Management expert Professor Henry Mintzberg has argued that a manager’s work can be

boiled down to ten common roles. According to Mintzberg, these roles, or expectations
for a manager’s behavior, fall into three categories: informational (managing by
information), interpersonal (managing through people), and decisional (managing
through action).

This chart summarizes a manager’s ten roles:

Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles

Category Role Activity Real Life Examples

Informational Monitor Seek and acquire Scan/read trade press,

work-related periodicals, reports; attend
information seminars and
training; maintain personal
contacts

Disseminator Communicate/ Send memos and reports;

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

Spokesperso Communicate/transmit Pass on memos, reports and

n information to informational materials;
outsiders participate in
conferences/meetings and
report progress

Interpersonal Figurehead Perform social and Greet visitors, sign legal

legal duties, act as documents, attend ribbon
symbolic leader cutting ceremonies,
host receptions, etc.

Leader Direct and motivate Includes almost all

subordinates, select interactions with subordinates
and train employees

Liaison Establish and maintain Business correspondence,

contacts within and participation in meetings with
outside the representatives
organization of other divisions or
organizations.
Decisional Entrepreneur Identify new ideas and Implement innovations; Plan
initiate improvement for the future
projects

Disturbance Deals with disputes or Settle conflicts between

Handler problems and takes subordinates; Choose
corrective action strategic alternatives;
Overcome crisis situations

Resource Decide where to apply Draft and approve of plans,

Allocator resources schedules, budgets; Set
Properties

Reference: http://management.atwork-network.com/2008/04/15/mintzberg’s-10-
managerial-roles/