MANAGERIAL ROLES

SESSION 5
 WHO ARE MANAGERS?

A manager is an individual who directs the activities

of others to attain organizational goals.
 Get things done through other people.
 Take decisions, allocate resources, supervise and lead.

Also referred to as administrators.

 MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS

 Henri Fayol said that all managers perform five functions:

planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling.
 These functions have been condensed to 4 in modern times:
 Planning
 Defining an organization’s goals
 Establishing strategy for achieving these goals
 Developing a plan to integrate and coordinate activities
 Organizing
 Determining the tasks that are to be performed to achieve the goals
 Grouping of tasks
 Establishing reporting relationships and decision making responsibilities
 Leading
 Motivating employees
 Resolving conflicts
 Selecting communication channels that are effective
 Controlling
 Monitoring performance and comparing it with goals
 WHAT DO THE MANAGERS DO?

Plan
Organize
Lead
Control
 MINTZBERG’S MANAGERIAL ROLES

INTERPERSONAL INFORMATIONAL DECISIONAL

ENTREPRENEUR
MONITOR
FIGUREHEAD Searches environment for
Nerve centre of internal and opportunities & initiates
Symbolic head; routine duties
external information of the projects
of legal or social stature
organization

DISTURBANCE HANDLER
Takes corrective action when
organization faces disturbances
LEADER DISSEMINATOR
Motivation and direction of Transmits information to
employees members of the organization
RESOURCE ALLOCATOR
Approves significant
organizational decisions

LIAISON SPOKESPERSON
Maintains a network of outside Transmits information to NEGOTIATOR
contacts who provide outsiders on organization’s Represents organization at
information and favours plans, policies and actions major negotiations
 INTERPERSONAL ROLES

FIGUREHEAD- Vice Chancellor handing out

certificates at convocation.
LEADER-Manager conducting a training program to
train his direct reports.
LIAISON-Quality control manager receiving
information from sales manager.
 Internal liaison
 External liaison
 INFORMATIONAL ROLES

Monitor-Scanning the environment to find about

new customer needs that the organization can
potentially cater to.
Disseminator-When a marketing manager shares
information about potential customer needs with the
Production department.
Spokesperson- When the manager talks to the media
about a new Corporate Social Responsibility
initiative taken up by the organization.
 DECISIONAL

Entrepreneur- Initiating a new product development

process around a customer need scanned from the
environment.
Disturbance handler-Taking disciplinary action
against an employee caught stealing in an
organization.
Resource allocator-Approving allocation of funds to
a specific department.
Negotiator- Attending meetings and negotiating with
trade unions about worker demands.
 MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Technical skills-applying expertise or specialised

knowledge.

Human skills-ability to understand, communicate

with, motivate and support individuals and groups.

Conceptual skills-analyzing and diagnosing complex

situations.
 Ability to integrate new ideas with existing processes.
 FOCUS ON HUMAN BEHAVIOUR AND PEOPLE
SKILLS

Until the late 1980s, business school curricula

focused on economics, accounting, finance and
quantitative techniques.

Focus shifted to human behaviour and

communication in the last 40 years.

Managers with better interpersonal skills/ people

skills attract high performing employees to the
organization.