Critically reflect on my managerial role within my job

Module: PUP526J1 Organisation and Administration

Word Count: 1480

Introduction

With the development of society and economics, our world has become much more complex and changeful than years before. Today’s managers have to be very sensitive to the changing of the environment, to understand and cope with the diversity of the world. As a result, the role management plays in private sector as well as public sector has become more and more important, both theoretically and practically. Elements of management could be found as early as in the building construction of the Pyramids in ancient Egypt. However, great progress has been made since last century in the study of management. The theories of management vary from culture to culture, from generation to generation. The following report is my understanding towards the principles of management and a reflection of my own managerial roles at work, referring to Mintzberg’s ten principles.

About management theory

The first theory of management was delivered by Henri Fayol, a French industrialist, in 1916. He defined management as “to manage is to forecast and plan, to organise, to command, to co-ordinate and to control”(Mc Ilwee T. and Roberts I., 1991, p.117). The other important management theories, such as Elton Mayo's human relations movement, Max Weber's idealized bureaucracy, and Henry Mintzberg’s ten principles on management, have emerged subsequently. Here, I mainly want to introduce Henry Mintzberg’s ten principles on management.

What is it?

Henry Mintzberg’s ten roles management theory was based on the study of five chief executives and a few others managers’ real lives. He described what he had seen as the roles a manager play, which were called ten principles on management.

The ten roles are divided into three groups: interpersonal, informational, and decisional (see Figure 1).

Figure 1

The Ten Managerial Roles

The three interpersonal roles are radically considered the interpersonal relationships. In the figurehead role, the manager represents the organization in all matters of formality. “Duties that involve inter personal roles may sometimes be routine, …… Nevertheless, they are important to the smooth functioning of an organization and cannot be ignored by the manager” (Mintzberg H., 1989, p.15-16). The leader role defines the relationships between the manger and employees. In the liaison role, the manger maintains information links both inside and outside organization.

The interpersonal roles make the managers ...

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Figure 1

The Ten Managerial Roles

The interpersonal roles make the managers more easily accept information. Thus, the three informational roles are primarily concerned with the information aspects of managerial work. “The processing of information is a key part of the manager’s job” (Mintzberg H, 1989, p.18). In the monitor role, the manager acts as the nerve centre for the organisation, receiving the latest, most concrete, most up-to-date information. In the role of disseminator, the manager transmits special information into the organization. In the role of spokesperson, the manager disseminates the organization's information into its environment.

“Information is not, of course, and end in itself; it is the basic input to decision-making” (Mintzberg H., 1989, p.19). The decisional roles make significant use of the information. The unique access to information places the manager at the centre of organisational decision-making. There are four decisional roles. In the entrepreneur role, the manager tries to improve their organization by seeking effective ways of using resources and technologies. In the disturbance handler role, the manger resolves unexpected problems that threaten organizational goals. In the resource-allocating role, the manager decides how organizational resources will be used to meet planned objectives. In the negotiator role, the manager negotiates on behalf of the organization.

Although the Mntzberg’s ten managerial roles are described individually, they are hardly separated. “No role can be pulled out of the framework and the job be left intact” (Mintzberg H., 1989, p.19). So we should consider the Mntzberg’s ten managerial roles as both interactive and integrated.

Why do I choose it?

There are many definitions of management, and most of them are relatively concise and simplistic. However, “management is a complex process – much more complex than this simple definition leads us to believe” (Griffin R. W., 1999, p.4). Although there are several other major approaches and theories that exist, such as the human resources, quantitative, and systems approaches, I believe that their impact on the management basics is not as greatly felt as that of the works of Mintzberg. Mintzberg focused on what the manager's job and life is really like, applied the folklore and fact to managers, and got the ten managerial roles theory. Compared with other management theories, Mintzberg’s work is considered as the best reflection of the practice in the real manager life, which analyses the managerial roles comprehensively. Many of them can be found in today’s management ideas and practices. In addition, Mintzberg regards the ten roles as a whole, which makes us more easier understand the process of management.

3. Critically reflect on managerial role within my work

I worked in Liaoning Provincial Financial Bureau, taking charge of government procurement. Although I am not at the position of manager yet, I actually shoulder the equivalent responsibilities in the administration of work. Most of the ten managerial roles, which Mintzberg had mentioned in his article, were involved in my daily work. In addition, these roles do not exist separately, they connect with each other. Here is an illustration of my managerial roles at work with regard to Mintzberg’s theory (see Figure 2).

Figure 2

Firstly, the interpersonal roles help me get more useful information. With no title manager, the figurehead role seldom occurs in my work. But I actually perform the leader role. I should set goals and make plans to decide how the process of government procurement to be arranged. In the three interpersonal roles, I think the liaison role is the basic role in my work. From my personal experience, if I want to provide better services, I must contact with people both inside and outside. For example, I need make contacts outside to learn what the public sectors, which I am in charge of, want to buy this year, and then decide how government procurement can be arranged. In addition, I must connect with my colleagues to learn the other public sectors’ demands.

In this stage, the communication is important. Communication is the exchange of information, facts, ideas, and meanings. Good communication is vital in organisations and lies at the heart of effective management. How to achieve effective communication? I conclude the following principles according to my work experience.

Know what your objective is,
Analyse situation,
Use effective communication tools, such as mail, phone calls, meetings, etc.,
Make sure you understand what the others say properly.

Secondly, the informational roles are the main constitution of my work. Everyday I seek and receive a great deal of information through interpersonal roles (monitor role), and then forward information to other organization members (disseminator role), and furthermore transmit information to outsiders (spokesman role). For example, I collect information from the suppliers and buyers, and then discuss this information with my colleagues. Afterward, I must pass on clear and definitive information to outside people who concern about it.

In this stage, it is important for me to distinguish different kinds of information. Because I receive a great deal of information both internally and externally every day, I must tell immediately the informal information from those formal ones, so as to get precise and useful information for users both inside and outside. It is essential to establish a steady and efficient channel to achieve a free information flow.

Thirdly, the decisional roles are the most important roles in my work. Of four decisional roles, I spend more time in the disturbance handler and negotiation role. I must deal with all the questions from suppliers and buyers, and coordinate among them. Sometimes, I get them together and make trade-off to get a win-win solution in some difficult transaction.

From my work experience, I conclude that the ability to analyze, interpret, and solve problems becomes increasingly important for managers. It is crucial for managers to see the organization as a whole and the relationships among its various levels and visualize ways to make the organization more efficient and effective. These abilities are essential to effective decision-making. How to achieve effective decision-making? It depends on many factors. Quality of information, which you have received, is the key element of decision-making. In addition, the skill of disturbance handler and negotiation will help you achieve effective decision-making.

Conclusion

We have learned lots of management theories. Mintzberg’s ten managerial roles are the synthesis of theory and practice. It is helpful for management work. But I think we should pay more attention to practice of management. We should synthesize our own methods and habits that are suitable for our own area. It will eventually make the public administration more effective and efficient.

Reference

Griffin R. W., (1999) Management, 6th .ed., Houghton Mifflin.
Mc Ilwee T., Roberts, I. (1991) Human Resourse Management.
Mintzberg H., (1989) Mintzberg On Management: Inside Our Strange World of Organizations, London: Collier Macmillan Publisher.