Looking for the Limits of Authority

When you accepted the position as supervisor of a housekeeping team, your manager, June Arnold, the assistant director of building services, told you that you would not find a great deal of decision-making guidance written out in policy and procedure form. As June put it, "Common sense is the overriding policy." However, June cautioned you about the need to see her concerning matters involving employee discipline because the organization was presently sensitive to union organizing overtures in the service areas.

Early in your 3rd week on the job there was an occurrence that seemed to call for routine disciplinary action. Remembering June's precaution, you tried to see her several times over a period of 3 days. Being unable to get to her and getting no response to the messages you left, you went ahead and took action rather than risk credibility through procrastination. When you were finally able to see June and explain what you had done, she said, "No big deal. Common sense, like I said."

Some weeks later a similar situation arose. Again you could not get to June, and again you took what you believed to be appropriate action, but this time the problem involved an employee you later learned was a strong informal leader within a contingent of generally dissatisfied employees. The disciplinary action blew up in your face and provided the active union organizers with an issue they immediately inflated for their purposes. June was furious with you. She accused you of intentionally overstepping your authority by failing to bring such problems to her attention as instructed.

Instructions

1. Explain how you would go about trying to establish the true limits of your decision-making authority.
2. Because the limits of your authority are ultimately those limits set by your manager, the aforementioned June, develop a possible approach to getting June to help you define the limits of your authority.