Participants’ perceptions of managerial work according to Mintzberg’s Manager’s Working Roles model
| Main categories | Working roles | n | Examples of open-ended responses (case number of respondents) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interpersonal roles | FIGUREHEAD | 1 | “For example, being in a position at the workplace where one has authority over others” (22) |
| Symbolic head; obligated to perform a number of routine duties of a legal or social nature | |||
| LEADER | 33 | “Guidance of people and work that helps the group perform better than without guidance and when working alone” (3) | |
| Responsible for the motivation and activation of subordinates, responsible for staffing, training and associated duties | |||
| “Leadership is an activity aimed at achieving results through and with people, focusing on very people-centered work” (13) | |||
| LIAISON PERSON | 1 | “In my opinion, leadership means understanding the managed unit as a whole, the interactions within it, as well as its interaction with the environment” (14) | |
| Maintains self-developed network of outside contacts and informers who provide favors and information | |||
| Informational roles | MONITOR | 3 | “Leadership makes use of the right information about the population using services, the personnel, and the available resources” (4) “… includes awareness of goals and resources” (14) |
| Seeks and receives wide variety of special information (much of it current) to develop thorough understanding of organization and environment; emerges as nerve center of internal and external information of the organization | |||
| DISSEMINATOR | 1 | “Effective communication and information sharing” (18) | |
| Transmits information received from outsiders or from other subordinates to members of the organization; some information factual, some involving interpretation and integration of diverse value positions of organizational influencers | |||
| SPOKESMAN | 3 | “Outwardly, [the leader] represents the team’s activities, while at the same time advocating for their team” (8) | |
| Transmits information to outsiders on organization´s plans, policies, actions, results, etc.; serves as expert on organization´s industry | |||
| “The leader serves as a link between the employees and the upper management” (20) | |||
| Decisional roles | ENTREPRENEUR | 7 | “Development of the work unit’s operations and planning of reforms as needed” (2) |
| Searches organization and its environment for opportunities and initiatives “improvement projects” to bring about change; supervises design of certain projects as well | |||
| “Development work is a major part of leadership” (20) | |||
| DISTURBANCE HANDLER | 4 | “Solving problematic situations” (2) | |
| Responsible for corrective action when organization faces important, unexpected disturbances | “The work includes guiding the unit being led towards goals, resolving conflicts, and considering the big picture” (14) | ||
| RESOURCE ALLOCATOR | 24 | “The leader takes into account the skills and strengths of subordinates and utilizes them when developing work” (3) | |
| Responsible for allocation of organizational resources of all kinds - in effect the making or approval of all significant organizational decisions | |||
| “Leadership is the organization of things and making decisions” (17) | |||
| NEGOTIATOR | 0 | ||
| Responsible for representing the organization at major negotiations |
| Main categories | Working roles | Examples of open-ended responses (case number of respondents) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interpersonal roles | FIGUREHEAD | 1 | “For example, being in a position at the workplace where one has authority over others” (22) |
| Symbolic head; obligated to perform a number of routine duties of a legal or social nature | |||
| 33 | “Guidance of people and work that helps the group perform better than without guidance and when working alone” (3) | ||
| Responsible for the motivation and activation of subordinates, responsible for staffing, training and associated duties | |||
| “Leadership is an activity aimed at achieving results through and with people, focusing on very people-centered work” (13) | |||
| LIAISON | 1 | “In my opinion, leadership means understanding the managed unit as a whole, the interactions within it, as well as its interaction with the environment” (14) | |
| Maintains self-developed network of outside contacts and informers who provide favors and information | |||
| Informational roles | MONITOR | 3 | “Leadership makes use of the right information about the population using services, the personnel, and the available resources” (4) “… includes awareness of goals and resources” (14) |
| Seeks and receives wide variety of special information (much of it current) to develop thorough understanding of organization and environment; emerges as nerve center of internal and external information of the organization | |||
| DISSEMINATOR | 1 | “Effective communication and information sharing” (18) | |
| Transmits information received from outsiders or from other subordinates to members of the organization; some information factual, some involving interpretation and integration of diverse value positions of organizational influencers | |||
| SPOKESMAN | 3 | “Outwardly, [the leader] represents the team’s activities, while at the same time advocating for their team” (8) | |
| Transmits information to outsiders on organization´s plans, policies, actions, results, etc.; serves as expert on organization´s industry | |||
| “The leader serves as a link between the employees and the upper management” (20) | |||
| Decisional roles | ENTREPRENEUR | 7 | “Development of the work unit’s operations and planning of reforms as needed” (2) |
| Searches organization and its environment for opportunities and initiatives “improvement projects” to bring about change; supervises design of certain projects as well | |||
| “Development work is a major part of leadership” (20) | |||
| DISTURBANCE HANDLER | 4 | “Solving problematic situations” (2) | |
| Responsible for corrective action when organization faces important, unexpected disturbances | “The work includes guiding the unit being led towards goals, resolving conflicts, and considering the big picture” (14) | ||
| RESOURCE ALLOCATOR | 24 | “The leader takes into account the skills and strengths of subordinates and utilizes them when developing work” (3) | |
| Responsible for allocation of organizational resources of all kinds - in effect the making or approval of all significant organizational decisions | |||
| “Leadership is the organization of things and making decisions” (17) | |||
| NEGOTIATOR | 0 | ||
| Responsible for representing the organization at major negotiations |
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