Literature Review on Roles Played by an International Manager
Literature review on roles played by an international manager
Based on his study of the data put forth by Mintzberg (1973) on what a manager do, Dalton (2002) had incorporated seven managerial roles of an international manager, organized into three groups, as follows: • Informational roles: 2.1 Monitor: scan environments, monitor units, probe and seek information, act as corporate nerve center of incoming information. 2. Spokesperson: communicate and disseminate information with multiple levels of the internal and extra-organizational system, advocate and represent the organization. • Interpersonal roles: 2.3 Leader: motivate, coach, build teams, maintain corporate climate and culture and supervise the work of others. 2.4 Liaison: network, coordinate, link entities and span organizational boundaries. • Action roles: 2.5 Decision maker: take action, troubleshoot, make decisions and use power to get things done. 2.6 Innovator: try new approaches, seize opportunities, generate new ideas and promote a vision. 2.7 Negotiator: make deals, translate strategy into action, negotiate contracts, manage conflicts and confront others.
In his investigation, Dalton (2002) had focused on what managers do, which are behavioural roles, rather than the reason or method used by these managers. He recognized that variations in cultural beliefs, values and norms as well as variations in managerial style challenged the performance of global managers.
On the other hand, Rifkin (2006) said that soft skills may be more important for global managers to be effective. He suggested three steps companies and managers can take to better prepare for the challenges of managing globally, which are: • To develop a clearer understanding of the challenges of managing people across borders; •
Based on his study of the data put forth by Mintzberg (1973) on what a manager do, Dalton (2002) had incorporated seven managerial roles of an international manager, organized into three groups, as follows: • Informational roles: 2.1 Monitor: scan environments, monitor units, probe and seek information, act as corporate nerve center of incoming information. 2. Spokesperson: communicate and disseminate information with multiple levels of the internal and extra-organizational system, advocate and represent the organization. • Interpersonal roles: 2.3 Leader: motivate, coach, build teams, maintain corporate climate and culture and supervise the work of others. 2.4 Liaison: network, coordinate, link entities and span organizational boundaries. • Action roles: 2.5 Decision maker: take action, troubleshoot, make decisions and use power to get things done. 2.6 Innovator: try new approaches, seize opportunities, generate new ideas and promote a vision. 2.7 Negotiator: make deals, translate strategy into action, negotiate contracts, manage conflicts and confront others.
In his investigation, Dalton (2002) had focused on what managers do, which are behavioural roles, rather than the reason or method used by these managers. He recognized that variations in cultural beliefs, values and norms as well as variations in managerial style challenged the performance of global managers.
On the other hand, Rifkin (2006) said that soft skills may be more important for global managers to be effective. He suggested three steps companies and managers can take to better prepare for the challenges of managing globally, which are: • To develop a clearer understanding of the challenges of managing people across borders; •