PDEV2110 – Career Development II

Understanding Organization
and How They Function

Mrs. MMP De Costa

B.Sc. (WUSL), M.Sc. (UOC)

Department of Nano Science Technology

Faculty of Technology
Wayamba University of Sri Lanka
Roles and Functions of Managers
What is an Organization
• An organization is a collection of people
working together with a division of labour to
achieve a common purpose
– Quality product
– Customer satisfaction
– Loyal employees
Organization as Systems
Why Are Managers Important?
• Organizations need their managerial skills
and abilities in uncertain, complex, and chaotic
times
– Economic climate
– Changing technology
– Ever increasing globalization
Why Are Managers Important? Contd..

John Zapp, general manager of several car dealerships in Oklahoma

City, has struggled to keep his businesses afloat and profitable in the

current economic environment, just as many other car dealers have.

However, after four decades in the car business, Zapp understands that

he’s the one calling the shots and his “call” right now is to focus on

selling more used cars.

How? By keeping inventory moving and by keeping his salespeople

engaged through small cash payment rewards for hitting sales goals.
Why Are Managers Important? Contd..
• Managers are critical to getting things done

– Creates and coordinates the workplace systems

and conditions
– Ensure that all the employees are getting their
jobs
Why Are Managers Important? Contd..

12.7 million. That’s the total number of people employed in the

restaurant industry according to the National Restaurant Association.
Those employees hold jobs ranging from greeting and serving
customers to cooking for and cleaning up after customers. There’s a
lot of action taking place in a restaurant—sometimes calm and
sometimes frenetic—as employees work together to provide
customers what they want. And overseeing those employees is
someone who must ensure that everything runs smoothly.
Why Are Managers Important? Contd..

That someone is a manager. Lisa Greene is one such manager. As the

general manager of a popular and very busy restaurant in Springfield,

Missouri, she oversees 100 employees. Working long hours, Lisa is

expected to lead her team and uphold the company’s high standards so

employees can do their assigned work efficiently and effectively. Like any

hard-working manager, Lisa is continually trying to find ways to cut costs

and make her restaurant run a little more smoothly. But her most

important challenge comes from looking for ways to make her restaurant a

better place to work.

Why Are Managers Important? Contd..

• Managers do matter to organizations

The Gallup Organization, which has polled millions of
employees and tens of thousands of managers, has found
that the single most important variable in employee
productivity and loyalty isn’t pay or benefits or workplace
environment; it’s the quality of the relationship between
employees and their direct supervisors.
Who Is a Manager?
• A manager is someone who coordinates and
oversees the work of other people so that
organizational goals can be accomplished
• A manager’s job is not about personal
achievement—it’s about helping others do
their work
Levels of Management
First-line Managers
• Manage the work of non-managerial
employees who typically are involved with
producing the organization’s products or
servicing the organization’s customers
• Supervisors or shift managers, district
managers, department managers, or office
managers
Middle Managers
• Manage the work of first-line managers and
can be found between the lowest and top
levels of the organization
• Regional manager, project leader, store
manager, or division manager
Top managers
• Managers, who are responsible for making
organization-wide decisions and establishing
the plans and goals that affect the entire
organization
• Executive vice president, president, managing
director, chief operating officer, or chief
executive officer
A Story of Brand Manager
A Story of Brand Manager Contd..

As brand manager with Little Kids, Inc., Kate Boehnert is a middle manager

responsible for the quality and successful promotion of the company’s line of

bubble toys. In this photo, she demonstrates during a toy trade show how the

motorized Bubble Light blows bubbles. Brand managers work with product

developers, salespeople, copywriters, and advertising directors to coordinate the

production, distribution, and marketing of their product line. They analyze sales

figures, set prices, organize advertising campaigns, explore different marketing

strategies, and contact retailers to convince them to carry their brands. Successful

brand managers may advance to a top management position

What Do Managers Do?

