Discuss Mintzberg’s Ten Managerial Roles.

Henry Mintzberg (1990) argues that his managerial role approach contributes more to effective management as they define behaviours and traits that certain managers possess unlike the traditional four managerial functions of planning, organising, leading and controlling (POLC). Mintzberg presents ten managerial roles in which he then separates into three categories, executing the Interpersonal roles that allow the formation of interpersonal relationships which in turn provide the manager with access to information leading to the informational role which then enables the manager’s decision making hence executing the decisional roles.
The first set of roles Mintzberg described is interpersonal roles. The first interpersonal role is a figurehead. Here the manager performs ceremonial and symbolic duties as head of the organisation; these include greeting visitors, signing legal documents and attending ribbon cutting ceremonies. Representing the organization, the manager must be able to lead, inspire, and instil the confidence of all external or interpersonal business relationships to influence continued business opportunities for the organization. The next role is a leader. This is one of the most important roles for managers as leaders provide a proper work atmosphere and are able to motivate and develop subordinates. A leader is responsible for the productivity of employees and the organisation as a whole as he reviews the work completed and makes suggestions or corrections. The final interpersonal role is a liaison which develops and maintains a network of external contacts to gather information; the manager needs to be aware of current trends in the industry, current software and technological advances as well as what the competition is doing. . He/she therefore, must have contacts external to the business and participate in meetings with representatives of other divisions or organizations as it is important to network with others in his/her field of