Understanding

Managerial Roles

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 Management ensures that these resources are
combined into a total system to accomplish an
objective. It is a process of deciding:
 How many people are to be economically
employed,
 What kinds of people to assign to what jobs,
 How much money to spend on specific problems,
 What kinds of activities to perform first and what
to perform last,
 How much time should be spent on one activity,
and
 Who are the customers and whether they are
satisfied with its products and services.
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 Management is what managers do.
Managers perform functions: Planning,
Organising, Directing, Controlling.
1. Planning: analyzing situation, setting goals,
devising a systematic process for attaining the
goals of the organization. It prepares the
organization for the future. What / How /
When / Who / Where / to do with What
resources?

This requires an ability to foresee, to visualize, to

look ahead purposefully.
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2. Organizing: organising resources to
complete the job, coordinating activities,
coordinating and arranging the
necessary resources to carry out the
plan. It is the process of designing /
creating structure, establishing
relationships, grouping activities, job
descriptions, authority and allocating
resources to accomplish the goals of
the organization.

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3. Directing / Leading: Move to action.
Communicating, influencing and
motivating people. Guiding, supervising,
coordinating, motivating, leading, and
overseeing of employees to achieve
organizational goals. Developing,
instructing, and helping maintaining a
work environment within which the
members want to perform the best.

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4. Controlling: monitoring organizational
performance. Verifying that actual
performance matches the plan. If
performance results do not match the
plan, corrective action is taken. 1, 2, 3
do not assure that the undertaking will
be a success.
 How well should work be done?
 How well is it being done maintaining
organizational performance?

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 Manager
People who manage other people and resources are
called managers. A manager is a person who is
responsible for running a particular section, or a
business or an organization. Without her/his leadership
‘the resources of production’ remain resources and
never become production. A manager has:
Targets to achieve
People to manage

Tasks to perform

An organisation to liaise with, and

A distinct shortage of time

Basically there are two types of managers: ‘doer’ and ‘developer’.

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Exercise – Types of Manager
 Spend few minutes reflecting on how
you see yourself as a manager: are
you mainly a ‘doer’ or ‘developer’?
Focus on how much you:
 Delegate work when possible
 Invest time in developing people

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 Exercise – Types of Manager
Now, place a mark on the line below to indicate
where you think you are on the continuum
between the two.

Doer …………………………...Developer
Most effective way of Want someone
getting the job done for a more
on time senior position

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 Types of Manager
Doer Developer
 Performing tasks and  Enabling the team to
achieving targets perform tasks and achieve
 Do not like delegating, targets
prefer to lead by  Delegate as much as
example possible to have time for
 Doing as much as can strategic functions
 Do not invest time in  Motivating and supporting to
developing the take increasing responsibility
capabilities of their
 Invest considerable time in
people developing the capabilities of
people
Depends on several factors: nature of work, capabilities of people,
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organisational culture, own preferences, etc.
 Traditional vs. Entrepreneurial
Manager
Traditional Manager Entrepreneurial Manager
• Tries to avoid mistakes
• Postpones recognizing failure
• Agrees with those in power
• Wants to please top management
• Likes the system and sees it as
nurturing and protective
• Works out problems by working
within the system
• Utilizes the hierarchy as a basic
power differentiation between
levels
• Is wiling to make mistakes in order
to learn
• Admits mistakes and moves on
• Gets those in power to be
committed to what should be done
• Wants to please sponsors,
customers and staff
• Dislikes the system and learns
how to manipulate it
• Works out problems by learning
how to bypass the system
• Uses the hierarchy as only a tool
for getting things done more
efficiently
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Levels of Managers
Supervise
Others
Top
Managers

Middle
Managers

First-Line
Managers

Front-Line Employees Work

on Jobs
The Levels of an Organization 13
 Levels of Managers
 First-line managers
 Responsible for day-to-day operations. Supervise

people performing activities required to make the good

or service.
 Middle managers
 Supervise first-line managers. Are responsible to find

the best way to use departmental resources to achieve

goals.
 Top managers
 Responsible for the performance of all departments

and have cross-departmental responsibility. Establish

organizational goals and monitor middle managers.
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Areas of Involvement
In order to manage people, a manager
has to be involved in the following areas:
Activity – what people do.
Performance – how well people do.
Career – planning of career development.
Life – non-work issues (personal).

