Manager Role-Henry Mintzberg’s Management Roles Essay

There are three type levels of managers which are top level manager, middle manager, and first-line manager. Managers carry out functions, roles and skills. Management functions are planning, organizing, leading and controlling as stated by Henri Fayol. However, Henry Mintzberg defined management roles into three parts which are interpersonal roles, informational roles, and decisional roles. Besides, Robert L. Katz states that managers need three essential skills or competencies which are technical skills, human skills, and conceptual skills. The objective of this essay is to discuss the roles of manager in practice relate to Henry Mintzberg’s management roles. Based on the interview, it was found that the manager actually put into practice the skill introduced by Henry Mintzberg. Following discussion will be relates the manager interviewed with Mintzberg’s management roles. Description of the manager interviewed The manager interviewed (Ms. Ong) is thirty-five years old and has a marketing degree. She had been involved in managerial position for nine years. Now, she is the Corporate Affairs Manager in her current company, which is a position of middle manager. This company relates to communications technology. It is a multinational company which operate local and internationally. Instead, she has to plan and organize events to enhance relationship with business partners and customers. This is to ensure the company keeps on track with the suppliers and buyers from time to time on the updated products and services. Besides, she plan and organize the customer’s satisfaction survey to ensure customers satisfaction maintained at all times. Due to the survey, it is to improve and maintain the company’s reputation among customers. Her greatest achievement in the company is developed a new website for the group. She is maintaining the website to ensure the news is up to date. Definition and introduction to Mintzberg’s management roles The term management roles refers to specific categories of managerial behaviour (Robbins et al, 2006). From this sagacity, it shows the different roles have different behaviours are expected in different position. In Mintzberg’s ten management roles, he grouped the roles in three categories. First, those who concerned with interpersonal relationships (Interpersonal), follow up with those who concerned with the transfer information (Informational), and those who concerned with decision making (Decisional). Firstly, interpersonal roles required to perform duties that involve people and other duties that are ceremonial and symbolic in nature (Robbins et al, 2006). There are three interpersonal roles, which are figurehead role, leader role, and liaison role. These interpersonal roles are primarily concerned with provide information. Secondly, informational roles are managerial roles that involve receiving, collecting and disseminating information (Robbins et al, 2006). There are three informational roles, which are monitor role, disseminator role, and spokesperson role. It is primarily concerned with the information process with the information aspects of managerial works. Thirdly, Mintzberg identified decisional roles which revolve around making decisions (Robbins et al, 2006). This is the unique access of using information to the organizational decision making. There are four decisional roles, which are entrepreneur role, disturbance handler role, resource allocator role, and negotiator role. The top managers will make the decisions for the organization as a whole, while the supervisor makes decisions for his or her particular work unit. Henry Mintzberg’s management roles with manager interviewed As described above, Ms. Ong is a middle level manager. Middle managers included all levels of management between the first-line level and the top level of the organization who manage the work of first-line managers (Robbins et al, 2006). Ms. Ong as a middle level manager is responsible to attain the goals set by the top management. The first roles, which is the interpersonal roles is implemented much in the manager management roles. The manager interviewed mentioned that she uses very much interpersonal skills to ensure the ability to work with individuals and groups. This helps the manager to communicate with first-line and top management to process the information. The manager takes the responsibility to motivate members of the organization and ensure the organization keep on track with their goals to be attained. In the liaison role, the manager interacts with media on publicity for the organization to maintain the reputation. The leader role helps the manager to maintain relationship on developing network with the subordinates and media. This role gives the manager a unique position to collect information for her job. Secondly, the informational roles is the role the manager uses very much in managerial roles. In the monitor role, the manager receives and collects information. The information collected will processes and hand to the top management for decisions making. As an example, the manager will develop the Marketing Communication plans, promotional strategies and communication programmes to improve customers’ relationship. Yet, these plans need approval from the top management before it launch in the market. In the role of disseminator, the manager will produce monthly and quarterly newsletters and all other company’s publications into the organization. Besides, the manager plays the role of spokesperson by compile corporate information for release to press or public. Instead, the manager liaise with business partners on events or promotions pertaining to each products and services. As a corporate affairs manager, the manager plays her informational roles very well in the organization. Thirdly, as a middle level manager, the manager involves moderate little amount in decisions making. The manager accesses the information to the top management while the top level management will analyse and decide the best undertakings for the organization. Yet, as the corporate affairs manager, she has the responsible to review and approve selection of promotional media and agencies, then evaluate the cost effectiveness of the advertising programmes and campaigns to ensure maximum publicity for the organization. This shows how the manager captures the role of disturbance handler. It shows the manager will do the decisions making for her particular job unit not other than that. Overall, the manager interviewed has good social communication skills to communicate with the customers and business partners. These will ensure the organization’s reputation is well protected. The manager plays her roles well by applying Mintzberg’s management roles in her job. A manager should always apply the ten roles in Mintzberg’s management roles to handle their job. In addition, the manger mentioned that human skills stated in Katz theory is very much needed to deal with subordinates and business partners. By having the best performance of the subordinates, the manager will take action on giving some motivation rewards. Somehow, the manager thinks that rewards lead motivation in the overall performance in their group. This will ensure the overall group performance to be more efficient and effectively. Two stakeholders that impacts on the work of the manager interviewed Stakeholders are any constituencies in the organisation’s external environment that are affected by the organisation’s decisions and actions (Robbins et al, 2006). From the manager interviewed, there are many stakeholders such as employees, customers, business partners, media, and others. In this case, two important stakeholders chosen are employees and media. The manager states, employees are the important stakeholders in the organization. Employees are the subordinate that will contribute a lot in the organization. Each employee contribute one information or data, meanwhile the manager will collect and analyse the information or data. In the end of the day, it will process as an important document in the organization. To ensure the good relationship between employees, the manager will organize a party when they had done their project. This is to motivate the employees due to the organization goals are attained. Other than that, the manager will provide subordinates a cup of coffee or tea during the tea time break. Without a good relationship with the employees, the manager’s work will be futile. In the same time, the employees will willing to sacrifice and support the manager when the manager making decisions. Secondly, as a corporate affairs manager, the manager deals a lot with the media. Media plays an important role in helping the organization to achieve the goals. Meanwhile, it may create bias to the organization as well. In brief, media divided to two which are mass and electronic. In mass media, the manager deal with the editors to prevent bad press. Additionally, the manager will build good relationship with the editors in mass media to do advertising on new product releases or successful projects in the mass media. In electronic media, the manager will post all press articles on organization in the company website. This is to keep the company’s stakeholders update information. In conclusion, keeping a good relationship with stakeholders, the manager can achieve the organizational goals effectively and efficiently. The stakeholders will fully co-operate with the manager in the decisions making. They will serve or obey the order in advance. Conclusion The main objective of this essay is to understand the work of a manager in practice relates to Mintzberg’s management roles. Based on the interview of a corporate affairs manager in a multinational organization, it was found that Mintzberg’s ten management roles are being applied in the organization. In brief, Mintzberg’s management roles is categorized in three groups which are interpersonal roles, informational roles, and decisional roles. Besides Mintzberg’s management roles, in real life manager should apply other skills and theories to be more effective and efficient. References List McShane, V. G. (2003), Organizational behaviour, 2nd edn, McGraw-Hill, New York. Robbins,S. P. , Bergman,R. , Stagg,I. & Coulter, M. (2006), 4th edn, Prentice Hall, Sydney.