Why should managers know how to do the work of the workers they supervise?

To have realistic expectations for workers

To have realistic expectations for workers. Even though managers dont do the actual jobs, it is important for managers to understand the jobs of the workers they supervise. This helps managers to know how workers should do the work, to be realistic in the amount of work they expect workers to complete, or even to fill in when workers are absent or there is an emergency situation of some kind. Managers do not need to know how to do the work to establish a chain of command. Coordinating employees efforts and creating a team spirit are managerial responsibilities that improve the output of workers but are not related to managers knowledge of the jobs to be done.