6 Roles of a Manager

Structure

1.       Objectives

2.       Introduction

3.       Classification of Manager’s Role

4.       Interpersonal Role

5.       Informational Role

6.       Decisional Role

7.       Leading Professional Role

1.      Objectives

At the end of the session learners will be able to

• Classify Roles of a Manager
• Explain Interpersonal Role of a Manager
• Suggest activities for Interpersonal Role
• Explain Informational Role of a Manager
• Suggest activities for Informational Role
• Explain Decisional Role of a Manager
• Suggest activities for Decisional Role

2.  Introduction

Manager has to perform various roles in an organization. A School or College Principal, Head of the department is all educational managers. Knowledge, attitude and job conduct of Principal of school and managers of educational institutes is not rooted from their specialized and professional knowledge needed to take this position but it needs training because thoughtful and efficient principal in school help in improving job satisfaction of teachers, establishment of link with parents of students, strengthen PTA association, lower educational loss, optimum utilization of resources and improving the quality of education. Here different roles played by the principal are much of significance. Principal need to understand what different roles he has to play as educational manager, what are the expectations from each role and hoe effectively these roles can be played.

The management is the basic element in organizational change and managers play an important role in carrying out of the changes in successful way. Rapid scientific and technological improvement makes important change in organizational structure and manager’s duty and role. Educational organizations which is the focal point of social change id affected by this rapid change. Adaptation of educational process and educational managers to this rapid change depends on their capability of doing their duty and playing their roles.

Different management theories explain roles of a manager in different ways. According to Fayol, manager is a coordinator of various resources through the function of planning, organizing, commanding, and controlling. Behaviourist theorists look at manager as a team builder. Management scientists view manager as a decision maker. Contingency school considers manager as a mediator between organization and environment.

Scenario 1-

Mr. Kulkarni is a School Principal. He has been with the school for last twenty years. He is involved in various ceremonial and legal activities. He greets visitors, such as parents, board teams, educational officers etc. He signs various legal documents, for e.g. a day before he has signed rent agreement with the owner of the school building. Mr. Kulkarni keeps proactive approach so that problems do not surface out and if it arrives he solves them choosing best strategy. He guides his teachers on various aspects related to their teaching and professional development. He is known in the field of education for his professional knowledge and experience .Many of the schools invites him as a chief guest in various programmes. Mr. Kulkarni maintains many favourable contacts inside and outside the school. His mastery over communication skill enables him to have good rapport with other people. He personally writes letters, emails and makes phone calls as and when needed because of which he has excellent personal contacts

Which role Mr. Kulkarni is playing in the above scenario?

Scenario 2-

Mr. Kulkarni keeps a close watch on day to day functioning of the school. He regularly conducts performance appraisal of his teachers and give them feedback about their strengths and areas to be improved. He also takes feedback from students and parents about the teachers. He seeks reports and analyzes them regularly. He regularly conducts the meeting with the staff and communicates important information to the staff. He disburses the circulars received from the management and government quickly as it arrives. He makes sure that notices are displayed on notice board from time to time as and when required. Which role Mr. Kulkarni is playing?

Scenario- 3

Mr. Kulkarni believes in changing oneself as per the need of the context. Accordingly, he has experimented ICT integrated teaching learning process in his school. He sends his teacher for training enabling them to use ICT based teaching.

He is more concerned of the quality so while appointing teacher he hires best faculty unlike other private schools. He generously provides resources to staff for optimum performance but at the same time he is too strict for redundancy of resources. He takes responsibility and is ready to face consequences which may arise because of his decision. He calmly and quietly handles the disturbances arise in day to day functioning of the school.

Which role Mr. Kulkarni is playing?

One of the most comprehensive classifications of manager has been developed by Henry Mintzberg (1971) who has described roles played by the manager. These roles are classified under three main categories and then these three roles are further classified under subcategory of ten roles of a manager.

3.      Classification of Manager’s Role

Mintzberg (1971) described ten roles of a manager under three major categories.

a)          Interpersonal Role

b)          Informational Role

c)          Decisional Role

In the roles of a manager, Coulson (1987) has added one more category of roles viz leading professional. Thus, in all there are four major groups of roles of a manager described in the following section.

4.      Interpersonal Role

It is seen from scenario- 1 that Mr. Kulkarni is playing Interpersonal role. Interpersonal roles are the role played by a person to interact with others properly. He greets visitors such as parents, board teams, educational officers etc. Mr. Kulkarni maintains many favourable contacts inside and outside the school. He personally writes letters, emails and makes phone calls as and when needed. This shows his interpersonal skills.

