Lesson 2

Functions, Roles, &

Skills of a Manager
Etymology of manager
The noun ‘manager’ comes from the verb ‘to manage,’ which came to
the UK around 1560. It came from Italian maneggiare ‘to handle’ or ‘to
control a horse.’ The Italian word came from the Latin noun manus
‘hand.’ The English word was also influenced by French manège
‘horsemanship.’

“1580s, ‘one who manages,’ agent noun from manage. Specific sense of ‘one who conducts a
house of business or public institution’ is from 1705.”
The levels of management can be classified in three broad categories:

The term “Levels of Management’ refers to a line of demarcation between various managerial positions in an organization.
 Top Managers are in charge of a company’s strategy. In other
words, they are the stewards of an organization’s vision and
mission.
 Functional Managers are responsible for the effectiveness and
efficiency of specific areas of a company, such as marketing.
They are also in charge of personnel and accounts.
 Team Managers or Supervisory Managers are in charge of
subgroups of a particular function. They may also be in charge of
a group of members from different parts of the company.
 Line Managers are in charge of the output of certain products or
services. They hold authority in a vertical chain of command, or
over a particular product line.
 Manager
is an individual who is in charge of a certain
group of tasks, or a certain subset of a
company.

 an individual engaged in management

activities.
A manager is a person who is responsible for a part of a
company, i.e., they ‘manage‘ the company. Managers may be
in charge of a department and the people who work in it. In
some cases, the manager is in charge of the whole business.
For example, a ‘restaurant manager’ is in charge of the whole
restaurant.

A manager is a person who exercises managerial functions

primarily. They should have the power to hire, fire, discipline,
do performance appraisals, and monitor attendance. They
should also have the power to approve overtime, and authorize
vacations. He or she is the boss.

The Manager’s duties also include managing employees or a

section of the company on a day-to-day basis.
In another criterion, a manager is viewed in
terms of his job description. When this
criterion is taken into consideration, then
we could mark managers as:

a.) Functional
Managers – an individual
who holds the management
authority of an organizational
unit, such as a department,
within a company, company,
or organization, and whose
role serves to successfully
complete processes.
In another criterion

b.) Overall Managers –

supervising complicated
unit like enterprise, branch
establishment or separate
department and
responsible for whole
economic activity
unit
General Managers vs.
Product Managers vs.
Brand Managers
General Managers are responsible for managing
a revenue-producing unit, such as a product line,
business unit, or a store.

The General manager has to make decisions

across different functions within that unit. General
managers typically get a bonus or commission
when the unit does well.

General Managers report to their top executives

and take directions from them. The top executives
explain what the company’s overall plan is. The
General Manager subsequently sets specific
goals for the unit to fit in with the plan.

Senior management refers to the top managers of

a company, i.e., its directors.
Product Managers in for example
technology companies are typically
the CEO of a product. They are
also responsible for its strategy,
roadmap, and everything regarding
its production. Storage and sales
are also the General Manager’s
responsibility.

The position usually includes

marketing, forecasting, and profit
and loss responsibilities.
Brand Managers focus on the perception and maintenance of a
particular brand. They are different from Product Managers.

The Brand Manager’s job is often strategic, involving high-level

curation of both the firm’s image and the practical steps to
maintain that image.

The Brand Manager aims to enhance, maintain, and encourage

interest in the brand. There is a strong emphasis on marketing
and the company’s overall image. Brand managers inspire
feeling, reactions, and loyalty.

Brand management is common in consumer product companies.

Product management, on the other hand, is common in software
firms.

This is because consumer product businesses need a top-of-the-

mind recall of their products and brands because they mass
market them.
Henry Mintzberg’s 10 Managerial Roles
A manager’s work is never really done.
 INFORMATIONAL (The managerial roles in this category involve
processing information)
 INTERPERSONAL ROLES (In this category, the manager provides
information and ideas to the employees)
 DECISIONAL ROLES (The managerial roles in this category involve
using information)
 Management &
Leadership Skills.

Collaboration Skills.
A manager ideally has to be always equipped with the following
Skills:
Management & Leadership Skills. These
skills refer to setting priorities, delegating,
motivating and developing the people under
him/her; coach them to become top
performers and communicates objectives and
goals.
Communication Skills. A skill across the
point, it creates a compelling presentation to
support company goals and get buy-in for
ideas, inspires others to achieve better results
and demonstrate emotional intelligence.
Collaboration Skills. Can value and
celebrate differences, build rapport, form
alliances and negotiate effectively.
Critical Thinking Skills. Skill needed to
approach problem solving logically, research
options, avoid biases and focuses on
meaningful data to draw the right conclusions
– even under pressure.
Finance Skills. Skill in weighing financial or
budgetary implications of his/her decisions –
including the ability to build a sound budget
and formulate reasonable forecasts.
Project Management Skills. Skill to grasp
the scope and objectives of projects, recognize
the roles and responsibilities of others, use
Project Management tools to stay on track and
become an effective member of a cross-
functional team.