Page 5 - 6484

roles are divided into three groups: interpersonal, informational, and decisional. The
informational roles link all managerial work together. The interpersonal roles ensure
that information is provided. The decisional roles make significant use of the
information. The performance of managerial roles and the requirements of these roles

can be played at different times by the same manager and to different degrees,
depending on the level and function of management. The ten roles are described
individually, but they form an integrated whole.
The three interpersonal roles are primarily concerned with interpersonal
relationships. In the figurehead role, the manager represents the organization in all
matters of formality. The top-level manager represents the company legally and
socially to those outside of the organization. The supervisor represents the work
group to higher management and higher management to the work group. In the
liaison role, the manager interacts with peers and people outside the organization.
The top-level manager uses the liaison role to gain favors and information, while the
supervisor uses it to maintain the routine flow of work. The leader role defines the
relationships between the manager and employees.

The direct relationships with people in the interpersonal roles place the
manager in a unique position to get information. Thus, the three informational roles
are primarily concerned with the information aspects of managerial work. In the
monitor role, the manager receives and collects information. In the role of
disseminator, the manager transmits special information into the organization. The
top-level manager receives and transmits more information from people outside the
organization than the supervisor. In the role of spokesperson, the manager
disseminates the organization’s information into its environment. Thus, the top-level
manager is seen as an industry expert, while the supervisor is seen as a unit or
departmental expert.
The unique access to information places the manager at the center of
organizational decision making. There are four decisional roles managers play. In the
entrepreneur role, the manager initiates change. In the disturbance handler role, the

5