These roles involve the behaviour’s associated with human interactions. In other words, interpersonal roles are those roles that allow a manager to interact with his/ her employees for the purpose of achieving organizational goals.Interpersonal roles cover the relationships that a manager has to have with others. The managerial roles in this category involve providing information and ideas.

Interpersonal roles are grouped into three roles involving working with other people.

These are-

a)      Figurehead role

b)      Leader role

c)       Liaison role

Scenario- 4

In the above scenario 1, When Mr Kulkarni greets visitors such as parents, board teams, educational officers etc. He signs various legal documents, e.g., a day before he has signed rent agreement with the owner of the school building. .Many of the schools invites him as a chief guest in various programmes. Which role Mr. Kulkarni is playing?

Mr. Kulkarning is playing the role of figurehead. Here, the manager is a symbolic head; He is obliged to perform number of routine duties of legal or social nature, like signing reports, attending assembly, participation in ceremony etc. A figurehead provides inspiration by sharing the mission and vision of the organization and symbolizing authority. The Figurehead performs symbolic legal or social duties. Manager is expected to be a source of information, people look at manager as a person with authority and as a figure head.

Scenario-5

When Mr. Kulkarni arrives at school in the morning, he holds a daily meeting for all staff who are working in his school. He spends time talking about daily programme schedule with his teachers. He motivates his teachers for the day functioning by holding a friendly contest between teachers by declaring best teacher of the month. He informs his teacher’s that the best teacher will get incentive and reward. Mr. Kulkarni makes sure that he is monitoring the performance of his teacher’s regularly. He checks with his teacher’s periodically to make sure that they don’t have any difficulty in their day to day teaching. He spends time communicating with teacher’s performance goals, training and mentoring, supporting teacher’s efforts, supplying resources, evaluating teachers’ performance and motivating teachers towards higher level of performance. He guides his teacher’s on various aspects related to their teaching and professional development. Which role Mr. Kulkarni is playing?

Mr. Kulkarni is playing the role of leader. The principal’s role as Leader requires to direct and manage the performance of his teachers. In a leader, role manager directs goals and evaluates employee performance. As a leader, manager has to bring together the needs of an organization and those of the individuals under their command. He is responsible for the motivation and activation of subordinates; responsible for staffing, training, and associated duties. Mentoring, training, and motivating employees are all leadership activities. Duties are at the heart of manager subordinate relationship and include structuring and motivating subordinates, overseeing their progress, promoting and encouraging their development and balancing effectiveness.

When Mr. Kulkarni keeps proactive approach for problem solving he is playing the role of leader who can sense the problem in advance and be ready to tackle with the best strategy.

Scenario 6-

Mr. Kulkarni maintains many favourable contacts inside and outside the school. He personally writes letters, emails and makes phone calls as and when needed. He invites other principals to his school for various programmes organized in his school. Which role Mr. Kulkarni is playing?

Mr Kulkarni is playing the role of liaison. Mr. Kulkarni does not leave everything to his teachers. He likes to maintain contacts with his customer to better understand their needs and how he can accommodate them. For this, he goes to different classes and takes feedback from students about his teachers. He holds parents meeting and attends those meetings in order to understand parents’ expectations from the school. As a Liaison, Mr. Kulkarni communicates with internal and external members of the school. This networking activity is critical step in reaching school’s goals, especially those concerned with students and parents as customers. The liaison maintains a network of contacts outside the work unit to obtain information. Describes the information and communication obligations of a manager. One must network and engage in information exchange to gain access to knowledge bases.

As liaison, a manager has to maintain a network of relationship with other organizations. He has to maintain self-developed network of outside contacts and informers who provide favour and information. Acknowledgements of mail, external board work, other activities involving correspondence with outsiders. Manager must communicate with internal and external contacts. Manager need to be able to network effectively on behalf of organization.

5.      Informational Role

The informational role includes those roles which manager must generate and share knowledge to successfully achieve organizational goals. Manager has to collect, disseminate and transmit information. Manager has three corresponding different communication based informational roles under this category

a)      Monitor role

b)      Disseminator role

c)       Spokesperson role

Scenario – 7

Mr. Kulkarni keeps a close watch on day to day functioning of the school. He regularly conducts performance appraisal of his teachers and give them feedback about their strengths and areas to be improved. He also takes feedback from students and parents about the teachers. He seeks reports and analyzes them regularly. Mr. Kulkarni regularly seeks out information related to his school. He monitors his teacher in terms of their performance and professional development. Which role Mr. Kulkarni is playing?

Mr Kulkarni is playing the role of a Monitor. The monitor seeks internal and external information about issues that can affect the organization. A manager is important figure in monitoring what goes on in the organization. He seeks and receives wide variety of special information to develop thorough understanding of the organization and environment such as handling all mails and contacts which are primarily informational, such as periodical news and observational tours, taking feedback from parents about institution, taking information about government schemes, government resolutions. Duties include assessing internal operations, schools success and the problems and opportunities which may arise. All the information gained in this capacity must be stored and maintained.

