The Role and Responsibilities of a Manager

The Role and Responsibilities of a Manager The Role and Responsibilities of a Manager In two related articles, “What Does a Manager Do?  and “Why It’s Time to Change Our Views on Management and the Job of the Manager,” we explore this changing and important role in-depth. In this article, we take a step back and focus on the fundamentals of the job of manager and why it is both critical to success in today’s organizations and why it represents a viable career option.   The Manager’s Role Inside the Organization Organizations are hierarchies of titles. The organizational chart or the structure of the company and the relationships of the jobs and responsibilities, from the top down, maybe CEO, Vice President, Director, then Manager, each of whom perform separate and critical functions, enabling the organization to function, meet its obligations and turn a profit. The higher you climb in the organization’s ranks, the further away you move from the day-to-day operations and work of the firm’s employees. While the CEO and Vice-Presidents focus more of their efforts on issues of  strategy, investment, and overall coordination, managers are directly involved with the individuals serving customers, producing and selling the firm’s goods or services, and providing internal support to other groups. Additionally, the manager acts as a bridge between senior management for translating higher-level strategies and goals into operating plans that drive the business.  The challenging role of the manager is accountable to senior executives for performance and to front-line employees for guidance, motivation, and support. It is common for managers to feel as if they are pulled between the demands of top leaders and the needs of the individuals performing the work of the firm.   The Work of the Manager Have you ever witnessed the plate spinner at the circus? This is the individual who places a breakable dinner plate on a stick and starts it spinning. The entertainer repeats this task a dozen or more times, and then runs around and striving to keep all of the plates spinning without letting any crash to the floor. On many occasions, the role of manager feels a great deal like this plate spinner. The manager’s functions are many and varied, including: Hiring and staffing.Training new employees.Coaching and developing existing employees.Dealing with performance problems and terminations.  Supporting problem resolution and decision-making.Conducting timely performance evaluations.Translating corporate goals into functional and individual goals.  Monitoring performance and initiating action to strengthen results.Monitoring and controlling expenses and budgets.  Tracking and reporting scorecard results to senior management.Planning and goal-setting for future periods. The daily work of the manager is filled with one-on-one or group interactions focused on operations. Many managers use early mornings or later evenings to complete their reports, catch-up on e-mail and update their task lists. There is never a dull moment much less time for quiet contemplation in the lives of most managers.   Types of Managers Managers are most often responsible for a particular function or department within the organization. From accounting to marketing, to sales, customer support, engineering, quality, and all other groups, a manager either lead a team directly or leads a group of supervisors who lead the teams.   In addition to the traditional role of departmental or functional manager, there are also product and project managers who are responsible for a set of activities or initiatives, often without any people reporting to them.  These informal managers work across functions and recruit team members from the various groups for temporary and unique initiatives.   Span of Control The phrase “span of control” relates to the number of individuals who report directly to any particular manager. One of the trends of recent years has been to reduce the number of managers in an organization and increase the number of direct reports working for remaining managers. A manager optimally has no more than six to eight direct reports, although many have ten or even twenty individuals they are responsible for on a daily basis. A smaller span of control enables increased support for training, coaching, and development. The larger span reduces the manager’s effectiveness for supporting her direct reports.   Authority of the Manager A manager may have the power to hire or fire employees or to promote them. In larger companies, a manager may only recommend such action to the next level of management. The manager has the authority to change the work assignments of team members. Essential Skills of the Manager Managers need to develop and hone the following skills: Leadership- You’ve got to be able to set priorities and motivate your team members. This involves self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. Be a source of energy, empathy, and trust. And remember that effective leaders work daily to develop team members through positive feedback, constructive feedback, and coaching.  Communication- Become a student of effective communication in all its applications, including one-on-one, small group, large group, email and social media. Realize that the most important aspect of communicating is listening. Collaboration- Serve as a role model for working together. Support cross-functional efforts and model collaborative behaviors to set the example for your team members.  Critical Thinking- Strive to understand where and how your projects fit into the bigger picture to enhance your effectiveness. Review priorities in light of larger goals. Translate this understanding into meaningful goals and objectives for your team members.  Finance- Learn the language of numbers. Managers must strive to understand how company funds are invested and to ensure that these investments earn a good return for the firm. While you do not need to be an accountant to be a manager, it is imperative that you learn and apply the basics.   Project Management- Everything that we do that is new in an organization is created in the form of projects. Today’s managers understand and leverage formal project management practices to ensure timely completion and proper control of initiatives.   The Bottom Line- A Career in Management The work of management is divided into the activities around planning, leading, organizing and controlling, and the work of a manager encompasses all of these areas. Anyone aspiring to move into management as a career should develop and display strong technical and functional skills- become an expert in your discipline, and have a strong liking of interacting with, supporting and guiding others.   The best managers understand their role is about their team and their team’s performance and not about themselves. They work hard to develop the skills identified above and they take great satisfaction in the successes of their team members. Do this effectively at a lower level and others will recognize your value and abilities and strive to increase your responsibilities over time. Management as a career is simultaneously challenging and exciting. Updated by: Art Petty