Types of Manager, Managerial Roles and Skills

Types of managers

Organizational managers can be divided into many classes according to the type of job they do or where in the hierarchy they are located. There are several types of managers:

1. On the basis of nature of job

• Generalist manager:
  • Manager who undertakes a variety of tasks in accordance with the needs of the firm is a generalist manager. They are not experts in any one field. Due to the variety of tasks they must complete, they are overworked. They oversee the organization's general operations. C.E.O., president, and general manager are examples of this.
• Functional manager:
  • The manager who specializes in a certain field is the functional manager. They are responsible for their own department's performance. The job description specifies their prerogatives, obligations, and duties. Functional managers are those who handle tasks related to production, sales, finance, and accounting.
• Staff manager :
  • Staff managers serve as advisors to both generalist and functional managers because they are the subject-matter experts in their field. Although they are professionals and experts in the particular business sector, they are not granted a special role in management. They do not hold any official management positions. According to their needs, they offer functional and staff managers suggestions and directives.

2. On the basis of managerial hierarchy:

• Top level manager:
  • Top level management is practiced by all managers involved in it. The top level managers are the board of directors, the CEO, the chairman, and the general manager. They are in charge of the organization's overall performance. The highest level manager is the final authority. Top managers are chosen by shareholders.
• Middle-level manager:
  • In any organization, this is the biggest group of managers. Department leaders who are in charge of all the tasks associated with their respective departments are included in the middle management level. The authority and duty are delegated to this level management by the top level manager. Lower level management is instructed by this level manager, who also reports to the top level manager on tasks done. Between high level and lower level management, this level manager serves as a liaison.
• Lower level manager:
  • This is also referred to as the manager's first line. This level of manager is actively engaged in the running of the business, including production, marketing, finance, etc. Sales officers, account officers, superintendents, and other operational leaders make up lower-level managers. Work completion is the responsibility of lower level managers. The plan and strategy developed by middle-level management are to be implemented by this level manager.

Managerial Roles

In order to maintain relationships with both subordinates and outsiders, a manager must perform a series of tasks known as managerial roles. The particular types of managerial behavior. Henry Mintzberg conducted research and questioned the conventional functional approach. He discovered that the manager caters to 10 different clients, all of whom are tied to one another and fall into one of three groups. Three categories were used to categorize managerial roles:

1. Interpersonal role:

The interpersonal function involves preserving official and informal relationships with staff members and the general public. This position pertains to a manager's interactions and interactions with others. This aspect of a manager's job involves interactions and contacts with other people. Among the interpersonal roles are

• Figurehead:
  • When the manager performs their duties at ceremonies and other social events, they take on the role of the figurehead. This includes welcoming visitors and attending events, among other things. This position is ceremonial and symbolic in nature.
• Leader:
  • Managers take on this position when carrying out formal duties. Leading, regulating, inspiring, and directing are all aspects of leadership. The staff's efficiency and discipline are supported by this position. This job aids the management in directing tasks in accordance with organizational objectives.
• Liaison:
  • When the manager serves as the intermediary between the organization and the outside world, they occupy this job. Maintaining social and professional ties with the outsider is made easier by this function. Managers fill this duty by acting as a link between an organizational unit and the outside world.

2. Informational role:

Every company need information. The manager's informational responsibilities include receiving, gathering, and disseminating nonroutine information. These positions assist the manager in using relevant data when making decisions. The manager is established in this function as the focal point for information gathering. This position entails:

• Monitor:
  • Receiving information about the internal and external environments is a part of these roles. Managers look at their surroundings to learn about changes, opportunities, and issues. The manager assigns more trained personnel to assess the surroundings.
• Disseminator:
  • These positions entail providing pertinent information to the group's members. Both internal activities and the outside environment may be covered by the information.
• Spokesperson:
  • Managers who serve in this capacity must formally provide information to anyone outside the company. The manager clarifies the company's position on important issues or concerns raised by the public.

3. Decisional role:

The decisional role is concerned with choosing the best solution of a problem from among many alternatives. This role of manager helps manager to solve the organizational problem. It involves:

• Entrepreneur:
  • This position entails starting a change in the organization's working methodology. By creating fresh concepts and a tactical plan for implementation, an entrepreneur assumes the risk for improvement.
• Negotiator:
  • Manager acts in this capacity to bargain with other units and people in order to achieve advantages. Work performance, objectives, resources, or other units may be the subject of negotiations.
• Resource allocator:
  • The manager's responsibility as a resource allocator is to assign the correct resources to the right departments at the right times. Resources include things like cash, people, time, and machinery. The management chooses which employee needs what kind of resource and how much time to complete a task.
• Disturbance handler:
  • This position entails taking corrective action whenever a disruption in the organization's regular operations occurs. A strike or a quarrel amongst subordinates may be the cause of unplanned interruptions. The manager has to solve the problems tactfully.

Managerial Skills

Skills are the capacity to carry out a specific work in an effective and efficient manner. The aptitude and effectiveness of the manager are the primary determinants of managerial success. When a manager has the necessary managerial abilities, they complete tasks successfully; nevertheless, when they lack these abilities, their performance falls short of expectations. A manager must possess the following three key competencies:

• Technical skills:
  • Technical expertise is the capacity to use tools or processes for a certain job in an effective and efficient manner. Lower level management mostly needs technical abilities because they must deal with many instruments to complete daily tasks. Specialized knowledge plus the capacity to function within the specialization make up this competence.
• Human skills:
  • The manager's capacity to collaborate with a subordinate is referred to as human skills. A manager with good people skills can relate to and inspire their staff to complete their work. Human skills are crucial at all levels of management because they enable them to lead, inspire, communicate with, and trust their subordinates.
• Conceptual skills:
  • In an organization, conceptual abilities refer to the capacity to understand and recognize complicated situations or issues. The mental capacity that top level management most frequently needs is conceptual. Conceptual abilities aid managers in conceptualizing the environment, analyzing the forces at play, and taking a broad view of the company.

Becoming a manager

A person needs a variety of abilities in order to manage well. Manager has to deal with many difficulties. Therefore, a manager must acquire a variety of talents to establish himself as a successful manager. The manager can gain the necessary skills through education, experience, and circumstance.

• Roles of education:
  • Education serves as the cornerstone of managerial skill. The manager receives theoretical information through education. A person's learning habits are formed through education. A person with education adheres to a well-designed course of study and gains knowledge of the business environment through investigation and analysis.
• Roles of experience:
  • Only having a strong degree won't make someone a successful manager; they also need to contribute effectively to the team. Experience allows managers to develop their managerial skills because they become accustomed to the pressures and difficulties they face on a daily basis. Managers have good practical knowledge thanks to experience.
• Roles of situation:
  • A manager develops a variety of abilities through a variety of management situations. A solution that works now could not work tomorrow. Therefore, a manager can learn a new strategy for tackling the problem in a different circumstance by using examples from diverse situations. The manager needs to understand the particulars and complexities of every circumstance.

Reference:

Dr.S Poudyal, Santosh Raj. Principles of management. Bhotahity,Kathmandu.: Asmita book Publishers & Distribution (P)Ltd., 2011