ManagementLesson 2 of 3 in the course Managing and Performing

Mintzberg’s Interpersonal, Informational, and Decisional Managerial Roles

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Managers do more than give instructions or make plans. Mintzberg described management as a set of connected roles that arise from a manager’s position and everyday work. This lesson focuses on the interpersonal roles managers play through relationships and the informational roles they play as users and distributors of information.

Mintzberg’s study grouped managerial work into three broad categories: interpersonal, informational, and decisional roles. These roles are not isolated tasks. Managers may shift between them quickly—for example, gathering information during a conversation and then passing it along to a team before making a decision.

All flashcards

What are Mintzberg’s three broad categories of managerial roles?
They are interpersonal roles, informational roles, and decisional roles. Together, they describe different kinds of work managers perform.
What does a manager do as a figurehead?
The manager performs ceremonial and symbolic duties associated with the position, representing the organization or unit.
How does the leader role differ from the figurehead role?
A figurehead represents the unit through formal or ceremonial duties; a leader guides, motivates, and develops the people who work in it.
What is the liaison role?
A liaison establishes and maintains contacts outside the manager’s direct chain of command, helping exchange information and coordinate work.
How do the monitor, disseminator, and spokesperson roles differ?
A monitor gathers and assesses information, a disseminator shares information inside the organization, and a spokesperson communicates information to people outside it.

Quiz questions

  1. What are the three broad categories of managerial roles identified by Mintzberg?Answer: Interpersonal, informational, and decisional roles.
  2. Which interpersonal role involves performing ceremonial duties that represent an organizational unit?Answer: The figurehead role.
  3. A manager builds contacts with suppliers and peers in other departments, outside the direct chain of command. Which role is this?Answer: The liaison role.
  4. A manager scans reports and conversations for updates about changing customer needs. Which informational role is the manager performing?Answer: The monitor role.
  5. A manager explains a new internal policy to employees who need to act on it. Which role best describes this action?Answer: The disseminator role.

Based on Principles of Management by David S. Bright, Anastasia H. Cortes, Eva Hartmann, K. Praveen Parboteeah, Jon L. Pierce, Monique Reece, Amit Shah, Siri Terjesen, Joseph Weiss, Margaret A. White, Donald G. Gardner, Jason Lambert et al. (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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