Responsibilities of middle

managers

Consist of general managers, branch managers and

department managers.
They are accountable to the top management for
their department's function.
They devote more time to organizational and
directional functions.
Their roles can be emphasized as executing
organizational plans in conformance with the
company's policies and the objectives of the top
management, they define and discuss information
and policies from top management to lower
management, and most importantly they inspire and
provide guidance to lower level managers towards
better performance.

Middle management is the midway management of a

categorized organization, being secondary to the senior
management but above the deepest levels of operational
members. An operational manager may be well-thought-out
the middle management, or may be categorized as nonmanagement operate, liable to the policy of the specific
organization.
Efficiency of the middle level is vital in any
organization, since they bridge the gap between top
level and bottom level staffs.
Their functions include:

Setting objectives consistent with top management

goals, planning strategies
Coordinating and linking groups, departments, and
divisions
Monitoring and managing the performance of
subunits and managers who report to them
Implementing the changes or strategies generated by
top managers

Note how middle managers responsibilities are influenced

by those of top managers.
Note also how their responsibilities are more narrowly
focused than of top managers.

First-Line Managers

First-line managers hold positions like office

manager, shift supervisor, or department manager.

They focus on controlling and directing.

They usually have the responsibility of assigning
employees tasks, guiding and supervising employees
on day-to-day activities, ensuring quality and
quantity production, making recommendations,
suggestions, and up channeling employee problems,
etc.
First-level managers are role models for employees
that provide

Team Leaders
This is a relatively new kind of management job that
developed as companies shifted to self-managing teams,
which, by definition, have no formal supervisor.
Instead of directing individuals work, team leaders
facilitate team activities toward goal accomplishment. They
have less formal authority, so they lead more through
relationships and respect.
Below is a list of some important roles a team leader must
often take on:

Develop a strategy the team will use to reach its goal

Provide any training that team members need

Communicate clear instructions to team members

Listen to team members' feedback

Monitor team members' participation to ensure the

training they providing is being put into use, and also
to see if any additional training is needed

Manage the flow of day-to-day operations

Create reports to update the company on the team's

progress

Distribute reports to the appropriate personnel

Manage external and internal relations of a team.

Mistakes Managers Make

1. Not Providing Feedback
2. Not Making Time for Your Team
3. Being Too "Hands-Off"
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Being too friendly

Failing to define goals
Misunderstanding motivation
Hurrying recruitment
Misunderstanding role
Insensitivity to others ( not recognizing them as
people)
10. Overly ambitious
11. Overmanaging unable to delegate
12. Unable to think strategically
13. Unable to staff effectively
14. Over dependent on advocate or mentor

Management Process
activities

1. Planning

Planning involves deciding where to take a company

and selecting steps to get there.
It first requires managers to be aware of challenges
facing their businesses, and it then it requires
managers to forecast future business and economic
conditions.
They then formulate objectives to reach by certain
deadlines and decide on steps to reach them.
They re-evaluate their plans as conditions change
and make adjustments as necessary.
Planning helps allocate resources and reduce waste
as well.

2. Organizing

Managers organize by bringing together physical,

human and financial resources to achieve objectives.

They identify activities to be accomplished, classify

activities, assign activities to groups or individuals,
create responsibility and delegate authority.

They
then
coordinate
responsibility and authority.

the

relationships

of

3. Leading

Leading requires managers to motivate employees to

achieve business objectives and goals.
It requires the use of authority to achieve those ends
as well as the ability to communicate effectively.
Effective leaders are students of human
personalities, motivation and communication.
They can influence their personnel to view situations
from their perspectives.
Leading also involves supervision of employees and
their work.

4. Controlling

Controlling is a function of management that involves

measuring
achievement
against
established
objectives and goals.

It also requires managers to be able to identify

sources of deviation from successful accomplishment
and to provide a corrective course of action.

Managers first establish objectives and goals, then

measure achievement of them, identify anything that
is keeping the company from achieving them, and
provide means of correction if necessary.

Controlling does not necessarily involve achieving

only monetary goals and objectives.

It can also relate to nontangible goals and objectives

like meeting a production quota or reducing customer
complaints by a certain amount.

Mintzbergs Managerial
roles
Interpersonal Category

The roles in this category involve providing information and

ideas.

1.

Figurehead As a manager, you have social,

ceremonial and legal responsibilities. You're expected to
be a source of inspiration. People look up to you as a
person with authority, and as a figurehead.
2.
Leader This is where you provide leadership for
your team, your department or perhaps your entire
organization; and it's where you manage the
performance and responsibilities of everyone in the
group.
3.
Liaison Managers must communicate with
internal and external contacts. You need to be able to
network effectively on behalf of your organization.
Informational Category
The roles in this category involve processing information.

1Monitor In this role, you regularly seek out information

related to your organization and industry, looking for
relevant changes in the environment. You also monitor
your team, in terms of both their productivity, and their
well-being.
2Disseminator This is where you communicate
potentially useful information to your colleagues and
your team.
3Spokesperson Managers represent and speak for their
organization. In this role you're responsible for
transmitting information about your organization and its
goals to the people outside it.
Decisional Category
The roles in this category involve using information.
1Entrepreneur As a manager, you create and control
change within the organization. This means solving
problems, generating new ideas, and implementing
them.
2Disturbance Handler When an organization or team
hits an unexpected roadblock, it's the manager who
must take charge. You also need to help mediate
disputes within it.
3Resource Allocator You'll also need to determine where
organizational resources are best applied. This involves
allocating funding, as well as assigning staff and other
organizational resources.
4Negotiator You may be needed to take part in, and
direct, important negotiations within your team,
department, or organization.

Successful managers do:

Hard work

Smart work

Patience

Out of box thinking

Reading and acquiring knowledge

Ethical consciousness

Collaborative relationship

Perseverance

Challenges for a manager

Management

1. Achieving a Stretch Goal

2. Bringing Out the Best in Your Employees

Treat every employee with respect.

Help employees align their personal goals with their work goals.
Provide a work environment that is appropriate for the work and

conducive to employee well-being.

Encourage employee communication and cooperation

3. Dealing with Underperforming Employees

Youll be humane, but you have to balance the needs of the organization with the
needs of the employees.
4. Dealing with Outstanding Employees
Outstanding employees need special treatment. You want them to keep doing an
exceptional job but that usually means that youll have to pay them special
attention. They need recognition for their talents and efforts. They need
encouragement, training and guidance. And above all they need to know that they
have a career path in your company, even if that career path takes them out of
your organization.
5. Hiring the Right People
No matter how happy your employees are, youll get occasional turnover. And if
your organization is successful then youll often find that your budget and
headcount will grow as you are assigned more and more responsibility. Either
way, youll need to hire. Hiring is easy, but hiring the right person is extremely
difficult.
6. Responding to a Crisis
Planning is a part of managing, but perhaps more important is a managers ability
to change plans on the fly in response to changing conditions. When a crisis hits,
you have to be able to deal with it calmly, quietly and without being
overwhelmed by stress.

7. Continuous Improvement
Theres always some type of improvement that can be made: a change in a
process, a better working environment, better employee motivation, more focus
on the essentials.