The next step is to consider personnel assignments, space assignment, and available equipment to perform the tasks. Flexibility Planning must be flexible because sometimes the best of plans have to be revised. When a system fails to work as efficient y as you had expected, then you should make a change. Supervisors should always be alert and observe how their plans are working and readjust where necessaary. You should also observe changes in function, personnel, or working conditions and modify those plans accordingly. On the other hand, frequent reorganization of procedures usually indicates faulty original planning and may reflect unfavorably on your competence as a supervisor. Your subordinates may recognize this fault and resent having to move office furniture or perform other tasks of reorganization simply because you did not plan properly in the first place. ORGANIZATION The fact that your organization may be relatively simple in structure does not diminish in any way the importance of having a clear and well-balanced structure. Individuals should know what is expected of them and what authority they have. This does not mean that your personnel should not be expected to help each other from time to time or that you cannot reassign them as required. It merely furnishes an established and generally understood system of operation. Duties and Responsibilities You should make sure that everyone understands their assigned duties and what you expect him or her to accomplish, You are responsible to provide training to those persons new to the job. After providing the training, observe the operation until you are sure your directions are understood and are being carried out. Remember the principle of matching authority with responsibility. When you put a petty officer in charge of a specific assignment, make sure you also inform the personnel who perform the tasks involved. Be explicit about the authority you give to someone and make sure that the individual does not overstep that authority. Everyone is briefed at basic training about the chain of command. This important element should continue throughout your career, and as a supervisor, you should make sure everyone in your charge is aware of the chain of command in your section. When you assign duties, you should give similar or related tasks to the same person. The proper combination of duties not only speeds operations by eliminating wasted motion, but also improves accuracy. Work Assignments All AKs are expected to be able to perform the duties of their rating at the rate level they hold. This uniformity is a necessary condition to naval organization. However, this should not prevent you from considering that each individual may have special talents and preferences. A good supervisor determines what each individual can do best and what each one enjoys well enough to put forth extra effort into performing the task. This pays dividends in quantity and quality of work and also increases morale. The workload should be divided fairly. The uneven distribution of workloads tend to lower morale and create bottlenecks. Review each person’s workload to make sure that everyone is performing his or her fair share. Sometimes an individual who seems to be overloaded may need some guidance on how to organize the work better or how to speed up routine operations. COMMAND The element of command basically means to take charge. The results of your area of responsibility depend upon the actions you take and how well you carry out your assignment. Decisions One of the most significant indications of command is the power to make decisions. The individual exercising command not only is allowed to make decisions, but is expected to make them. As a supervisor, you must learn what types of decisions are within your responsibility. You must then exercise sufficient self-discipline to make those decisions necessary and to abide by the consequences. It is a serious mistake to try to make decisions that are beyond your authority, but it is equally serious to refuse to stand up to your responsibilities when decisions are required of you. Coordination Coordination is the effort that ties work functions together to make the operation run smoothly. Even 1-9