The Role of a Manager in a Social Context
Liberty University
AVIA 245 Aviation Leadership
Professor: Jim Molloy
2022
The relationship between manager and subordinate is important to the overall workplace dynamic. If
the employees do not trust the manager, productivity suffers. The social interaction between managers
and employees happens inside and outside of the office. Managers who learn their role in a social
context both inside and outside the office are efficient at maintaining employee productivity.
Balance
1. The manager needs to establish the proper balance of personal and professional needs with
each employee early in the manager-subordinate relationship. The manager is expected to abide
by company guidelines when it comes to employee personal issues, but to maintain a productive
staff the manager needs to take each problem on a case-by-case basis. The manager needs to
learn when to get involved in an employee personal issue and when it is time to alert human
resources to a problem.
Rumors
1. Each office develops its own culture that can be affected by rumors. When rumors begin to
circulate, the company hierarchy often is ignored. To dispel rumors, a manager needs to gain the
personal respect of each of her employees without seeming to favor one over another. If
employees hold a high level of personal respect for a manager, then the social circles within the
company can more easily accept the manager's explanation of a situation and stop a rumor from
spreading.
Discipline
1. The need for discipline to run an effective workplace affects how managers react socially to
employees inside and outside the office. Managers are expected to be fair but strict with
discipline. If a manager is seen as being friendly with an employee, then any leniency shown that
employee can be interpreted by the rest of the staff as favoritism. Managers must maintain their
social balance with subordinates at all times to uphold corporate discipline.
Outside the Office
1. An effective manager understands that authority is established inside and outside the office. If a
manager socializes with subordinates outside the office, the repercussions could affect his
authority in the workplace. For example, if a manager meets with subordinates at a party and
speaks negatively about the executive team, that information will affect how the subordinates
view the executives and could cause the staff to lose respect for the manager's authority.
