Topic 2: What Do Managers Do?

Assumption: correlation between managerial success and leadership

Activity Patterns
- Popular myth: plan and orchestrate events
- Non-pattern activity: impromptu, random, fire fighting
- Long work hours; work taken home
- Continuous demands for information, assistance, direction, approval
- Reactive not proactive
- Hectic, varied, fragmented, disorderly, political
- Internal and external networking

Work and Time

- 10% of tasks take more than one hour
- 40% of tasks between 9 minutes and 60 minutes
- 50% of tasks take less than 9 minutes

Decision Making and Planning

- Rationality takes back seat
- Emotions, preconceptions, biases, and intuition
- Reliance on historical models
- Reliance on political factors
- Most managerial decision are “satisficing”

Mintzberg’s Major Roles

- Information processor
o Disseminator: share/transfer knowledge
o Monitor: attend meetings
o Spokesperson: public relations representative
- Interpersonal roles
o Liaison: web of relationships outside of unit
o Leader: web of relationships inside of unit
o Figurehead: symbolic duties at rituals or ceremonies
- Decision Maker
o Entrepreneur: initiate change; exploit opportunities
o Disturbance handler: peace maker; crisis avoidance
o Resource allocator: money, personnel, facilities
o Negotiator: closing transactions or deals
Key Ingredient: Time Management
- “Manage time, don’t let time manage you”
- Coping with demands
- Handling role conflicts, role overload, role ambiguity

Time Management Tips

- Understand other’s motives and needs
- Analyze your use of time (log)
- Plan daily and weekly activities (list)
- Bunch similar activities
- Avoid unnecessary activities (say no, extinction)
- Segment complex tasks into smaller parts
- Self impose deadlines
- Do unpleasant tasks early in the day
- Make time for planning (1-2 hours per week)
- Innovate when possible (ready, fire, aim)

Importance of Networking
- Access to information
- Need for others’ cooperation
- Need for help to solve problems
- Need for help to implement change

Creating Networks
- Meeting people at events
- Community service activities
- Joining professional groups
- Attending professional meetings
- Perpetual hob-nobbing

Discussion:

1. How do you make decisions and solve problems? Do you use a rational approach or do
you satisfice?

2. Among Mintzberg’s ten manager/leader roles, rank your priorities in terms of

importance to you. Are your priorities correct? Your strengths and weaknesses?

3. What is your style of managing time? What are the positive points and negative points
about your style?

4. Case: Acme Manufacturing Company