ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT

Quarter 1

FUNCTIONS, ROLES and

SKILLS of a MANAGER

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INTRODUCTION

A manager is one of the most important person who influences

the productivity and success of any business organization. Before we
dig down deeper as to what are the roles and skills do managers
have let us define first what is a manager.

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 WHAT IS A MANAGER?

An individual engaged in management activities is called a

manager. Managers supervise, sustain, uphold, and assume
responsibility for the work of others in his or her workgroup, team,
department, or the organization, in general. Therefore, it is safe to
assume that organizational success depends upon managers who
practice optimal utilization of their human and material resources,
and who encourage high levels of performance, effectiveness, and
efficiency among the individuals under their care (Cabrera,
Altarejos, and Riaz 2016, 9).

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MANAGERIAL LEVELS
Organizations typically have three levels of management
in which they are classified according to their respective
functions. These are top-level managers, middle-level
managers, and frontline or lower-level managers.

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Top-level Managers. Top-level managers are the
general or strategic managers who focus on
Top-level management
long-term organizational concerns and
is typically composed of
emphasize the organization’s stability,
the organization's
development, progress, and overall efficiency
chairman or
and effectiveness. They are also concerned with
chairwoman, chief
the organization’s inter-relationships with their
executive officer,
external environment. Chief executive officers
president, managing
(CEOs), chief operating officers (COOS),
director, and other
presidents, and vice presidents are examples of
highranking company
top-level managers in big corporations; they have
executives.
authority over all other human resources of their
organization. Traditionally, top-level executives set
the company’s general direction by designing
strategies and by controlling various resources.

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At present, however, they, too, must Definition of Terms

act as organizational guides who Manager - an individual engaged in
must elaborate on the wider management
purpose of their organizational activities such as supervising, sustaining,
existence, so that their subordinates upholding, and assuring responsibilities for
the work of others in his/her work group,
could identify and be committed to
team, department, on the organization in
its success in the three levels of general.
management in Figure 1.6 (Cabrera,
Altarejos, and Riaz 2016, 9). Managerial Roles - the various roles
played by managers, such as
interpersonal, informational, and
decision-making roles

Managerial Skills - the various skill that

managers must posses,
such as conceptual human and
technical skills

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 Figure 1.6 The three levels of management are best illustrated in an organization chart.

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Middle-level Managers. Middle-level managers are

the tactical managers in charge of the
organization’s middle levels or departments. They
➢ Middle-level managers
formulate specific objectives and activities based on
lead frontline or lower-level
the strategic or general goals and objectives
managers and are
developed by top-level managers. Their traditional
accountable to top-level
role is to act as go-betweens between higher and
management.
lower levels of the organization; they announce and
interpret top management priorities to human
resources in the middle hierarchical level of the
company. It has been observed that middle-level
managers are more aware of the company’s
problems compared to managers in the higher level
because of their closer contacts with customers,
frontline managers, and other subordinates. To be an
ideal middle-level manager, one must be creative so
that they could provide sound ideas regarding
operational skills as well as problem-solving skills that
will help keep the organization afloat.
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 Frontline or Lower-level Managers. Lower-level managers are also
known as operational managers and are responsible for supervising
the organization’s day-to-day activities; they are the bridges
between management and nonmanagement employees.
Traditionally, they are controlled and instructed by top and
middle-level managers to follow their orders in support of the
organization’s major strategy. Lately, however, their role has been
expanded in some large companies, as they are now encouraged
to be more creative and intuitive in the exercise of their functions, so
that they, too, could contribute to their company’s progress and the
development of new projects (Cabrera, Altarejos, and Riaz 2016, 9-
10).

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Managerial roles are classified into three types: interpersonal,

informational, and decision-making. Henry Mintzberg, a professor at McGill
University, researched what real managers do. See Table 1.3 for the
managerial roles by Mintzberg (Cabrera, Altarejos, and Riaz 2016, 10).

Table 1.3
Managerial roles
identified by
Mintzberg.

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 CATEGORIES OF MANAGERIAL ROLES ACCORDING TO
MINTZBERG
INTERPERSONAL
Figurehead - As head of a department or an organization, a manager is
expected to carry out ceremonial and/or symbolic duties. A manager
represents the company both internally and externally in all matters of
formality (Mulder 2016).
Leader - In this role, the manager motivates his/her workers. Managers
communicate with them, guide and support them to develop a positive
work environment.
Liaison - A manager serves as an intermediary and a linking pin
between the high and low levels. In addition, he develops and
maintains an external network. As a networker, he has external contacts
and he brings the right parties together. This will ultimately result in a
positive contribution to the organization (Mulder 2016
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INFORMATIONAL
Monitor - As a monitor, the manager gathers all internal and external
information that is relevant to the organization.
He is also responsible for arranging, analyzing, and assessing this
information so that he can easily identify problems and opportunities
and identify changes.
Disseminator - As a disseminator, the manager transmits factual
information to his subordinates and to other people within the
organization (Mulder 2016). Memorandums and other important
information are well disseminated from top-level up to the managerial
lower levels and vice versa.
Spokesperson - In this role, managers represent and speak for their
organization, as he or she communicates and transmit relevant
information about their organization to external parties.
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 DECISIONAL
Entrepreneur - As an entrepreneur, the manager designs and initiates
changes and strategies to enhance productivity and generate more
income.
Disturbance handler - In this role, the manager always responds to
employees’ disputes, operational breakdowns, and other issues
whether internal or external and uses solutions to resolve the
problems.
Resource allocator - This role of the manager describes his control
and the allocation of organizational resources which will be put in
use in all organization’s operations.
Negotiator - As a negotiator, the manager participates in
negotiations with other organizations and individuals and he represents
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(Mulder 2016).

