Holding the line - A new emphasis on the first-line manager as leader, enabler and facilitator - charged with creating an environment in which members of a work team can develop and thrive - is replacing the old idea of the supervisor as an overseer of work processes laid down at a higher level. Although this change has been on the people management agenda for more than a decade, the transformation of the first-line manager's role is not yet complete. Traditional supervisory duties - such as work allocation, progress chasing and health and safety - continue to be augmented by new managerial functions in areas such as budgeting, cost control, communications, appraisal and training, and liaison with suppliers, contractors and customers. We present the findings of an in-depth study of the role of first-line managers in 60 employing organisations. Our analysis of the survey results looks at three dimensions of change: roles and responsibilities - looking at the responsibilities of first-line managers (both sole and shared), typical job titles, the number of people they manage, whether or not they have deputies, and the position they occupy in the grading structure; people and performance - examining the sources from which first-line managers are recruited, the criteria used in their selection, the degree to which they meet and network among themselves, whether or not they are offered off-tlie-job training in people management, and the extent to which they are subject to formal performance appraisal; and changes and challenges - tracking changes in the role of first-line managers over the past five years, problems in managing the transition to the new roles, planned and expected future changes, and observations and comments from survey participants to other personnel-HR practitioners.