discussion unit1

1.2 - Who Are Managers?

L E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E S

1. Know what is meant by “manager”.

2. Be able to describe the types of managers.

3. Understand the nature of managerial work.

Managers

We tend to think about managers based on their position in an organization. This tells

us a bit about their role and the nature of their responsibilities. The following figure

summarizes the historic and contemporary views of organizations with respect to

managerial roles. S. Ghoshal and C. Bartlett, The Individualized Corporation: A Fundamentally New Approach to

Management (New York: Collins Business, 1999). In contrast to the traditional, hierarchical relationship

among layers of management and managers and employees, in the contemporary view,

top managers support and serve other managers and employees (through a process

called empowerment), just as the organization ultimately exists to serve its customers

and clients. Empowerment is the process of enabling or authorizing an individual to

think, behave, take action, and control work and decision making in autonomous ways.

In both the traditional and contemporary views of management, however, there remains

the need for different types of managers. Top managers are responsible for developing

the organization’s strategy and being a steward for its vision and mission. A second set

of managers includes functional, team, and general managers. Functional managers are

responsible for the efficiency and effectiveness of an area, such as accounting or

marketing. Supervisory or team managers are responsible for coordinating a subgroup

of a particular function or a team composed of members from different parts of the

organization. Sometimes you will hear distinctions made between line and staff

managers.

A line manager leads a function that contributes directly to the products or services the

organization creates. For example, a line manager (often called a product, or service

manager) at Procter & Gamble (P&G) is responsible for the production, marketing, and

profitability of the Tide detergent product line. A staff manager, in contrast, leads a

function that creates indirect inputs. For example, finance and accounting are critical

organizational functions but do not typically provide an input into the final product or

service a customer buys, such as a box of Tide detergent. Instead, they serve a

supporting role. A project manager has the responsibility for the planning, execution,

and closing of any project. Project managers are often found in construction,

architecture, consulting, computer networking, telecommunications, or software

development.

A general manager is someone who is responsible for managing a clearly identifiable

revenue-producing unit, such as a store, business unit, or product line. General

managers typically must make decisions across different functions and have rewards

tied to the performance of the entire unit (i.e., store, business unit, product line, etc.).

General managers take direction from their top executives. They must first understand

the executives’ overall plan for the company. Then they set specific goals for their own

departments to fit in with the plan. The general manager of production, for example,

might have to increase certain product lines and phase out others. General managers

must describe their goals clearly to their support staff. The supervisory managers see

that the goals are met.

Figure 1.4 The Changing Roles of Management and Managers

The Nature of Managerial Work

Managers are responsible for the processes of getting activities completed efficiently

with and through other people and setting and achieving the firm’s goals through the

execution of four basic management functions: planning, organizing, leading, and

controlling. Both sets of processes utilize human, financial, and material resources.

Of course, some managers are better than others at accomplishing this! There have been

a number of studies on what managers actually do, the most famous of those conducted

by Professor Henry Mintzberg in the early 1970s. H. Mintzberg, The Nature of Managerial Work (New

York: Harper & Row, 1973). One explanation for Mintzberg’s enduring influence is perhaps that

the nature of managerial work has changed very little since that time, aside from the

shift to an empowered relationship between top managers and other managers and

employees, and obvious changes in technology, and the exponential increase in

information overload.

After following managers around for several weeks, Mintzberg concluded that, to meet

the many demands of performing their functions, managers assume multiple roles. A

role is an organized set of behaviors, and Mintzberg identified 10 roles common to the

work of all managers. As summarized in the following figure, the 10 roles are divided

into three groups: interpersonal, informational, and decisional. The informational roles

link all managerial work together. The interpersonal roles ensure that information is

provided. The decisional roles make significant use of the information. The performance

of managerial roles and the requirements of these roles can be played at different times

by the same manager and to different degrees, depending on the level and function of

management. The 10 roles are described individually, but they form an integrated

whole.

The three interpersonal roles are primarily concerned with interpersonal relationships.

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. In the liaison role, the

manager 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. The leader role defines the relationships between

the manager and employees.

Figure 1.5 Ten Managerial Roles

The direct relationships with people in the interpersonal roles place the manager in a

unique position to get information. Thus, the three informational roles are primarily

concerned with the information aspects of managerial work. In the monitor role, the

manager receives and collects information. 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.

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.

The unique access to information places the manager at the center of organizational

decision making. There are four decisional roles managers play. In the entrepreneur

role, the manager initiates change. In the disturbance handler role, the manager deals

with threats to the organization. In the resource allocator role, the manager chooses

where the organization will expend its efforts. 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.

The supervisor performs these managerial roles but with different emphasis than higher

managers. Supervisory management is more focused and short-term in outlook. Thus,

the figurehead role becomes less significant and the disturbance handler and negotiator

roles increase in importance for the supervisor. Since leadership permeates all activities,

the leader role is among the most important of all roles at all levels of management.

So what do Mintzberg’s conclusions about the nature of managerial work mean for you?

On the one hand, managerial work is the lifeblood of most organizations because it

serves to choreograph and motivate individuals to do amazing things. Managerial work

is exciting, and it is hard to imagine that there will ever be a shortage of demand for

capable, energetic managers. On the other hand, managerial work is necessarily fast-

paced and fragmented, where managers at all levels express the opinion that they must

process much more information and make more decisions than they could have ever

possibly imagined. So, just as the most successful organizations seem to have well-

formed and well-executed strategies, there is also a strong need for managers to have

good strategies about the way they will approach their work. This is exactly what you

will learn through principles of management.

K E Y T A K E A W A Y

Managers are responsible for getting work done through others. We typically describe

the key managerial functions as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. The

definitions for each of these have evolved over time, just as the nature of managing in

general has evolved over time. This evolution is best seen in the gradual transition from

the traditional hierarchical relationship between managers and employees, to a climate

characterized better as an upside-down pyramid, where top executives support middle

managers and they, in turn, support the employees who innovate and fulfill the needs of

customers and clients. Through all four managerial functions, the work of managers

ranges across 10 roles, from figurehead to negotiator. While actual managerial work can

seem challenging, the skills you gain through principles of management—consisting of

the functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling—will help you to meet

these challenges.

R E F L E C T I O N S

1. Why do organizations need managers?

2. What are some different types of managers and how do they differ?

3. What are Mintzberg’s 10 managerial roles?

4. What three areas does Mintzberg use to organize the 10 roles?

5. What four general managerial functions do principles of management include?

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