The Nature of Managerial Work(mintzberg)(5)

5 Basic Reasons Why Organizations Need Managers 1) The prime purpose of the manager is to ensure that his

organization serves its basic purpose and maintains efficient production of its specific goods or services. 2) The manager must design and maintain the stability of their

organizational operations. (leader) 3) The manager must take charge of their organization’s strategy-making system, and therein adapt his organization in a controlled way to its changing environment. (monitor,

entrepreneur, leader) 4) The manager must ensure that his organization serves the ends of those persons who control it. 5) The manager must serve as the key informational link between his organization and its environment. (liaison, monitor,

disseminator, spokesman, negotiator) 6) As a formal authority, the manager is responsible for the

operating of his organization’s status system. (figurehead, spokesman, negotiator)

Variations in Manager’s Work

Researchers (Nealey and Fiedler, 1968; Campbell, et al, 1970) found that there were more similarities in managerial jobs than differences. Contingency theory of managerial work contends that the work of a manager is determined by a set of 4 variables: 1) Environment – culture, nature of industry, competition, rate of

change, type of technology, age, and size of the organization. 2) Job – level of hierarchy, functions supervised

3) Person – the managers values, personality, and style. 4) Situational – includes periodic patterns, the change-stability cycle, periods of threat or disruption, new job patterns adopted, and societal shifts.

In the book “Managerial Behavior” by Leonard Sayles, he points out that managers need to balance change and stability in their

organizations. 3) Resource allocator – as a formal authority, the manager must oversee the system by which organizational resources are allocated. 3 essential elements of resource allocation: a) scheduling of time, b) programming work, c) authorizing actions. 4) Negotiator – managers participate in negotiation activities.