Mintzberg's managerial roles

The statement

Classical writers such as Fayol described what managers should do: plan, organise, command, coordinate and control. Henry Mintzberg instead observed what managers actually do. His explanation is regarded as unique because it is based on direct observation and shows management as a set of interrelated roles rather than an orderly sequence of functions.

Mintzberg's study

Mintzberg watched chief executives closely through their working days. He found that managers' work is brief, varied and fragmented: many short activities, frequent interruptions, a preference for verbal communication and current information, and a web of contacts inside and outside the organisation: rather than calm, reflective planning. He grouped what managers do into ten roles in three categories, all flowing from the manager's formal authority and status.

Interpersonal roles

1. Figurehead: performs symbolic, ceremonial and legal duties (signing documents, receiving visitors, attending functions).
2. Leader: hires, trains, motivates and directs subordinates.
3. Liaison: maintains a network of contacts outside his or her own unit, inside and outside the organisation.

Informational roles

4. Monitor: seeks and receives information about the organisation and its environment.
5. Disseminator: passes information to subordinates and others inside the organisation.
6. Spokesperson: conveys information about the organisation to outsiders: the board, the media, the public.

Decisional roles

7. Entrepreneur: looks for opportunities and initiates change and improvement projects.
8. Disturbance handler: takes corrective action in crises and conflicts (a strike, a supplier failure).
9. Resource allocator: decides who gets what: money, people, time and equipment.
10. Negotiator: represents the organisation in important negotiations with unions, suppliers or customers.

Example. In one day a plant manager may welcome a delegation (figurehead), coach a new supervisor (leader), meet the district industries officer (liaison), study output reports (monitor), brief the team (disseminator), speak to a newspaper about an expansion (spokesperson), propose a new product line (entrepreneur), settle a dispute over shifts (disturbance handler), approve the maintenance budget (resource allocator) and agree prices with a key supplier (negotiator).

Critical examination

Strengths: based on real observation; shows the complexity and pace of managerial work; highlights the importance of information and networks; useful for training and job design. Limitations: the original sample was small and limited to chief executives; the roles overlap and their relative importance varies with level, function and culture; the roles describe activity without showing how to perform well; and the framework does not replace the functional view: planning and controlling can be seen running through the decisional roles.

The roles and the functions are best seen as complementary: functions describe the purposes of management, roles describe how managers actually spend their time.