Episode Summary
In today’s episode of the Safety of Work podcast, hosts Drew Rae and David Provan examine the attributes of effective supervision through analysis of McPherson, L., Federico, M., & McNamara, P. (2016). “Safety as a Fifth Dimension in Supervision: Stories from the Frontline” published in Australian Social Work. The study, focused on child and family practice supervision, provides valuable insights into supervisory relationships that can be applied broadly to safety management. Through interviews with 10 practitioners and 10 supervisors, the research identifies eight core themes including safety, emotional support, learning and growth, and leadership behaviors.
Episode Notes
The discussion challenges traditional views of supervision by emphasizing the importance of psychological safety and predictable relationships between supervisors and workers. Through analysis of interviews with both supervisors and supervisees, the research highlights how effective supervision requires balancing organizational needs with worker support while maintaining clear boundaries and expectations. The findings suggest that organizations should focus on developing explicit supervision models that promote both technical expertise and relationship skills.
Discussion Points:
- (00:00) Introduction – what makes an effective supervisor?
- (02:29) Narrowing research focus, specific industry context
- (06:07) Introduction to the research paper and authors’ backgrounds
- (09:46) The literature review’s structure and key findings
- (22:12) Research methodology, interview approach, eight core themes, Theme 1: Safety and establishing predictable relationships
- (26:00) Theme 2-3: Emotional impact of work and learning/growth
- (35:45) Theme 4-5: Leadership behaviors and integrity/justice
- (42:12) Theme 6-7: Balancing supervision functions and organizational processes
Takeaways:
- The answer to our question: What are the attributes of an effective supervisor? The answer is, everything you expect, but with a new emphasis on the safety and predictability of that relationship.
Quotes:
“There is a ton of safety research which says that frontline supervision – that direct relationship between a team leader and the people they’re supervising – is really, really important for safety.” – Drew Rae
“Supervision is a really important aspect of safety and safety management.” – David Provan
“Power is inherent in these relationships… Supervisors don’t have a lot of formal power, so the supervisor themselves often won’t feel that they have power at all.” – Drew Rae
“This is not an exploratory study. This is a properly conducted piece of high quality, qualitative research, and I think it does draw novel insights.” – Drew Rae
Resources:
Safety as a Fifth Dimension in Supervision: Stories from the Frontline