Check out the Roles of managers in Education

Check out the Roles of managers in Education

A role is a behavioral pattern expected of someone within a functional unit. Roles are inherent in functions.

Interpersonal Roles: interpersonal roles are relations with other people arising from the manager’s status and authority.

Figure Head: The manager is a symbol and represents the organization in matters of formality. The manager is involved in matters of a ceremonial nature such as the signing of documents, participation in activities as a social necessity, and is available for people who insist on access to the “top”, greeting visitors, attending subordinates’ wedding, taking staff to lunch.

Leadership Role: By the authority vested in the manager he/she has responsibility for staffing and motivation and guidance of subordinates. Managers are responsible and accountable for their subordinates’ actions as well as for their own. Their subordinates’ success or failure is a direct measure of their success or failure.

Liaison Role: This involves the manager in a horizontal relationship with people outside the organization; linking the organization and the environment. Managers like most politicians must learn to work with everyone inside or outside the organization who can help them achieve their organizational goals. All effective managers play “politics” in the sense that they develop networks of mutual obligations with other managers in the organization or seek outside help; building alliances and coalitions. Managers draw upon these relationships to win support for their proposals or decisions and to gain co-operation in carrying out various activities.

Informational Roles: Receiving and communicating information are the most important aspects of a manager’s job. Managers need the information to make intelligent decisions and other people in the organization depend on information received from or transmitted through managers. Three informational roles for a manager are:
Monitor: Managers are constantly looking for useful information both within and outside the organization. They question subordinates and collect unsolicited information, usually through their network of contacts. Information could be formal or informal. The role monitor often makes managers the best-informed members of their group. Managers need the information to enable them to develop an understanding of the working of the organization and its environment.
Disseminator: The manager distributes important information. Some may be factual and others based on the manager’s interpretation of events.

Spokesperson: The manager has formal authority in transmitting information to people outside the unit – board of Directors, the general public, government officials, the press.

Decisional Roles: The manager makes strategic organizational decisions based on his status, authority, and access to information.

Entrepreneurial Role: Managers try to improve their organizations. When managers get hold of a good idea, they might launch a development project to make it a reality. In this role, they initiate a change of their own free will. (Seeking improvement of the organization).

Disturbance Handler: No organization runs smoothly all the time. There is almost no limit to the number and types of problems that may occur – from financial difficulties, strikes/demonstrations to a drop in earnings. These are unpredictable events and when an unexpected disturbance occurs, the manager