Management is what managers do

• Coordinating and overseeing the work
activities of others so that their activities
are completed efficiently and effectively
Efficiency
• Doing things right, or getting the most output
from the least amount of inputs
HON Company plant in Cedartown, Georgia, where employees
make and assemble office furniture, efficient manufacturing
techniques were implemented by doing things such as cutting
inventory levels, decreasing the amount of time to manufacture
products, and lowering product reject rates. These efficient work
practices paid off as the plant reduced costs by more than $7
million in one year
Effectiveness

• Doing the right things, or completing

activities so that organizational goals are
attained

HON factory, goals included meeting customers’

rigorous demands, executing world-class
manufacturing strategies, and making employee
jobs easier and safer
Efficiency & Effectiveness
Management Functions

• Planning
• Organizing
• Leading
• Controlling
Planning

Management function that involves setting goals,

establishing strategies for achieving those goals,
and developing plans to integrate and coordinate
activities
Organizing
Management function that involves arranging
and structuring work to accomplish the
organization’s goals
Leading
Management function that involves working
with and through people to accomplish
organizational goals
Controlling
• Management function that involves monitoring,
comparing, and correcting work performance
Management Functions Contd..
Management Functions Contd..

When Lisa is working to keep her employees motivated and engaged,

that’s leading. As she makes out the week’s schedule, that’s planning.

When she is trying to cut costs, those actions obviously involve

controlling. And dealing with unhappy customers is likely to involve

leading, controlling, and maybe even planning

Managerial Roles (Based on Mintzberg Managerial Roles)

• Specific actions or behaviors expected of and

exhibited by a manager
Interpersonal roles
Informational roles
Decisional roles
Interpersonal Roles

Managerial roles that involve

people and other duties that
are ceremonial and symbolic
in nature
• Figurehead
• Leader
• Liaison
Interpersonal Roles Contd..

• Figurehead
Performs some duties of a ceremonial nature
Examples: greeting visitors; attending the wedding of a
subordinate
• Leader
Responsible for motivation of subordinates and for staffing and
training
Example: most activities involving subordinates
• Liaison
Establishes his/her web of external relationships
Example: Attending conferences
Informational Roles
Managerial roles that involve
collecting, receiving, and
disseminating information
• Monitor
• Disseminator
• Spokesperson
Informational Roles Contd..
• Monitor
Seeks and receives information to understand organization and
environment
Example: reading periodicals and reports.
• Disseminator
Transmits information to other organization members
Examples: Forwarding reports and memos; making phone calls to
relay information; holding informational meetings
• Spokesman
Involves the communication of information or ideas
Examples: speaking to the board of directors and top management
Decisional Roles
Managerial roles that revolve
around making Choices

• Entrepreneur
• Disturbance handler
• Resource allocator
• Negotiator
Decisional Roles Contd..
• Entrepreneur
Acts as initiator and designer of much of the controlled
change in his/her organization
Example: developing an improvement project

• Disturbance handler
Responsible for corrective action when the
organization faces unexpected crises
Example: settling disagreements between subordinates
Decisional Roles Contd..
• Resource allocator
Responsible for allocation of human, financial,
material, and other resources.
Examples: working on budget; deploying staff
• Negotiator
Responsible for representing the organization in
negotiations
Example: negotiating a new stock issue with the
financial community
Leader Who Made a Difference
“ You can’t expect people to do a good job at work if their lives are a mess.” That’s the

philosophy of Panda Express founder and chairman, Andrew Cherng. Together with

his wife Peggy, they have built a restaurant empire with more than 1,200 outlets and

$1 billion in sales. They believe that a company is only as good as the employees who

comprise it. In fact, he says that his company’s success doesn’t come just from the

meals prepared in the kitchen, but because “he cares about the emotional well-being

of his employees.” With five guiding values—being proactive, showing respect/-

having a win-win attitude, pursuing growth, having great operations, and being giving

—and a caring and strong management team, this company has prospered.
What can you learn from this leader who made a difference?
Reference
• Robbins, S. P., & Coulter, M. (2012). Management. (E.
Svendsen, Ed.) (11th ed, Vol. 53, V., Jeong, S. R.,
Kettinger, W. J., & Lee, C. C. (199). Prentice Hall

• Grover3). The chief information officer: A study of

managerial roles. Journal of Management
Information Systems, 10(2), 107–130.
https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.1993.11518002
Thank you…