After that, he does some research on how he can improve his teachers’ performances. He spends time reflecting on the feedback given by students and parents and the information that customers share with him and also looks at what others schools are doing .The monitor role of that Mr. Kulkarni must fulfill involves a task of researching , locating and choosing useful information . As Monitor, Mr. Kulkarni has to stay abreast to current school standards and changes occurring in both internal and external environments. This also includes monitoring the performance of teachers and students level of achievement.

Scenario 8-

Mr. Kulkarni combines all the information collected. He spends some time previewing this information with his teachers so that they can get an idea about their performances and goals to be achieved. He conducts meeting of the teacher and communicates result of his research to his teachers. Which role Mr. Kulkarni is Playing?

Mr. Kulkarni is playing the role of a disseminator. Disseminator transmits information internally that is obtained from either internal or external sources. Highlights factual or value based external views into organization and to subordinates. This requires both filtering and delegation skills. Manager transmits information received from outsiders or form subordinates to members of the organization; some information involving interpretation and integration such as forwarding mail into the organization for informational purpose, verbal contacts involving information flow to subordinates including review sessions and spontaneous communication. Manager needs to provide information to subordinates which may be technical. So, in that case, understanding technical language and translate it into simple words for the staff is the job of manager. Translating and interpreting government resolutions in simple language, informing staff about seminars, workshops, training programmes organized at various institutes. Writing minutes of the meeting and sending these minutes to respective persons.

Scenario- 9

Mr. Kulkarni Prepares brochure of his school including the information about school’s plans, policies, actions, results, and distribute it in the society. He does advertisement of his school by preparing hoardings to be displayed at important places of the city.

Which role Mr. Kulkarni is playing?

Here Mr. Kulkarni is playing the role of a Spokesperson. The Spokesperson transmits information about organization to outsiders. Serves in a PR capacity by informing stakeholders updated about the operation of the organization. A manager often has to give information concerning the organization to outsiders, taking on the role of spokesperson to both the general public and those in position of influence. Manager has to transmit information to outsiders on the organization’s plans, policies, actions and results; He has to conduct board meetings, handle mail, and contacts involving transmission of information to outsiders. Taking help of media in order to do publicity of his institute, distribution of brochures, pamphlets about institutions progress and development.

6.      Decisional Role

Decisional role include roles involving the process of using information to make decisions. The most crucial part of management activity is to take decisions. Manager has to take various decisions in day to day functioning of the organization. The four action based roles for making and implementing decisions are-

a)          Entrepreneur role

b)          Disturbance handler role

c)          Resource Allocator role

d)         Negotiator role

Scenario 10

Mr Kulkarni believes in changing oneself as per the need of the context. Accordingly, he has experimented ICT integrated teaching learning process in his school. He sends his teacher for training enabling them to use ICT based teaching. He emphasizes on integration of ICT in teaching learning for which he makes it compulsory for his teachers to prepare lesson plan for ICT integrated teaching learning. Mr. Kulkarni focuses on process improvement. He looks for ways to improve teacher performance and student’s achievement. He directs the change process from development to improvement. He identifies strategy for conducting different curricular activities, various courses and decides its feasibility. Which role Mr. Kulkarni is playing?

Mr. Kulkarni is playing the role of an Entrepreneur. The entrepreneur acts as an initiator, designer and encourage for change and innovation. As entrepreneur, managers make decisions about changing what is happening in an organization. They may have to initiate change take an active part in deciding exactly what is to be done. Manager searches the organization and its environment for opportunities and initiates change in the organization. He supervises design of certain projects as well for organizational development. He identifies strategy and review policies, government resolutions, curricular activities, various courses and decides its feasibility.

Scenario 11-

Mr. Kulkarni focuses on handling disturbances in day to day functioning of the school. When the teachers goes on strike all of sudden for demanding increase in their salary, then in that situation Mr. Kulkarni listen teachers’ demands and communicate this issue to top management. After consulting the top management he communicates management’s decisions to teachers. Which role Mr. Kulkarni is playing?

Mr. Kulkarni acts as a mediator in handling this disturbing situation. Disturbance Handler takes corrective action when organization faces important, unexpected difficulties. Manager makes decisions arise from events beyond their control and unpredicted. He reacts to events as well as to plan various activities. He is responsible for corrective action when the organization faces important, unexpected disturbances. He has to take decisions regarding disciplinary actions to be taken. He has to identify strategy and review involving disturbances and crises, give memos and report to the authorities.

