A VISION ON MANAGERIAL SKILLS & ROLES

Management: Getting work done through other people. Management

is a process, which involves planning, organizing, staffing, leading &
controlling.
Manager: A person who allocates human and other material resources
and directs the operations of a department or an entire organization.
General Manager: A person who is responsible for the overall
operations of a complex unit such as a company or division.
• Managers who are also viewed as team leaders are the main pillars
of the organization because they direct and guide their work teams
to achieve organizational objectives. Manager influences
effectiveness by defining objectives, recognizing and minimizing
obstacles to the achievement of these objectives and effectively
planning, organizing, leading and controlling all available resources
to attain high level of effectiveness. The skillful manager is able to
manage and monitor effectiveness in such a way that objectives are
achieved because he or she is result oriented and makes the things
happen. A successful manager possesses certain quantities in
applying his or her skills and carrying out various managerial roles.
The qualities of a successful manager have been identified as
follows:
Qualities of a Successful Manager
1. Provides clear direction (sets goals and standards for
performance)
2. Encourages open communication (climate of openness & trust)
3. Coaches and Supports People (solves performance problems and
provides support & protection)
4. Provides objective recognition (focuses on rewards rather than
criticism on performance)
5. Establishes on going controls (regular feedback)
6. Selects the right person for the right job
7. Understand the financial implications of decisions
8. Encourages creativity and innovation
9. Gives clear cut decisions to subordinates
10. Consistently demonstrate a high level of integrity.
Types of Manager
1. First line Managers: The first line managers are often called
supervisors, foreman or office manager. These entry-level
managers coordinate the work of others like salespersons,
accounting clerks and workers of a factory.
2. Middle Level Managers: The middle level managers are the
functional or departmental heads who receive broad strategies
& policies from top managers and translate them into specific
objectives for the first line managers to implement. They may
be called functional managers who are incharge of a functional
area of operation i.e. finance production or marketing, etc.
3. Top Managers: The top-level managers are responsible for
overall direction and operation of an organization. It is a small
cadre of managers, which usually includes a chief executive,
president and board of directors.
 MANAGERIAL SKILLS
Skill: A skill is an ability or proficiency in performing a particular
task. Managerial skill is related to performance that is not
necessarily in born and it falls into four main groups_________
technical, interpersonal, conceptual and communication.

1. Technical Skills: It means the ability to apply specific methods,

procedures and techniques in performing job related task.
Technical skills are especially important at the first line
management level, since daily work related problems must be
solved.
2. Analytical Skills: An analytical skill is an ability to diagnose
and evaluate. Such skills are needed to understand the problem
and to develop a plan of action.
3. Decision-making Skills: The quality of a manager’s decision
determines their degree of effectiveness. A manager’s decision-
making skill is influenced by his or her analytical skill. Poor
analytical proficiency will result in inefficient and inadequate
decision-making.
4. Interpersonal Skills: The interpersonal or human relation skill
means the ability to work with, communicate with and
understand others. It includes the skills to lead, motivate,
negotiate, council, etc.
5. Communication Skills: Communication skills involve the ability
to communicate in ways that other people understand, and to
seek & use feedback from employees to ensure that one is
understood. Effective communication _______ the written &
oral transmission of common understanding ______ is vital for
effective managerial performance. The communication skill is
critical to success for mangers who must achieve results through
the efforts of the other people. Managerial communication skills
include: a. Communicating effectively with employees and
customers b. Handling media and public speaking c. Sensitivity
to cultural differences.
6. Conceptual Skills: The conceptual skill means the ability to see
the big picture ________ the complexity of the overall
organization and how the various parts fit together. The
importance of knowing how each part of the organization
interrelates and contributes to the overall objectives of the
organization. Managerial conceptual skills include: a. Formulating
strategy b. Sense of vision c. Understanding & relating
external environments to the organization or business
• While all the above skills are important, the relative importance
of each varies according to the level of the manager in the
organization.
• The technical and human skills are more important at lower
levels of management. These managers have closer contact with
the work being done and the people doing the work.
• Analytical skills are slightly more important at higher levels of
management where the environment is less stable and problems
are less predictable.
• Decision-making & conceptual skills are extremely critical to
the performance of the top management. Top manager’s primary
responsibility is to make decisions that are executed at lower
level. This requires the top management to see the big picture
in order to identify opportunities and develop strategic plans to
capitalize on these opportunities.

MANAGERIAL ROLES
Managerial Role: Managerial role is an organized set of
behaviours that may fall into the categories of interpersonal,
informational and decisional.

1. Interpersonal Roles
a. Figurehead Role: This role is symbolic or ceremonial in
nature. Some examples of the figurehead role include a
college dean who hands out diplomas at graduation
ceremony, the chairman of an enterprise who delivers a
welcome address to the guests at a function.
b. Leadership Role: This role involves directing & coordinating
the activities of subordinates. This may involve staffing,
motivating and controlling the activities/performance of the
team members.
c. Liaison Role: This may involve public relationing & networking
both inside and outside the organization.

2. Informational Role
• The informational role establishes the managers as the
central point for receiving & sending non-routine information.
He gathers & receives information as a monitor and translates
that information as the disseminator and spokesperson.
a. Monitor Role: The monitor role involves examining the
environment in order to gather information, changes,
opportunities and problems that may affect the unit.
b. Disseminator Role: This involves providing important or
privilege information to subordinates.
c. Spokesperson Role: The spokesperson role forces the
manager as a representative of the unit to other people. The
representation may be internal when a manger makes the
case for salary increase to top management. It may be
external when an executive represents the organization’s
view on a particular issue of public issue to a local social
work organization.
3. Decisional Role

a. Entrepreneur Role: This role involves bringing better

changes in the organization to improve the overall
productivity & effectiveness.
b. Disturbance handler Role: This role involves making
decisions or taking corrective action in response to
pressure that is beyond their control. The immediate goal
is to return the environment to stability through their
prompt response.
c. Resource allocator Role: This role involves decisions about
resources allocation. These resources include money,
people. Time and equipment.
d. Negotiator Role: This role involves bargaining with other
units and individuals to obtain advantages for own unit.
The negotiations may concern work, performance,
objectives, resources or anything else influencing the unit.