Applying Mintzberg's 10 Managerial Roles: Interview Analysis

Introduction: Leadership Theory and Managerial Practice

Organizational theory and academic business discourse examine, among a host of other key organizational principles, the formal idea that leadership is an essential part of effective management — or, for that matter, an essential part of contributing effectively to any working team. However, like many academic concepts that do not easily make the leap into real-world applicability, this theoretical conception of leadership is just that: theoretical. In practice, this type of educational content and perspective is actually quite a bit less relevant than the curricula of formal education might argue (Koskella, 2002, p. 1).

While leadership is unquestionably an inborn talent that can be honed and improved, it is nonetheless an individualized talent and therefore both rarified and special. The dually important aspects of experience and ability cannot be taught in an academic context. Especially in the organizational sense, one must gather and sharpen these respective qualities — suggesting that leadership theory bears only a passing relationship to those instincts and principles which one must know, or of which one must be capable, in order to function successfully in an organizational leadership role.

Ultimately, this means that a leader with the proper merits to effectively steward an organization is one who will demonstrate the capacity for a formal application of proven leadership methods while simultaneously adapting to the demands specific to the organization in question. This formal application of proven leadership methods is drawn for the purposes of this discussion from Henry Mintzberg's theory of managerial roles, with the ten such roles he provides offering a framework for assessing the outcome of the three managerial interviews here conducted.

Mintzberg's Ten Managerial Roles Defined

For Mintzberg, the ten roles are divided into three subcategories: interpersonal, informational, and decisional. Before proceeding to the interview analysis, it is appropriate to identify and define each of Mintzberg's roles.

1. Figurehead: The manager functions as a representative for those over whom he or she presides, serving in a capacity that is both symbolic and practical.

2. Leader: Leadership is a core duty of managerial competence, descending from a responsibility to encourage motivation and to function as an authority to other team members.

3. Liaison: Often, the manager will be the key channel through which information, ideas, and relationships pass.

4. Monitor: The manager is expected to maintain a certain degree of information based on observation both internal and external to the organization, making him or her a key vessel for insight into organizational goals and demands.

5. Disseminator: The manager typically functions in the visible role of providing access to selected information for members of the organization.

6. Spokesperson: This role sees the manager addressing the public or the world external to the organization in representation of the organization and its personnel.

7. Entrepreneur: The manager will, of course, be a significant decision-maker where strategy, design, and implementation of organizational functions are concerned.

8. Disturbance Handler: It is the responsibility of an effective manager to mediate conflict, address challenging dilemmas, and navigate an organization through crisis.

9. Resource Allocator: The manager plays a key role in identifying the appropriate avenues for the distribution of resources and financial priorities.

10. Negotiator: The manager engages other parties and organizations directly on behalf of his or her organization in order to attain agreement or compromise toward mutual goals.

These roles are particularly useful as we proceed in consideration of the three managers who agreed to be subjects of our interviews. Mintzberg's ten managerial roles are all well exemplified by the responsibilities, concerns, and preoccupations of the three individuals considered.

Interview Subjects and Organizational Contexts

1st Manager (Computer Consulting Manager): The first manager who agreed to the interview process manages a computer consulting firm. Working under only the company's owner — who serves largely in an administrative capacity — the manager is chiefly responsible for presiding over a staff of eight, which includes three house-call consultants, three technical support call-center specialists, a networking specialist, and an administrative assistant. Beginning as a consultant himself, the manager worked his way into a leadership position over six years, allowing the firm's owner to step away from day-to-day business. He earns $60,000 per annum and spends the vast majority of his time overseeing the duties of his personnel, though he also spends some time working in the field, as he remains a qualified computer technician and consultant.

2nd Manager (Medical Supply Manager): The second manager who agreed to the interview is an assistant manager for a small medical supply company specializing in wound care supplies such as bandages and gauze pads. He has held this position for three years and oversees a team of six, including a chemist, three production specialists, a delivery driver, and a stock/inventory worker. Earning roughly $36,000, he answers directly to the head manager of the company, who is hands-on but allows the production and stock rooms to be presided over by the assistant manager.

3rd Manager (Bank Manager): The third manager presides over the weekend shift at a bank branch in Philadelphia, PA. Working first as an account specialist for two years, he was recently promoted to this position, which he has held for six months. During weekends, he is the head banker on call at the facility and presides over a staff of 15 to 20 assorted tellers, guards, and account specialists. Earning $48,000, he reports directly to the head manager when such is required but, for procedural regularity, is the primary figure of authority when on call.

Interpersonal Roles: Figurehead, Leader, and Liaison

Figurehead: Functioning as a figurehead appears to be most important to the Medical Supply Manager among our interview subjects. He is the party in his company most visible to his employees — the person to whom they are expected to refer with any issues, grievances, questions, or concerns. He is also the most visible part of the organization when dealing directly with clients by phone. This is also frequently the case for the Computer Consulting Manager, for whom it is extremely important to be seen as a representative of the company to external clients and for those within the organization to view him as someone in whom the company's reputation is invested. For both the Medical Supply Manager and the Computer Consulting Manager, this role does not require a great expenditure of time but is nonetheless of extreme importance. For the Bank Manager, it is less important to be seen as a figurehead, as the bank is instead represented by a large bureaucratic structure of leaders and points of public access.

Leader: The role of leader is of primary importance to the Computer Consulting Manager and the Medical Supply Manager, as both are the primary authority on duty during their respective workdays. This means both will spend considerable time delegating tasks, evaluating performance, and ensuring that daily goals and objectives are achieved. Both indicated in their interviews that they are seen by their subordinates as individuals who both participate in day-to-day work processes and provide others with a positive example of how to conduct business. The Bank Manager indicated that the procedural nature of the bank generally limits his opportunities to display leadership skills.

Liaison: An important function for the Bank Manager is to serve as a liaison between the personnel over whom he presides and the bank's structured leadership core. He reported spending a significant amount of time functioning as a go-between where the needs of his personnel and the decisions of the larger organization are concerned. The same can be said to some extent about the Medical Supply Manager, who will often work to channel the decisions and instructions of the head manager to those over whom he presides. The importance of the Medical Supply Manager's liaison work is underscored by his personnel's expectation that he will represent their needs — on issues of salary, time off, and other day-to-day concerns — to the head manager, from whom final decisions descend. The Computer Consulting Manager reports that his liaison role is less important because he has earned the trust and confidence of the company's owner, and is therefore largely expected to make many key managerial decisions independently.

Conclusion: Evaluating Managerial Function Across Three Roles

Using the roles of management provided by Mintzberg, it is possible to assess the degree of effectiveness and control afforded to the three managers interviewed. Based on each manager's reported importance of and time spent on each of the ten outlined roles, and the analysis presented above, it is possible to evaluate the legitimacy and scope of their respective managerial positions.

We can conclude that, because the Bank Manager reports so little importance across so many of Mintzberg's roles in the attendance of his duties, his is a relatively low-function managerial position. By contrast, the high level of importance reported across these categories for the Computer Consulting Manager demonstrates that he possesses a great degree of latitude in attending to his responsibilities. The Medical Supply Manager demonstrates something of a balance, reflecting what might be expected of mid-level, small-company management.