The Impact of Supervisor-Supervisee Relationship on Organisational Job Performance: An Analysis of the South African Government Employee Relations

Abstract

The relationship between supervisors and their subordinates is crucial in determining attainment of organisational goals. Supervisors have a responsibility of assisting organisations to meet their goals, since they are the front drivers of employee job satisfaction. Skilled supervisors assist organisations in meeting their goals, as they are able to clarify organisational goals, manage workplace relationships and motivate employees, set targets and time frames for the achievement of goals. It is thus important that supervisors have the necessary job and people skills. A positive perception of supervisors by junior employees goes a long way in ensuring the achievement of organisational goals through performance management systems. This paper is a desktop analysis of the role of supervisor-supervisee relationships and the impact of such relationships on job performance and the achievement of organisational goals. The results of this study indicate that unskilled supervisors have a negative impact on employees job satisfaction and are costly to organisations as they negatively affect organisational goals.