Unit 1(P7): Introduction to Management: Managerial roles and skills

Roles of Manager ? (By: Henry Mintzberg)

Interpersonal Role: This role involves human interaction (with subordinates and person outside the organization) and other duties that are ceremonial and symbolic in nature. This role is subdivided into three roles, they are:

1. Figurehead role: Symbolic and ceremonial head, gets into activities like, greeting visitors, chairing board meeting, signing legal documents, ribbon cutting .
2. Leader role: Formally and informally showing subordinate how to do things and how to perform under pressure, does activities like, directing, coordinating, training, motivating, staffing .
3. Liaison role: Maintains relations internally with different units and externally with all other stakeholders for building image, gathering resource, coordinating two project groups.

Informational Role: This role involves the sharing and analyzing of information. This role is subdivided into three roles, they are:

1. Monitor role: Actively seek and receives wide variety of internal and external information that may be of value, activities like scanning industry reports, reading periodicals and reports .
2. Disseminator role: provides information to subordinates and keep them informed of what is going on around the organization and the precautions to be taken while disseminating it.
3. Spokesperson role: Transmit information to outsiders on organization plans, policies, actions, result, etc. like, holding board meeting, organizing press conference.

Decisional Role: This role involves decision making. This role is subdivided into four role, they are:

1. Entrepreneurship role: The voluntary initiator of change, search organization and its environment for opportunities and initiates projects .
2. Disturbance handler role: Maintaining congenial working environment and organizational stability.
3. Resource Allocator role: Responsible for the allocation of organization resources (financial, informational, physical and human)
4. Negotiator role: Responsible for representing the organization at major negotiations with suppliers, unions, stakeholders.

What different skills manager require?

Technical skill: skills necessary to accomplish or understand tasks relevant to the organization. It is job specific knowledge and techniques that are required to perform organizational role. A technical skill is the ability to perform the given job. Technical skills help the managers to use different machines and tools. It also helps them to use various procedures and techniques. The low-level managers require more technical skills. This is because they are in charge of the actual operations.

Interpersonal Skills:  It is manager ability to communicate with, understand, and, motivate both individuals and groups.  The knowledge and techniques of communication, motivation, conflict management, group dynamics, etc are need in interpersonal skills. It is an ability to work with people. It helps the managers to understand, communicate and work with others. It also helps the managers to lead, motivate and develop team spirit. Human relations skills are required by all managers at all levels of management. This is so, since all managers have to interact and work with people.

Conceptual Skills:  It is manager’s ability to think in abstract by viewing organization in holistic manner. Conceptual skill is the ability to visualize (see) the organization as a whole. It includes Analytical, Creative and Initiative skills. It helps the manager to identify the causes of the problems and not the symptoms. It helps him to solve the problems for the benefit of the entire organization. It helps the manager to fix goals for the whole organization and to plan for every situation. According to Prof. Daniel Katz, conceptual skills are mostly required by the top-level management because they spend more time in planning, organizing and problem solving.

Diagnostic skill: Managers ability to visualize the most appropriate response to a situation. Problem solving skills are also called as Design skills. A manager should know how to identify a problem. He should also possess an ability to find a best solution for solving any specific problem. This requires intelligence, experience and up-to-date knowledge of the latest developments.

Communication skills: Is required equally at all three levels of management. A manager must be able to communicate the plans and policies to the workers. Similarly, he must listen and solve the problems of the workers. He must encourage a free-flow of communication in the organization.

Leadership Skills: Leadership skill is the ability to influence human behavior. A manager requires leadership skills to motivate the workers. These skills help the Manager to get the work done through the workers.

Unit 1(P6): Introduction to Management: Managerial Hierarchy and Levels

Who is a manager?

Managers are the individual who are responsible for coordinating and integrating activities of other people in the Organization. 

Person responsible to carry out the management process.

Organizational members who tells others what to do and how to do it.

Manager is someone who achieves goals of the organization with people and through people.

What are different levels of manager or management? 

     1.  Top level management:- It includes board of directors, chief executive or general managers , senior strategist, decision making, directors . Corporate level goals, missions and objectives are determined. The major functions of this level are:-

• To formulate and determine the objectives and define the goals of the business
• To establish policies and prepare plans to attain the goals
• To set up an organizational structure to conduct the operations as per the plans
• To provide the overall direction in the organization
• To assemble the resources necessary for the attainment of the policy and execution of the paln
• To control effectively the business operations
• To judge and evaluate the results

      2. Middle level management:- It includes departmental managers, divisional heads and section officers. It acts as a bridge between top level management and lower level management. The major functions of this level are:-

• To implement the task set up by top management
• To implement the policies framed by the top management
• To run the organizations effectively and efficiently
• To cooperate for the smooth functioning of the organizations
• To coordinate between different departments
• To recruit , select and train the employees for the better functioning of the departments
• To issue the instructions to the lower level management
• To motivate the workers and staffs for higher productivity and to reward them.
• To lead the departments and build up an organizational spirit
• To report and make suitable recommendations to the top level management for the better execution of the plans and policies

      3. Lower level management:- It includes supervisors, foremen and workers. it is also known as supervisory level of management in which the supervisors or foreman like sales officers , account officers etc take responsibilities of the implementation and control of the operational plans developed by the middle level managers. The function of this level are: -

• To issue the orders and instruction to the workers to supervise and control the performance
• To plan the activities of the sections.
• To direct and guide the workers about the work procedures
• To provide job training to the workers
• To arrange the necessary tools, equipment , materials fro the workers and look after their proper maintenance
• To solve the problem of workers
• To develop sense of cooperation and high group spirit among the workers
• To advise the middle level about the work environment
• To inform the unsolved problems of the workers to the middle level management