Scenario 12-

Mr. Kulkarni checks it time to time whether all teachers and students are getting resources required for effective teaching learning process. If there is any shortage or inadequacy of resources then he makes provision for allocating those resources.

If there is shortage of books in the library or inadequate equipments in the laboratory, he brings it to notice of the management and takes necessary actions for the same.

Which role Mr. Kulkarni is playing?

Mr. Kulkarni is playing the role of a Resource Allocator. The resource allocator distributes resources of all types, including time, funding, equipment, and human resources. The resource allocation role of a manager is central to much managerial activities. A manager has to take decisions about allocation of money, people, equipment, time and so on. He is responsible for the allocation of organization resources of all kinds in effect the making or approving of all significant organizational decisions. He has to involve in scheduling, requests for authorization, any activity involving budgeting and the programming of subordinates work.

In the scenario on teachers’ strike Mr. Kulkarni acts as a negotiator between top management and teachers. He communicates teachers’ demands to management and communicates management’s decision to teachers. In this situation, he puts his efforts as negotiator between top management and teachers. He may conduct several meetings of top management and teacher until negotiation is done on both teachers’ and managements’ demands.

Negotiator represents the organization in major negotiations affecting the manager’s areas of responsibility. A manager has to negotiate with others and in the process be able to make decisions about the commitment of organizational resources. He is responsible for representing the organization at major negotiations. He has to represents institute for negotiations with parents, teachers, students, unions etc. He has to conduct meetings for negotiation.

If we analyze these roles given by Mintzberg, we can say that authority and status derive the interpersonal roles, interpersonal makes it necessary for manager to make it informational roles. An Informational role makes manager to make decisions. These ten roles of manager come with great deal of responsibilities. Informing, connecting and ordering require a manager to able to adapt to the situation and controlling it in a balanced way.

7.      Leading Professional Role

Manager has to be a good leader also. Manager as a leader should have a vision of what can be achieved and communicate this to others and then evolve strategies for realizing vision. In this act of his management, his leadership role is of more significance. Manager needs to motivate people for getting the task done and he has many times to negotiate resources and other supports to achieve goals. In this whole process his leading quality helps him to achieve his goals. Leading involves directing, influencing, and motivating employees to perform essential tasks. Managers lead an attempt to persuade others to join them in pursuit of future that emerges from planning and organizing.

Goal Setter and Evaluator- A manager determines the overall character of the institution and oversees progress towards this as a goal. The evaluation of employee performance is critical function of manager. Under this role education manager is involved in activities such as shaping and organization of curriculum, formulating statement of aim, preparing prospectus of the institution, performance appraisal and evaluation of the teachers, classroom supervision of teachers, conducting SWOT analysis of the institution, self-evaluation of the institution, getting evaluation done by concerned evaluation bodies like NABET and ISO standardization for school education, and NAAC for higher Education.

Mr Kulkarni performs the role of goal setter when he sets goal for his school. He makes strategic planning of his school by analyzing and using various strategies to take his school towards attaining higher status in society. He is very concerned about proper curriculum implementation and curriculum up gradation from time to time. He does performance appraisal of his teachers annually and provides feedback to the teachers for their improvement.

Curriculum Coordinator and Developer- In this role, managers take final decisions on emphasis to be given among curriculum subjects and material. Methods and approach to be use for implementation of curriculum. Manager need to keep inform their teachers about curriculum development. Under this role manager chairs meetings, allocates parts of responsibilities for curriculum areas.

Mr. Kulkarni emphasizes on methods and approaches to be used in curriculum implementation. He believes in constructivist approach of learning so emphasizes on this approach and his focus is on implementation of child centered methods of learning. He keeps his teachers updated about curriculum development. He takes feedback from students and teachers about curricular changes.

Teacher – Educational manager has to sometimes go to the classroom and do the act of teaching. Sometimes educational manager has to work alongside of teachers and teach them how to do the work. Many a times, if any teacher is absent the manager has to go to the class and engage students by teaching.

Mr. Kulkarni enjoys his job of teaching. Due to administrative work, he hardly gets time to go to the class but as and when any teacher remains absent he doesn’t miss the chance and engage the class by his teaching. He demonstrates his lesson to newly appointed teachers to teach them how to use constructivist approach in classroom teaching.

Exemplar of Professional Values- Manager is the role model for teachers. He/she needs to display behavior valued by teacher and seen by them as exemplifying professional. Under this role, manager need to show willingness for teaching, commitment to institution, reliability, efficiency, concern for teachers and students, solidarity with teachers.

Mr. Kulkarni believes in professional values and expects his teacher to carry those professional values in their day to day functioning. He believes in values such as honesty, commitment, punctuality, sincerity, modesty, respect, hardworking and expects that these values should be inculcated in students.