Question

According to Mintzberg, which of the following is NOT a decisional role of managers?

• A. Entrepreneur
• B. Disturbance Handler
• C. Resource allocator
• D. Monitor

Answer 1

Answer:

D. Monitor

Henry Mintzberg's Managerial Roles

Management expert Henry Mintzberg, in his seminal work, identified ten managerial roles categorized into three main groups: Interpersonal, Informational, and Decisional. These roles describe what managers actually do in their day-to-day work.

Decisional Roles

The decisional roles involve making choices and taking actions. According to Mintzberg, these include:

• Entrepreneur: Managers initiate and design controlled changes within the organization. They look for opportunities and problems and take action to improve performance.

• Disturbance Handler: Managers respond to situations that are unexpected and require immediate attention. This could involve resolving conflicts, dealing with crises, or adapting to unforeseen changes.

• Resource Allocator: Managers are responsible for deciding how to distribute the organization's resources, including time, money, personnel, and equipment. This involves making choices about where and how to invest these resources for maximum benefit.

• Negotiator: Managers represent their organization in negotiations with external parties or within the organization itself. This role involves bargaining and reaching agreements.

Informational Roles

The informational roles involve collecting, processing, and disseminating information. These include:

• Monitor: Managers constantly scan their environment, both internal and external, to gather information about what is happening. They look for relevant data, trends, and potential problems or opportunities.

• Disseminator: Managers share the information they have gathered with others in the organization. This involves communicating important facts, decisions, and directives to subordinates and other stakeholders.

• Spokesperson: Managers communicate information about the organization to outsiders. This includes sharing news, reports, and plans with the public, shareholders, or other external entities.

Interpersonal Roles

The interpersonal roles involve interacting with people. These include:

• Figurehead: Managers perform symbolic duties of a legal or social nature, such as signing documents or attending ceremonies.

• Leader: Managers motivate, direct, and guide their subordinates. They are responsible for the performance of their team.

• Liaison: Managers build and maintain relationships with people and organizations outside their own unit.

Exam Relevance

Understanding Mintzberg's ten roles and their categorization is crucial for competitive exams focusing on management and administration. Questions often test the ability to differentiate between these roles and identify which category a specific managerial activity falls into. The 'Monitor' role is an Informational role, not a Decisional role, as it involves gathering information rather than making decisions.