1.4 THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BE A GREAT BOSS: Identifying the Roles Managers Play

(EXTRACTION FROM TEAM MANAGEMENT: Management Skills at http://www.mindtools.com)

 

Mintzberg's Management Roles

We’re constantly switching roles as tasks, situations, and expectations change.  Management expert and professor, Henry Mintzberg, argued that there are ten primary roles or behaviors that can be used to categorize a manager's different functions.  Mintzberg published his Ten Management Roles in his book, "Mintzberg on Management: Inside our Strange World of Organizations," in 1990.  The ten roles are then further divided into three categories.

THE 10 ROLES AND IT’S CATEGORIES
INTERPERSONAL ·        involve providing information and ideas
FIGUREHEAD	·        have social, ceremonial and legal responsibilities ·        expected to be a source of inspiration ·        People look up to you as a person with authority ·        represent their teams COMPETENCIES NEEDED: ·        improve or build confidence ·        improve or build image, behavior, and reputation ·        Cultivate humility and empathy ·        set a good example at work ·        be a good role model
LEADER	·        provide leadership for team, department or perhaps entire organization ·        manage the performance and responsibilities of everyone in the group COMPETENCIES NEEDED: ·        be an authentic leader ·        improve emotional intelligence
LIAISON	·        must communicate with internal and external contacts ·        need to be able to network effectively on behalf of your organization COMPETENCIES NEEDED: ·        work on professional networking techniques
INFORMATIONAL ·        involve processing information
MONITOR	·        regularly seek out information ·        looking for relevant changes in the environment ·        monitor team’s productivity, and their well-being COMPETENCIES NEEDED: ·        effective information gathering ·        overcome information overload ·        use effective reading strategies ·        keep up-to-date with industry news
DISSEMINATOR	·        communicate potentially useful information to colleagues and team COMPETENCIES NEEDED: ·        share information and outside views effectively ·        share organizational information with Team Briefings ·        improving your writing skills
SPOKESPERSON	·        represent and speak for their organization ·        responsible for transmitting information about organization and its goals COMPETENCIES NEEDED: ·        represent your organization at a conference ·        delivering great presentations ·        working with the media
DECISIONAL ·        involve using information
ENTREPRENEUR	·        create and control change within the organization ·        solving problems ·        generating new ideas ·        implementing them COMPETENCIES NEEDED: ·        build on your change management skills ·        learn what not to do when implementing change work on problem solving and creativity skills
DISTURBANCE HANDLER	·        take charge when organization or team is hits by an unexpected roadblock ·        help mediate disputes within it COMPETENCIES NEEDED: ·        excel at conflict resolution ·        know how to handle team conflict ·        manage emotion in your team
RESOURCE ALLOCATOR	·        determine where organizational resources are best applied ·        involves o   allocating funding o   assigning staff o   and other organizational resources COMPETENCIES NEEDED: ·        learn how to manage a budget, cut costs, and prioritize
NEGOTIATOR	·        needed to take part in, and direct, important negotiations within your team, department, or organization COMPETENCIES NEEDED: ·        learning about Win-Win Negotiation and Distributive Bargaining