity, making mistakes, and

being preoccupied with problems outside of work.

You and your boss have different perspectives.

Your focus may be on your performance and place within the organizat ion, while your supervisor ’s focus is on the organization and the resources it needs to function.

Your boss may know everything about your job or nothing about your job.

A supervisor ’s professional background will influence how they interact with you.

Your boss is not a mind reader.

It can be difficult to communicate with your supervisor for a var iety of reasons, which can be frustrating for you, but it can also leave them with an information gap.

How does managing up help?

2

How does managing up help?

◈ Managing up changes your exper ience within the or ganization.

◈ M anaging up incr eases your self- efficacy and psychological capital.

◈ M anaging up helps change the or ganization itself.

“Employees with high psychological capital

performed better at their job. ~ Avey, et al. (2011)

“High-quality supervisor-employee relationships are positively correlated with

employee job satisfaction.” ~ Stringer (2006)

How do you manage up?

3

Build trust

Learn about your supervisor’s leadership and management style

◈ What is their professional background? Training? Expert ise?◈ Ar e ther e r ace, gender , age or other demogr aphic factor s that influence their management

style?◈ W hat’s their communication style like? E mail, meetings (str uctur ed or infor mal?),

inter per sonal communication?◈ W hat per for mance factor s do they car e about? C ustomer ser vice, high number s, employee

satisfaction, completing tasks/ goals, etc.?◈ Do they have an agenda?◈ W hat ar e their str engths? W eaknesses?◈ H ow do they deal with str ess? Set backs? C onflict?◈ W ho do they influence? W hat’s their position in the lar ger or ganization? H ow do other s get

along with them?◈ H ow do they get along with their super visor ?

Care and learn about your organization

◈ What is the organizat ional hierarchy of your library? Can you find an up- to- date or g char t listing all the people and their positions?

◈ W hat is the lar ger or ganization str uctur e that your libr ar y is a par t of?

◈ Ar e ther e guiding documents that pr ovide a lar ger vision and pictur e for your libr ar y?

◈ W hat other gr oups or depar tments does my libr ar y wor k dir ectly with and why?

◈ Ar e ther e inter nal and exter nal oppor tunities available to my or ganization?

◈ W hat is my libr ar y’s budget, how is it or ganized, and who manages or contr ols that budget?

Make things easier.

Check your

attitude.

Don’t try to game the system.

Manage yourself

“

Use your words wisely!

Success

Improve your own manager ial per for mance.

Become your own best advocate

Care about and develop your career plan.

Think strategically to solve problems.

Be smart about

unethical, illegal,

dangerous, or mean behavior.

Any questions?

4

In conclusion…

5

Resources

◈ Arneson, S. (20 14). What your boss really wants from you: 15 insights to improve your relationship. San Francisco: Berrett- K oehler Publishers. ◈ Avey, J. B., Reichard, R. J., Luthans, F., & M hatre, K . H . (20 11). M eta‐analysis of the impact of positive psychological capital on employee attitudes, behaviors, and

performance. Human resource development quar ter ly, 22(2), 127- 152.◈ Baldoni, J. (20 10 ). Lead your boss: The subtle ar t of managing up. New York: AM AC O M .◈ Barnett, T . (20 0 6). Leadership T heor ies and Studies. In M . M . H elms (E d.), E ncyclopedia of M anagement (5th ed., pp. 445- 450 ). Detroit: G ale. Retr ieved from

http:/ / go.galegroup.com/ ps/ i.do?id=G ALE %7C C X344630 0 155&v=2.1&u=bois91825&it=r&p=G VRL&sw=w&asid=d0 a42f79285ad77a5b5addcab268fedf◈ Boccialetti, G . (1995). It takes two: Managing yourself when working with bosses and other author i ty figures. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass.◈ Burr is, E . R. (20 12). T he r isks and rewards of speaking up: M anager ial responses to employee voice. Academy of Management Journal, 55(4), 851- 875.◈ Decker , C ., & Van Q uaquebeke, N . (20 15). G etting Respect from a Boss You Respect: H ow Different T ypes of Respect Interact to E xplain Subordinates’ Job

Satisfaction as M ediated by Self- Determination. Journal of Business Ethics, 131(3), 543- 556.◈ G eertshuis, S. A., M orr ison, R. L ., & C ooper- T homas, H . D. (20 15). I t’s Not W hat You Say, I t’s T he W ay T hat You Say I t T he M ediating E ffect of Upward

Influencing C ommunications on the Relationship Between Leader- M ember E xchange and Performance Ratings. International Journal of Business Communication, 52(2), 228- 245.

◈ G rant, A. M ., Parker , S., & C ollins, C . (20 0 9). G etting credit for proactive behavior : supervisor reactions depend on what you value and how you feel. Personnel Psychology, 62(1), 31- 55. Retr ieved from http:/ / libproxy.boisestate.edu/ login?ur l=http:/ / search.proquest.com/ docview/ 220 136772?accountid=9649

◈ G rove, A. S. (1987). One- on- one with Andy Grove: How to manage your boss, yourself, and your coworkers. New York: G .P. Putnam's Sons.◈ H uang, J. T . (20 12). Be proactive as empowered? T he role of trust in one's supervisor in psychological empowerment, feedback seeking, and job performance.

Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 42(S1), E 10 3- E 127.◈ M aslow, A. H ., Stephens, D. C ., H eil, G ., & M aslow, A. H . (1998). Maslow on management . New York: John W iley.◈ Str inger , L . (20 0 6). T he link between the quality of the supervisor–employee relationship and the level of the employee's job satisfaction. Public Organization

Review , 6(2), 125- 142.

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