1.5 Roles of Managers

Managers roles represent activities that managers undertake to ultimately accomplish the functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Management roles are specific categories of managerial behaviour.

Henry Mintzberg concluded that managers fulfil three major roles while performing their jobs:

Interpersonal roles

Interpersonal roles pertain to relationships with others and are related to the human skills.

The manager represents the organization in his or her formal managerial capacity as the head of the unit.

The leader role encompasses relationships with subordinates, including motivation, communication, and influence. There are three interpersonal roles:

Figurehead:

In the figurehead role, the manager represents the organization in all matters of formality.

The top level manager represents the company legally and socially to those outside of the organization.

The supervisor represents the work group to higher management and higher management to the work group for example; a manager greets VIPs when visiting his organization, giving speech at the opening of a new facility, or officiating openings.

1.5 Roles of Managers

Leader:

The leader role defines the relationships between the manger and employees.

The direct relationships with people in the interpersonal roles place the manager in a unique position to get information.

A manager has to motivate and encourage his subordinates to work towards accomplishing the organizational goals.

A manager must also be responsible for the actions of his subordinate.

Liaison:

In the liaison role, the manger interacts with peers and people outside the organization.

The top level manager uses the liaison role to gain favors and information, while the supervisor uses it to maintain the routine flow of work.

Informational roles

Information roles describe the activities used to maintain and develop an information network.

General Managers spend about 75 percent of their time talking to other people.

The manager acquires information from others and scans written materials to stay well informed.

1.5 Roles of Managers

Information roles involve activities such as collecting, receiving and disseminating information.

There are three roles under this category:

Monitor:

In the monitor role, the manager receives and collects information.

A manager has to be constantly alert to his surroundings.

A manager plays his role as a monitor when he seeks and receives wide variety of internal and external information in order to have a complete understanding of the organization and its environment.

Besides receiving firsthand information from personal contacts, he may also take advantage of the online sources on the Internet or catch the updates through reading periodicals and reports.

Disseminator:

In the role of disseminator, the manager transmits special information into the organization.

The top level manager receives and transmits more information from people outside the organization than the supervisor.

1.5 Roles of Managers

This role requires a manager to constantly disseminate important information to employees.

As a disseminator, manager shares information he receives from outsiders or subordinates to other members of the organization.

Spokesperson:

In the role of spokesperson, the manager disseminates the organization's information into its environment.

Thus, the top level manager is seen as an industry expert, while the supervisor is seen as a unit or departmental expert.

Spokesperson is a role of a diplomat where a manager transmits information to outsiders on organization's plans, policies, actions, results, and others.

This can be done, for example, by holding a media conference or the annual general meeting with the shareholders.

1.5 Roles of Managers

Decisional roles

The unique access to information places the manager at the centre of organizational decision making.

The earlier roles of soliciting and disseminating information help managers become good decision makers.

Decisional roles are about managers resolving problems and taking advantage of opportunities.

There are four decisional roles:

Entrepreneur:

In the entrepreneur role, the manager initiates change.

An entrepreneur searches the organization and its environment for opportunities, initiates changes for improvement and encourages innovation.

A manager becomes an entrepreneur through developing new programs that incorporates reviewed strategies and creative ideas.

Disturbance handler:

In the disturbance handler role, the manger deals with threats to the organization.

A manager becomes a disturbance handler when he takes corrective action in unforeseen circumstances.

1.5 Roles of Managers

Managers have to give immediate attention to problems that require corrective actions.

Resource allocator:

In the resource allocator role, the manager chooses where the organization will expand its efforts.

The role of a resource allocator requires that a manager decides on the allocation of organizational resources.

A manager plays this role when he does the work scheduling or budgeting, for instance.

Negotiator:

In the negotiator role, the manager negotiates on behalf of the organization.

The top level manager makes the decisions about the organization as a whole, while the supervisor makes decisions about his or her particular work unit.

A manager may negotiate schedules with his subordinates, negotiate projects with organizational partners or even negotiate salary raises in a union contract negotiation.

The role of a negotiator requires a manager to work with others inside and outside of the organization.