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What is a Role?
A role is a set of
responsibilities organised
(or a pattern of behaviours
used) to produce specific
outputs related to a specific
function/ position.
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Exercise: Managerial Roles

 What you do as a manager

(tasks / functions)?

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The Managerial Roles - Henry Mintzberg

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A. Interpersonal Roles arise directly from the formal
authority the manager has and involve interpersonal
relationships.
1. Figurehead role
The manager performs ceremonial and symbolic duties by
virtue of his position. They include: receiving dignitaries,
attending parties, visiting the sick employees, etc.
2. Leadership role
This role is particularly performed by heads of units or
departments. As heads managers are responsible for the
work of people in that unit. As a leader he gives directions,
appraises performance, correct mistakes, disciplines staff,
motivates subordinates, determines rewards and
punishments, etc.
3. Liaison role
The manager ensures contacts with other units and
outside agencies on behalf of own unit. He works more as
a public relations officer.
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B. Informational Roles. Due to his status and contacts the
manager gets to know a lot of information which may not be
available to his subordinates. This information he uses in a
variety of ways for the effective functioning of his unit.
4. Monitor
As a monitor of information, the manager scans his environment
for information. As a monitor of information he is continuously
keeping his ears open for all sources. Typically, this is done by
reading papers and talking with others.
5. Disseminator
After having acquired information, the manager also passes this
information relatively to his subordinates, superiors and
colleagues.
6. Spokesman role
The manager represents his unit and its problems in different
forums. As a spokesman, the manager presents the problem of
his unit to others, and presents information to others who control
his unit and so on.
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C. Decisional Roles. By virtue of the position and authority vested in
him, a manager is continuously making decisions dealing with the
unit's strategy, allocation of resources, solving problems, etc.
7. Entrepreneurial role
The manager seeks to respond to the changing conditions of
environment. He is constantly looking for new ideas and initiating
development projects.
8. Disturbance handler
He responds to pressures and crisis situations.
9. Resource allocater
This role involves the allocation of resources: human, physical,
financial and other forms of resources to get things done. Allocation
of his own time and powers are important dimension
10. Negotiator
The manager is carrying on negotiations with external as well as
internal agents. The negotiator role is very important as the
manager's capability to negotiate determines the unit's performance.

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 Category Role Activity Examples

Informational Monitor Seek and Scan/read trade press, 

(managing by acquire work- periodicals, reports; attend
information) related seminars and
information training; maintain personal
contacts

  Disseminator Communicate/ Send memos and reports;

disseminate inform staffers and
information to subordinates of decisions
others within the
organization

  Spokesperson Communicate/tra Pass on memos, reports

nsmit information and informational materials;
to outsiders participate in
conferences/meetings and
report progress 22
Interpersonal Figurehead Perform social Greet visitors, sign legal
(managing and legal documents, attend
through people) duties, act as ribbon cutting
symbolic ceremonies,
leader host receptions, etc.

  Leader Direct and Includes almost all

motivate interactions with
subordinates, subordinates
select and train
employees

  Liaison Establish and Business

maintain correspondence,
contacts within participation in meetings
and outside with representatives
the of other divisions or
organization organizations. 
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Decisional Entrepreneur Identify new Implement innovations;
(managing ideas and Plan for the future
through initiate
action) improvement
projects
 
Disturbance Deals with Settle conflicts between
Handler disputes or subordinates; Choose
problems and strategic alternatives;
takes corrective  Overcome crisis
action situations

Resource Decide where to Draft and approve of

Allocator apply resources plans, schedules,
budgets; Set priorities

Negotiator Defends Participates in and

business directs negotiations
interests within team,
department, and
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organization
 A manager does not perform each of these roles in
isolation. In fact all these roles are linked and in
reality it may become difficult to separate them.
Some managers may be performing more of one
set of roles than others. Most managers irrespective
of their levels and nature perform, to a little degree
at least, all these roles.
 In the real world, these roles overlap and a
manager must learn to balance them in order to
manage effectively. While a manager’s work can be
analyzed by these individual roles, in practice they
are intermixed and interdependent.

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Managerial Skills
 Skill is the knowledge and ability that
enables one to do a job very well.
 Managers need to develop different
skills in order to perform their duties
effectively. There are some basic skills,
which all managers should possess.

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Exercise: Managerial Skills

What skills you require to

perform the role of a
manager?

