As a new operations supervisor, Clarise Rogers was conscientious about wanting to do a good job and pleasing her boss. She spent a large part of the day watching her employees perform their jobs, moving from one workstation to another. She inquired how things were going and tried to engage in friendly small talk. One day a senior operator asked to see Clarise in her office. The operator said, “We know you mean well, but there's no need for you to be constantly checking up on everybody. We had one of the best departments in this company under Morgan [the previous supervisor], and she stayed off our backs. We're professionals and we don't need somebody constantly looking over our shoulders. We're going to do a good job for you. Just give us some breathing space.”

Answer the following questions:

1. What should Clarise do?

2. Suppose Clarise had just taken over one of the poorest performing departments in the company. Would this make a difference in the control techniques she should use? How?