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Module1 Post #3

Upper managers deal with long-term goals and strategy as well as legal and economic matters as the public face of the organization. Middle managers interpret plans, motivate employees, and make some salary and hiring decisions. Lower-level managers implement plans and lead by example. All managers assume leadership, informational, and decision-making roles to varying degrees. Upper managers serve as figures and representatives while middle managers motivate employees and determine what information is shared. Lower managers disseminate information and ensure employee success. Managers at different levels make different types of decisions related to opportunities, problems, resources, and negotiations. Together a diverse management team can meet organizational challenges.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
89 views2 pages

Module1 Post #3

Upper managers deal with long-term goals and strategy as well as legal and economic matters as the public face of the organization. Middle managers interpret plans, motivate employees, and make some salary and hiring decisions. Lower-level managers implement plans and lead by example. All managers assume leadership, informational, and decision-making roles to varying degrees. Upper managers serve as figures and representatives while middle managers motivate employees and determine what information is shared. Lower managers disseminate information and ensure employee success. Managers at different levels make different types of decisions related to opportunities, problems, resources, and negotiations. Together a diverse management team can meet organizational challenges.

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Mary Jhoy
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Module 1 Lesson #3

Management Roles
A pyramid graphic with upper management at the top, middle management, and then lower-level
management at the bottom. Upper management deals with long-term goals, such as products,
markets, and business organizing. Upper managers hold titles like CEO, CFO, COO, CTO, and
VP-Marketing. Middle management interprets plans and sets actions. They have titles like
regional/plant manager. Lower-level management implements plans. They have titles like team
leader, assistant manager, foreman, and shift manager.

Roles and functions of managers in a top-down organizational structure


We have discussed the types (levels) of managers and some of their responsibilities but not their
specific activities. All managers must be comfortable with three main types of activities or roles.
To do their jobs, managers assume these different roles. No manager stays in any one role all of
the time, but shifts back and forth. These roles are leadership (or interpersonal), informational,
and decision making. They were written about in detail in the 1970s by Henry Mintzberg, a
professor at McGill University in Canada. His classifications are still one of the most studied
descriptors of management roles today.
Leadership and Interpersonal Roles
Which type of manager spends more time in leadership activities? The short answer is all
effective managers display leadership characteristics. Leadership is the ability to communicate a
vision and inspire people to embrace that vision.
Top managers are often required to fulfill what Mintzberg described as figurehead activities.
They are the public face of the management team and represent the business in legal, economic,
and social forums.[2] Middle managers are also leaders, although their focus may be more on
interpersonal skills, such as motivating employees, negotiating salaries, and encouraging
innovation and creativity. First-line managers lead both by example when they actively
participate in the tasks assigned to their workers and by modeling the policies and work ethics of
the organization.
Informational Roles
Informational roles involve the receiving and sending of information—whether as a
spokesperson, a mentor, a trainer, or an administrator. A top manager is a voice of the
organization and has to be aware that even personal opinions will reflect (for better or worse) on
the business. With the free flow of information on the Internet, it is very difficult for top
managers to separate their personal identities from their corporate positions. For example, there
was a consumer backlash in 2017 when Uber CEO Travis Kalanick accepted a seat on President
Trump’s economic advisory council. Kalanick initially said that he was “going to use [his]
position on the council to stand up for what’s right.” He resigned a few days later in response to
the protest.[3]
Middle managers must skillfully determine what information from top management should be
shared with others, how it should be interpreted, and how it should be presented. Similarly, they
must weigh the value of information they receive from first-line managers and employees in
order to decide what to forward to top management. If transmitted information tends to be untrue
or trivial, then the manager will be viewed as a nonreliable source and his or her opinions
discounted.
The informational role for first-line managers is primarily one of disseminating what they have
been given and helping the employees to see how their own contributions further organizational
goals. They have a responsibility to see that the employees understand what they need to be
successful in their jobs.
Decision Making Roles
All managers are required to make decisions, but managers at different levels make different
kinds of decisions. According to Mintzberg, there are four primary types of management
decision roles. These include the following:
Entrepreneur. The entrepreneurs in a firm are usually top-level managers. They identify
economic opportunities, lead the initiative for change, and make product decisions.
Disturbance handler. Top and middle managers will react to disturbances (unexpected events) in
the organization—whether internal or external. They will decide what corrective actions should
be taken to resolve the problems.
Resource allocator. All levels of management will make resource allocation decisions, depending
upon whether the decision affects the entire organization, a single department, or a particular task
or activity.
Negotiator. Depending on the effect on the organization, most negotiation is done by top and
middle-level managers. Top managers will handle negotiations that affect the entire organization,
such as union contracts or trade agreements. Middle-level managers negotiate most salary and
hiring decisions.
To summarize, managers must play many roles. Some are better than others in particular roles
and will tend to be called on for those jobs. Putting a diverse management team in place will
ensure that the organization has enough managers to meet most challenges.

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