Text a managerial roles Part 1. Interpersonal Roles

To meet the many demands of performing their functions, managers, regardless of level in the organization or job title – vice-president of marketing, director of accounting services, machine shop foreman, or supervisor of clerical support, assume multiple roles.

A role is any one of several behaviors a manager displays as he or she functions in the organization. There are ten roles common to the work of all managers, which are divided into three groups: interpersonal, informational, and decisional. The informational roles link all managerial work together. They are: monitor, disseminator and spokesperson roles. The interpersonal roles ensure that information is provided. They are: figurehead, liaison and leader roles. The decisional roles make significant use of the information. They are: entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator and negotiator roles. The performance of managerial roles and the requirements of these roles can be played at different times by the same manager and to different degrees depending on the level and function of management. The ten roles are described individually, but they form an integrated whole.

The three interpersonal roles are primarily concerned with interpersonal relationships. In the figurehead role, the manager represents the organization in all matters of formality. Being the head of his or her unit – division, department, section – the manager must routinely perform certain ceremonial and symbolic functions. The top level manager represents the company legally and socially to those outside of the organization. The supervisor represents the work group to higher management and higher management to the work group. For example, the manager may be required to entertain visitors, attend a subordinate’s wedding, or participate in a group luncheon. The liaison role refers to managers' dealings with people outside the organization. Such people include clients, government officials, customers and suppliers. In the liaison role, the manager seeks support from people who can affect the organization's success, such as the Chamber of Commerce, for example. In this role, the manager is building contacts through which to gather information.. The leader role involves responsibility for directing and coordinating the activities of employees in order to accomplish organization goals. This role defines the relationships between the manger and employees. As the manager is an environment creator he or she plays this role by working to improve employees’ performance, reducing conflicts, providing feedback on performance, and encouraging growth.

Part 2. Informational and Decisional Roles

The direct relationships with people in the interpersonal roles place the manager in a unique position to get information. Thus, the three informational roles are primarily concerned with the information aspects of managerial work. In the monitor role, the manager is constantly monitoring the environment to determine whether the work is efficient or not, receiving and collecting information. This information is collected both directly, by asking questions, and indirectly, through unsolicited information. In the role of disseminator, the manager transmits special information into the organization. The top level manager receives and transmits more information from people outside the organization than the supervisor. In the role of spokesperson, the manager disseminates the organization's information into its environment. Thus, the top level manager is seen as an industry expert, while the supervisor is seen as a unit or departmental expert.

The unique access to information places the manager at the center of organizational decision making. There are four decisional roles. As the manager is exposed to new ideas or methods that may improve the work’s operations, she or he assumes the entrepreneur role. In this role the manager initiates change and activities that will allow and encourage the work unit to use the ideas or methods most advantageously. In the disturbance handler role, the manger deals with threats to the organization. What happens when parts of the work environment – schedules, equipment, contracts get out of control? The manager must handle these crises as they develop.

In the resource allocator role, the manager is responsible for determining who in the work unit gets the resources - including money, facilities, equipment and access to the manager’s time - and how much each person gets. The manager also chooses where the organization will expend its efforts.

Managers are required to spend a good portion of their time in the negotiator role when they negotiate on behalf of the organization. Negotiating may be required on contracts with suppliers or simply on trading off resources inside the organization. The manager must play this role because he or she is the only one in the work unit with both the information and authority negotiators need to have.

These multiple roles are what managers actually do as they are completing their managerial functions.

Exercise 5. Comprehension. Answer the questions.

1. What are the major managerial functions?

2. Why do managers have to fill various roles?

3. What is a role in management? What is it influenced by?

4. When does a manager assume the figurehead role?

5. How does a manager play the leadership role?

6. What is the liaison role related to?

7. Why does a manager play the monitor role?

8. What is the idea of the spokesperson role?

9. When does a manager assume the entrepreneur role?

10. Why does a manager have to play the disturbance handler role?

11. What is the resource allocator role connected with?

12. Why do managers spend much time in the negotiator role?

13. What does a negotiator need to have?

Exercise 6. Find the synonyms to the words from list A in list B.

