At Peer-it, we want to create optimal digital supervision. We have talked to leaders in the school sector, health sector, and leading people in supervision. They have shared their opinions on how supervision will be in the future. The school and health sectors are sectors that have been providing supervision for a long time. Supervision is constantly evolving. They come with interesting angles on what will be important in the future with digital supervision.

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Is the supervision of the future fully digital, hybrid, or physical?

The vast majority we talk to do not think that it is lucky to only have physical supervision meetings. In Norway, many live across larger areas. This makes it difficult to communicate only when you see each other. Here you miss a lot of potential communication. I live in a capital city and find it difficult to imagine that I had traveled for 3 hours to complete a supervision session. If you only have physical supervision and have to travel for 3 hours, then it is easy to drop the supervision.

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Those we have spoken to also do not believe in fully digital supervision. By fully digital, we mean online supervision. They do not include physical meetings. There is a lot of important communication that is transferred when we meet physically. With all-digital supervision, some argue that we can lose or misinterpret the silent aspect of communication. That is, the communication you exchange through body language and behavior. Some forms of supervision are also vulnerable. This means that the supervisor and the mentee talk about important topics where the mentee is vulnerable. In such cases, someone argues that you are losing some security by talking to someone online. The participants must be able to be vulnerable and open about difficult topics. For this to happen they must feel safe. Compared to physical meetings, one can not be physically close and supportive in such situations.

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Hybrid supervision

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Hybrid supervision is the form that has received the most positive reactions. This means that the supervision can be digital and physical. You can, for example, enter preparations digitally, but carry out the meeting physically. You can also conduct some meetings over the video, and others physically. The beauty of hybrid solutions is that you can customize this individually. The supervision group can decide to what extent you want the physical and digital to be. Explore our hybrid solutions.

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Supervision in the future does not have to cut out physical contact. It can serve as a supplement and an added value. We could have talked about a future picture where robots are mentors. The future picture we are talking about here is shorter away in time and closer to what we have today. Nevertheless, we see that more people find it difficult to change the situation they are in. To change us to the possibilities of the future, we must take small steps.

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Goal-oriented supervision, less informal conversations

Supervision in the future will be more effective and goal-oriented. Research shows that structured supervision provides more goal-oriented conversations.

Today, many supervision conversations are oriented around what the mentee wants to talk about here and now. In some cases, the mentee has written a log in advance of the meeting which he brings to the session. In other cases, the mentee comes up with only thoughts in his head about what it might be okay to discuss. It is then up to the supervisor to deal with the topics as they come. With little expertise in what supervision is, they also take the opportunity to talk about informal topics. These topics have nothing to do with supervision, it is not coffee talk.

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Fortunately, there are now methods that help participants implement targeted supervision. We believe that future supervision will be more targeted. This is because one can reduce the cost spent on an irrational talk by setting guidelines for the content of the supervision. This may mean that you agree together on what to include in the supervision. You have a plan. This plan gives participants more understanding.

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Systematic and structured supervision

Those we have spoken to of leaders in the school and health sector are particularly concerned with systematic and structured supervision. This is something we believe will become more important in the future.

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Some carry out supervision only as a measure to have a measure. The supervisors do not quite know what to do. There is no plan for the time in supervision. Even when it has to happen in a hectic everyday life. It is unclear to many what supervision is. In such cases, the supervision is not systematic. It is unlikely that we will see major effects of such types of supervision.

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Otherwise, we have a greater degree of structure in the supervision. Digital supervision services can support structured supervision. A supervision service can help participants know why, what, when, where, who and how. Structured forms of supervision have a clear plan and path to achieve the goal. There are also such forms that will have positive effects and will continue to be implemented. The structure is not only important in the planning, but also the implementation of supervision.

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In structured supervision, you have clear goals. It is easier to evaluate supervision and see the actual effect of the measure. Today, we are more concerned with measures having an effect and pointing to results. With structured supervision, it becomes easier to argue for, retain and initiate supervision.

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Engaging and motivating digital supervision, not just conversations

Today’s supervision consists to a greater extent of conversations only. This is useful, but we lose much of the potential in supervision. In the future, we believe that supervision consists of several types of engaging methods. It includes VR, training in real job situations, observation, and simulation. It can also include video, systematic supervision services, images, and audio.

These tools are forgotten by those who do as they have always done before. There are easily accessible tools that can enrich everyday work and development.

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Less dependent on the supervisor’s supervision competence

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Many of today’s supervision is largely dependent on the supervisor’s competence. Several supervisors have credits in supervision. Companies invest in supervisor education and courses for supervisors. They do this to raise the quality of the supervision. When the supervisors leave, they lose their competence in the business. By being dependent on some good supervisors, you also increase the load on the individuals with good supervision skills. Those who receive supervision can receive different supervision based on who they receive as a mentor. We see this, for example, in student supervision. Where students have different experiences of supervision.

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In future supervision, we believe one is less dependent on the supervisor’s competence. By using digital supervision services and structured methods, you reduce addiction. The competence for supervision remains in the company. With structured methods and tools, there is a lower threshold for more people to act as supervisors. It becomes less vulnerable if someone quits and there is less strain on individuals. Read more on our post on 5 things you should know about supervision skills.

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If you have an opinion on how supervision will be in the future we would like to hear from you. Send an email to [email protected].