Difference Between Supervisor and Manager

Due to the many similarities in the roles of supervisors and managers, people find it quite difficult to tell the difference between supervisor and manager. At the same time, people often wonder who among them has more authority and the power to hire or fire employees. A supervisor is the head of the team, which places him above the regular employees. The main task to be performed by the supervisor is the supervision of the team under his observation and the completion of the tasks and assignments keeping in mind the time limit. The supervisor is assigned to the lower level management as he has a team of employees working under him. On the other hand, the manager has the middle or upper level management and has hands over all the available resources of the organization. One manager watches over the entire unit, including the supervisor; has authority to hire or fire any employee.

Comparison chart

What is Supervisor?

The supervisor is assigned the lower level management as he has a whole team working under him. You are allowed to make different decisions regarding work management, production, working time and others. Although, the final call in this regard depends on the decision of the managers. The supervisor works together with his team and his subordinates, and supervises them. The supervisor knows each of the employees deeply and knows how to take their job away. In addition to supervising and working together with subordinates, the supervisor motivates his team to do well. In a company or organization there may be several supervisors, who are responsible to the manager and other higher authorities on behalf of the entire team. A supervisor has the authority to make different variations to get the job done within the stipulated time without any convenience. If the team performs well, the supervisor is the most credentialed. The supervisor has excellent skills, an inspiring and friendly attitude towards his workers, at the same time he knows very well how to make the employees in his team more productive.

What is Manager?

The manager is assigned to middle or higher level management. The manager has multiple supervisors working under him or in other words we can say that he is in charge of the whole unit which consists of multiple supervisors and their teams. The manager has in his hands all the available resources of the company or organization. that is, men, money, material, method and machinery. The manager has the authority to introduce different methods to increase productivity or increase office time. For any of the big decisions, the manager gets the trust of the board of directors, although for smaller decisions like time management, use of resources, and hiring, the manager is completely independent in making decisions. Regarding authority, the manager dominates the supervisors, since the supervisor is the head of the team and the manager is the head of the entire unit. The manager himself does not go to work; he is associated with qualities of planning, leadership, organization and motivation.

Key differences

1. The supervisor is assigned to lower level management while the manager is assigned to middle or upper level management.
2. The supervisor works together with his team and his subordinates, and supervises them, while the manager himself does not go to work; he is associated with qualities of planning, leadership, organization and motivation.
3. In terms of authority, the manager dominates the supervisor, since the supervisor is the head of the team and the manager is the head of the entire unit.
4. The supervisor can recommend the manager for the purpose of hiring or firing, while the manager has the full right to hire, fire or promote.
5. The supervisor is accountable to the manager for the performance of his team, while the manager is accountable to the board of directors for the performance of the entire unit.