MANAGERIAL SKILLS Definition of Terms

Managerial skills may be classified into three: conceptual skills,
human skills, and technical skills. Manager - an individual
Conceptual Skills. Conceptual skills enable managers to think of engaged in management
possible solutions to complex problems. Through their ability to activities such as supervising,
visualize abstract situations, they develop a holistic view of their sustaining, upholding, and
organization and its relation to the wider external environment assuring responsibilities for the
surrounding it. Top-level managers must have these conceptual skills
work of others in his/her work
to be successful in their work.
group, team, department, on
Human Skills. Human skills enable managers in all levels to relate well
with people. Communicating, leading, inspiring, and motivating the organization in general
them to become easy with the help of human skills. Dealing with
people, both in the organization’s internal and external environment, Managerial Roles - the various
is inevitable, so managers must develop these human skills. roles played by managers, such
Technical Skills. Technical skills are also important for managers for as interpersonal, informational,
them to perform their tasks with proficiency with the use of their and
expertise. Lower-level managers find these skills very important decision-making roles
because they are the ones who manage the non-management
workers who employ varied techniques and tools to be able to yield Managerial Skills - the various
good quality products and services for their company (Cabrera, skill that managers must posses,
Altarejos, and Riaz 2016, 11). such as conceptual human
and technical skills.
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ACTIVITY 3. Your Company is looking for competent managers to be assigned to these
following positions in the new business establishment. These are the following:
1. General Manager (Top level), requires 2 years experience as Area Manager.
2. Area Manager (Middle Level), requires 2 years experience as Branch manager.
3. Branch Manager (Low level), requires 1-year experience as Assistant branch manager.

Using the data below which contain the information of each applicant, you are
tasked to choose the best candidate based on the needs of the company and the skills
and roles each applicant has in their experiences.

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Applicants Experience Managerial Skills and roles that are Applied position
identified by the
company
Alice 2 years area manager Critical and analytical thinking, problem General manager
Duran solver, monitor, disseminator
Robert 2 years branch manager Good communicator, motivator, resource Area manager
Aba allocator, spokesperson
Hilda 3 years area manager Imaginative, inspiring, critical and analytical General manager
Aragon thinking, problem solver, creative,
figurehead, Leader of the year
Angela 2 years assistant branch Perform with proficiency, multi-tasking, Branch manager
Rodriguez manager expertise in the field, an employee of the
year award
Benjamin 1-year branch manager Good leadership, inspiring, good Area manager
Uy communicator,
motivator, liaison, leader of the year award
Clarence 1-year assistant branch Perform with proficiency, multi-tasking, Branch manager
Sy manager expertise in the field

Requirement:
1. Identify which of them should be chosen for the new positions using the specific
managerial roles and skills that each employee has.
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 Use the table provided below. (5 points)

Congratulations to the newly hired personnel for the following positions:

Name of chosen applicant

1. General Manager (Top level)
2. Area Manager (Middle Level)
3. Branch Manager (Low level)

2. Explain and Justify the reason why you have chosen those three
applicants that you deemed fit in those positions. (5 points each
managerial level, overall, 15 points)

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Rubrics for requirement # 2:

Level of General Approach Comprehension

Achievement
Exemplary •Addresses the question.
(5 pts quizzes) •States a relevant, justifiable answer.
•Presents arguments in a logical order.
Adequate •Does not address the question
(3 pts quizzes) explicitly, although does so tangentially.
•States a relevant and justifiable answer.
•Presents arguments in a logical order.
Needs •Does not address the question.
Improvement •States no relevant answers.
(2 pts quizzes) •Indicates misconceptions. •Is not
clearly or logically organized.
No answer (0 pts)
•Demonstrates an accurate and complete
understanding of the question.
•Backs conclusions with data and warrants.
•Uses 2 or more ideas, examples, and/or
arguments that support the answer.
•Demonstrates accurate but only adequate
understanding of question because does not
back conclusions with warrants and data.
•Uses only one idea to support the answer.
•Less thorough than above.
•Does not demonstrate an accurate
understanding of the question.
•Does not provide evidence to support their
answer to the question.

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