To effectively accomplish work through others, supervisors must understand what?

To effectively accomplish work through others, supervisors must understand the strengths and weaknesses of each employee. This knowledge is crucial because it allows supervisors to assign tasks that align with individual capabilities, thereby optimizing team performance. When supervisors are aware of what each employee excels at and where they may need support or development, they can foster an environment that encourages productivity and job satisfaction. This also enhances team dynamics, as employees feel more valued when they are given tasks that match their skills and interests.

Understanding corporate policies, available technology, and management styles from different cultures, while important, do not directly facilitate the process of maximizing team performance. Corporate policies provide the framework within which employees operate, technology can assist in executing tasks, and cultural management styles contribute to interpersonal relations, but none are as fundamentally tied to the day-to-day effectiveness of leveraging individual employee contributions as knowing their strengths and weaknesses.