A: upmost; liaison; peer; expose; handle; devouring; shield; permeate; requirement; devotion; individually; role; constantly; expend;

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B: shade; demand; part; manage; penetrate; loyalty; separately; relation; subject to; predominant; spend; permanently; absorbing; equal;

Exercise 7. Match the words to get word partners from the text.

1. role 2. functional 3. job 4. machine shop 5. managerial 6. interpersonal 7. symbolic 8. government 9. organization 10.industry

a. foreman b. relationships c. goals d. positions e. functions f. title g. expert h. requirements i. officials j. work

Exercise 8. Match the terms and their definitions.

1.managerial role 2. supplier 3. supervisors 4.decisional roles 5. luncheon 6. negotiator 7. top management 8. deadline 9. efficient

a) managerial roles of entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, and negotiator that make significant use of information b) period of time when you stop work for a rest and a drink or food c) time or date before which something must be done d) person or firm who provides goods to a factory, warehouse or shop e) person who reaches an agreement by discussion f) an organized set of behaviors common to the work of all managers g) working well and quickly, producing a good result in the minimum time h) managers whose major activities focus on supervising non-management employees i) managers accountable for the overall success of the organization.

Exercise 9. Say what you’ve learned from the text about various management roles.

Describe each role a manager has to assume.

Exercise 10. Insert the following words into the titles and the texts below.

deal with decisions	functional efficiency	to concentrate marketing	company
prestigious	difference	affect

The role of management in an organization is purely ……. It is not a role any more or less ……. than any other role in the company. It is similar to the difference between …… personnel and engineering personnel. Managers set up a plan (vision) for the …… , ensure that the management personnel can do their jobs with the upmost ……, resolve any disputes that arise. They present new ideas for the company to upper management and …….problems and shield employees from them as much as possible to allow them …… on their jobs.

One important ……. between managers and other functional positions in the company lies in the fact that …… made by the manager will …… more people either in a positive or negative way.

Exercise 11. Say it in English.

1. Чтобы быть успешным и эффективно выполнять свои функции, менеджер должен выступать в различных ролях, выбирая один из типов поведения в определенной ситуации.

2. Менеджеру приходится, например, заниматься посетителями, улаживать конфликты в работе, налаживать связи с другими подразделениями и партнерами, вести переговоры и т.д.

3. В каждой своей роли менеджер должен отвечать ожиданиям своих начальников, подчиненных и коллег. Его поведение должно соответствовать его статусу и должностным инструкциям.

4. Выступая в роли представителя своей команды и организации, менеджер способствует формированию общественного мнения и образа (имиджа) своей компании.

5. Он сообщает информацию о людях и их работе не только руководству, но и общественности.

6. Поскольку каждый руководитель должен быть лидером в своем коллективе, он должен создавать соответствующий рабочий климат.

7. В роли лидера менеджер старается стимулировать своих подчиненных работать лучше, обеспечивая их всем необходимым и снижая вероятность конфликтных ситуаций.

8. В случае возникновения каких-либо сбоев в работе, менеджер должен их урегулировать.

9. Менеджеру часто приходится вести переговоры как с членами своего коллектива, так и с внешними партнерами, поставщиками, представителями общественности.

10. Для ведения переговоров менеджер наделен необходимыми полномочиями и обладает нужной информацией.

Exercise 12. Discussion.

1. Why is the ability to “wear different hats” so important in the job of a manager?

2. What is the most important role for a manager in your opinion? Why?

3. What do you think is the most difficult role for a manager?

4. Which of the roles needs specific training? Why do you think so?

5. What role seems most attractive to you?

Exercise 13. Read and translate text B making use of the vocabulary:

profile n графическое изображение; структура agenda n повестка дня in pursuit of в поисках; преследуя; с целью

visualizev отчетливо представлять себе; мысленно видеть coupled with наряду с… conceptual a умозрительный, понятийный