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Managing the Critical Role of the Warehouse Supervisor
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Managing the Critical Role of the Warehouse Supervisor

Stephen A. LeMay, D. McMahon, J. Periatt and J. Carr
Graziadio Business Review, Vol.10(4)
2007

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Abstract

This article describes the changing role of warehouse supervisors, their competencies, job requirements, and training needs. It presents five key takeaways for managers. The data stems from an original research project conducted by the authors and funded by the former Council of Logistics Management, now the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. The project represented, at the time, the largest grant in the history of the Council and was completed in 1999. The warehouse is a core logistics activity, one that cannot be entirely automated away—at least not in the near future. Warehouse employees' jobs are changing to incorporate more duties once associated with other logistics activities, especially purchasing, inventory control, and customer service. Specifically, warehouse supervisors need detailed knowledge of operating tasks along with significant management skills. Warehouse supervisors' jobs now span organizational levels and are critical to the performance of the logistics and warehouse operation. These changes alter the way firms hire, train, and develop warehouse supervisors. They demand more education, better training, and frequently updated training for the people who take these critical jobs. What firms once neglected or left to chance must now be managed carefully so that these critical members of the logistics team can deliver effective, efficient warehouse performance. These are the people who oversee operations "on the ground." To better understand these changes, the authors undertook a multifunctional, multi-organizational job classification study, the first of its kind. In this study, the researchers took a sample of logistics jobs and established a baseline for evaluating job changes in the future as well as for current job requirements and training needs. Through interviews and additional surveys the authors attempted to put the job classification findings into a broader context. This article focuses on the growth and development of one job family—warehouse supervisors. The article is divided into two parts. The first part features the methodology used in the study, a summary of the key findings and takeaways, and a description of warehouse supervisors, their competencies, job requirements, and training needs. The second part discusses five key findings to consider when developing a training approach. It concludes with a summary of the recommendations.

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