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Managerial Skills
Robert Katz identified three types of skills to make a manager
effective: technical, human and conceptual.
1. Technical skills involve an understanding of, and
proficiency in a specific kind of activity particularly one
involving methods, processes, procedures and techniques.
2. Human skills reflect the ability of a manager to work
effectively as a team member and build cooperative effort
within the team he heads. Human skills deal with working with
people.
3. Conceptual skills involve the ability to see the enterprise
as a whole. It includes recognising how the various functions
of an organisation depend on one another and how changes
in one part affect all the other parts and it extends to
visualising the relationship of the individual business to the
organisation, the community and the political, social and
economic forces of the nation as a whole.

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Management Skills

40% 50% 10%

30% 45% 25%

10% 40% 50%

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- Robert Katz
 Managerial Skills-detailed
• Communication • Time Management
• Leadership • Managing Discipline
• Listening • Motivation
• Delegation • Managing conflict
• Critical Thinking • Managing meeting
• Trustworthy • Managing diversity
• Decision Making • Maintaining integrity

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Key Managerial Competencies
 A competency is more than just knowledge and
skill. It involves creative abilities to meet complex
demands of society and organisations by drawing
on and mobilising psychosocial resources
including attitudes, motivation and values which
an individual must possess in order to produce the
outputs for his/her roles in a particular context.
 Job competency describes the underlying
characteristics of an individual that drive behaviour
leading to superior performance in a job.

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Exercise: Key Competencies
What are key competencies
of a manager?
A competency is a generic knowledge,
motive, trait, value, bahaviour, self-
image, social role or skill of a person
that is usually related to superior
performance on a job, such as:

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 Leadership / Self Management
 Decision Making
 Personal Effectiveness- Integrity, Interpersonal

skills / Communication, Adaptive, Innovative,

Creative, Self-directed and Self-motivated
 Strategic Planning
 Change Management
 Learning and Achievement Orientation
 Technical Know-how

According to American Management Association,

the competencies of an effective manager are:
1. Entrepreneurial competencies
2. Intellectual competencies
3. Socio-emotional competencies
4. Interpersonal competencies 33
 Key competencies, OECD (1997)
Individuals need to be able to:
1. use a wide range of tools for interacting
effectively with the environment.
2. engage with others in an increasingly
interdependent world
3. take responsibility for managing their
own lives, situate their lives in the
broader social context and act
autonomously
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 Personal Qualities
 A quality is a characteristic like honesty that is part
of the nature of a person.
 Among other things, those who want to lead people
and manage events must bring with them a set of
qualities that can’t always be taught but can be
learned:
 Will: Desire to make a difference, influence others,
and gain satisfaction from doing so -in sum, the "will
to manage."
 Power: Healthy desire for power. Enjoy it but don’t
abuse it.
 Empathy:Able to understand feelings and roles of
others.

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Exercise: Personal Qualities
What are Personal Qualities of a
Manager?
A manager must:
 Be a professional- integrity, courage, imagination,
commitment…
 Know oneself, job, organisation and human
nature- needs & emotions
 Do directing, implementing, monitoring

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 Character – the ‘thought man’, the
‘action man’, the ‘front man’
 Capacity to judge upon relevant advice

and to decide promptly and rightly

 Capacity to inspire confidence among

subordinates / team player

 Earning respect from being to be fair,

trustworthy and approachable.

 No vacillation after a decision is made.

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Successful Manager
 Needs knowledge of all factors
that he has to manage and all
that is beyond, which directly or
indirectly impinge on his micro
environment
 Is impartial
 Creates conducive work
environment
- Geeta 39
 Managing and leading endeavors
ManagersLeaders
 Handle things Inspire people
 Maintain stability Force change
 Emphasises process Emphasises people
 Define procedures Create vision
 Solve today's problems Seek tomorrow's opportunities
 Use their heads Listen to their hearts
 Get people to do things Get people to want to do things
 Count beans Win wars
 Asks how and when Asks what and why
 Directs Motivates
 Surrender to context Conquer context

“Managers do things right.

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Leaders do the right things.”- Warren Bennis
A Manager must be able to manage
and lead at the same time.

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 Examples of managing and leading at
the same time:
Activity Managing Leading

Run a Follow the Build

meeting agenda consensus
Sell a Persuade Create
proposal with logic enthusiasm
Devise a plan Issue Give people
instructions ownership
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