Define and explain the three roles that managers play, according to Henry Mintzberg. Also explain and give an example fo the subroles within each category.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Mintzberg identified three important roles played by managers:

Interpersonal roles—Managers interact with people inside and outside their work units. The three interpersonal roles include figurehead (performing symbolic tasks that represent your organization, such as attending employee birthday parties), leader (being responsible for the actions, successes, and failures of your subordinates as in taking responsibility when an employee does something unethical), and liaison activities (working with other people outside your work unit to develop alliances that will help you achieve your organization's goals, as in talking to managers of other departments to help facilitate the flow of work among different employee groups).

Informational roles—As monitor, disseminator, and spokesperson, managers receive and communicate information with other people inside and outside the organization. In the monitoring role, you are constantly alert for useful information, perhaps reading The Wall Street Journal daily to keep up with changes in the economy. In the disseminator role, you make sure employees receive key information, such as information about changes in company policy or new markets the company is planning to enter. In the spokesperson role, you show the company's best face to people outside the company, perhaps by granting interviews with the local news station to talk about the company's new environment-friendly manufacturing techniques.

Decisional roles—Managers use information to make decisions to solve problems or take advantage of opportunities. The four decision-making roles are entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, and negotiator. As an entrepreneur, you initiate and encourage change and innovation, perhaps by leading an initiative to decrease energy consumption by 10 percent within the office. As a disturbance handler, you fix unforeseen problems, perhaps using technical skills to help get the production process back on track. As a resource allocator, you set priorities about the use of resources, making sure that you are investing time and money in activities that will offer a high return on investment. As a negotiator, you work with others inside and outside the organization to accomplish your goals, understanding the give-and-take (negotiating skills) that successful management requires.