Management - Complexity Of Managers

CONTENTS .......Page

Introduction 2

The Roles of Managers 2

The Complexity of the Managerial Role 4

Top Managers 4

Middle Managers 4

First line Managers 5

How Can Management Impact on an Organisations Performance 5

Management in the Small Business Sector 5

Management in the Large Business Sector 6

Conclusion 7

References 9

INTRODUCTION

To manage can be defined in several ways however according to The Concise Oxford Dictionary Ninth Edition "To organise, regulate, be in charge of an organisation, team etc.; to succeed in achieving; to meet one's needs with limited resources." Although the fundamentals of management stay the same throughout different industries, different sizes of organisations and different levels of management there are variations in the roles played by managers. These variations are determined by the differences in the environment and the differences in the challenges presented to managers in their individual sectors. The roles of managers, complexity of the managerial role, and the significance of managers to organisation performance, management in the small business sector and public sector and variations within the managerial role will be discussed.

THE ROLES OF MANAGERS

(Davidson & Griffin, 2003, p 16 - 17) states that Henry Mintzberg, a management researcher studied the day to day activities of a group of CEOS and established that managers perform 10 different roles and these roles then fall under 3 basic categories. These categories are interpersonal, informational and decisional.

The interpersonal category involves the manager dealing with other people. It includes the roles of figurehead, leader and liaising officer. The figurehead role played by managers includes activities that are ceremonial and symbolic. Motivating, supporting and training employees enable the manager to play a leadership role. The liaising officer role is where the manager acts as a coordinator between communication of people, groups or organisations.

The roles of monitor, disseminator and spokesperson involve processing information. This fits under the second category as the informational role. The monitor is the role where the manager seeks any information that may be of value to the organisation. The disseminator, which is very similar to the liaising officer, is where the manager transfers relevant information to people within the organisation. Relaying information to others outside the organisation is where the manager is playing the role of the spokesperson.

Typically, the decisional roles are derived from the manager's informational role. The roles of entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator and negotiator all largely relate to decision making. The role of the entrepreneur is where the manager takes on a sales perspective by thinking of the future by means of creating new ideas, products and services. The second role being the disturbance handler is not instigated by the manager but by another individual or group. In this role the manager deals with problems such as strikes, copyright infringements and customer complaints. How the resources are distributed in the organisation is where the manager is playing the resource allocation role. The negotiating role is where the manager negotiates with other groups or organisations as a representative of the company. On the contrary, negotiations may also take place within the company such as mediating a dispute between two employees.

For example the entrepreneur of today, according to (Leontiades,1986, p 120) was formed in the 1950's and 1960's where leaders typically ran one - man shows hence they built sprawling enterprises from virtually a standing start with their strong personalities. The Bluhdorns, Geneens, Ashes, Thorntons, Strichmans and Lings were self confident to ignore tradition to be captains of a new type of company.

THE COMPLEXITTY OF THE MANAGERIAL ROLE

Managers can be differentiated according to their level of organisation according to (Davidson & Griffin, 2003, p 13 - 15). In large organisations there usually are a number of levels where management exists. However commonly there are three levels. These are top, middle and first line managers.

TOP MANAGERS

Managing the whole organisation is performed by the top level managers. These top level managers include titles such as MD (managing director) or CEO (Chief Executive Officer). These types of managers establish the companies' goals, mission statements, overall strategy and operating policies. There other major role is in the external environment where they represent the organisation at meetings and functions. The job is very much complex and varied. These managers also make decisions about the company such as building new facilities and plants, whether to enter or abandon different markets etc.

MIDDLE MANAGERS

Middle management is probably consists of the largest group of managers in organisations. Some common titles include plant manager, operations manager, general manager and division head. The polices and plans developed by top level managers enable the middle managers to execute them. Recently, organisations have started to remove the amount of middle level managers to lower costs and eliminate staff which are not required for the organisation to grow. However, middle managers are still needed in order to bridge the gap between the first line manager and the top manager.

FIRST LINE MANAGERS

Supervising and coordinating activities of operating employees is the job of the first line manager. These positions are usually obtained from the ranks of operating personnel.

HOW CAN MANAGEMENT IMPACT ON A COMPANIES PERFORMANCE?

(Perry and Pendleton, 1992, pp 12 -13) states that management plays an important part in the effectiveness and productivity of the company. If the wrong people are given the responsibilities of a manager then this could cause the business to contract and the staff to suffer. The task of a manager is to accomplish organisational goals through people. According to (Davidson