Managers and management

• Henry Mintzberg identified ten roles performed by managers within business in 1990
• Management is not about functions but about what managers do
• Autocratic (Authoritarian) Management:

  • Keeps all decision-making and information at the top of the organization
  • Characterized by one-way communication, minimal delegation or decentralization, and close supervision of employees
• Democratic (Participative) Management:

  • Promotes the active participation of workers in decision-making
  • Involves a great deal of delegation and encourages decentralization
  • Involves discussions between managers and subordinates, actively encourages employee participation, and managers act upon advice and explain decisions
  • Subordinates have some control over their own working lives
• Laissez-Faire Management:

  • Leaves much of the business decision-making to the workforce
  • A hands-off approach, opposite of the autocratic style
• Paternalistic Approach:

  • Based on the belief that the manager knows what is best for the organization better than the workers
• McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y Managers:

  • Theory X: Assumes that employees dislike work, avoid responsibility, and need to be closely controlled
  • Theory Y: Assumes that employees enjoy work, seek responsibility, and can be self-directed and creative