Explanation



Provision of information that clarifies what the supervisor wants or why. It may consist of facts, reasoning or know-how. An "irrational" variant can resemble humoring.


Ex.: “If you don’t show up on time, it makes life tougher on me and the rest of the crew here.  We are faced with either sitting on our hands until you come or going out there one picker short.”

“If you use the same towel on different animals, it could easily pass disease from one to the other.  That hurts our cows, our production, and our chances of staying in business.”

“You have to prune above the second node to optimize vine vigor as well as next year’s growth.  And if you leave too much, we’ll get a lousy crop next year.”

Pros & Cons
Explanation
, rationally provided, usually expresses respect and opens discussion.  It can be a simple fix for problems caused by workers not knowing what, why, or how.  If lack of information or understanding is not the issue, however, explanation is not a good remedy.  Explanations that are not needed are often taken as condescending.  If needed but ineffectively provided, they frustrate both giver and receiver.

Work situations where this 
response is demonstrated:

Poor Quality Work


Sleeping on the Job


Careless Work

 


Back to Top