ABSTRACT
This chapter engages the views of supervisors on defining and navigating their supervisory roles in the research process and thesis production. It examines these from the standpoint of presenting different strategies for determining what the roles of supervisors and supervisees might be, when and by whom such navigated roles are articulated and established, who does what when and how changing roles are managed. The chapter discusses these in relation to established university guidelines as they might relate to the regulated roles of supervisors and their own perceptions of what is expected of them. Negotiable roles, also referred to as ambiguous terrain/the inevitable 'rackety bridge', present a greater challenge for supervisors and supervisees. Negotiable roles are less easily defined and are best conceptualized at the individual level, where the supervisor's professional judgment should be the guide to the allocation of responsibility. The non-negotiable dimension of supervision is outlined in the Graduate Supervision Policy, which explicitly states five supervisory roles and responsibilities.
