What Does a Manager Do? Managerial Roles Explained

Managers assume a leadership role in organizations. They contribute to their companies in many ways that hinge upon their job titles and the organization’s needs.

• Department managers: Department managers oversee staff members in a particular branch of a company.
• Operations managers: Operations managers focus on company-wide initiatives, uniting multiple departments.
• Project managers: Project managers lead team members in specific tasks. They focus their resources on one project at a time.
• Human resources managers: Human resource management involves staffing and training employees.
• Senior managers: Senior managers, who may have many years of experience, provide organizational leadership and craft messaging to unite all company stakeholders.

All of these manager roles serve to advance organizational objectives.

Organizational managers fall into eight general categories. Read on to learn about the defining characteristics of these different management styles:

1. 1. Affiliative management: Affiliate leadership creates a sense of belonging among the employees working under a manager. It works particularly well in workplaces where disruption has lowered overall levels of trust and boosted stress levels or where there are a lot of new employees who might need to develop their confidence and teamwork. On the negative side, this style can cause managers to lose sight of work benchmarks.
2. 2. Autocratic management style: Autocratic leadership is top-down, hands-on management of employees. The autocratic, or authoritarian, style can lead to resentment and employee stress. Moreover, micromanaging and the need for general managers to make final decisions can be inefficient.
3. 3. Coaching management style: The coaching management style is great for the long-term development of employees. In this type of leadership, managers take a particular interest in mentoring their subordinates and guiding them as they work to meet the organization’s goals. Good coaching can boost employee loyalty and motivation. However, coaching takes extra time and energy and can be a poor fit for some workplaces.
4. 4. Democratic management style: Democratic leadership is a participative style that empowers employees to be involved in the decision-making process. This leadership style also encourages employees to provide feedback, which creates a consultative work environment. Managers can learn from and rely upon their team members for employee engagement and collaboration.
5. 5. Laissez-faire management style: This is a more hands-off approach to management. Leaders encourage employees to independently manage their day-to-day operations with little oversight or supervision. This management style, also known as delegative leadership, can be great for creativity and novel problem-solving and free up the manager’s time and energy. It can also lead to inefficiency and lack of direction in some situations.
6. 6. Pacesetting management: Pacesetting style is another example of a manager leading by example. The management duties are highly results-oriented with clear, specific, long and short-term initiatives. This works best with more experienced teams who can implement the goals at the pace the manager has set. Those who can’t keep up with the pace will quickly be left behind, leading to potentially high employee turnover.
7. 7. Transformational management style: This style, similar to coaching, focuses on the employees’ professional development with an urgency to meet goals. Transformational management can prompt giant leaps in the growth of employees’ competency and spur innovation, but it is also high-pressure and can cause burnout.
8. 8. Visionary management style: The visionary leadership style is about inspiring employee performance and keeping an eye on the big picture. Visionary leadership motivates employees to work harder, push themselves, and try to grow their reach and abilities. The challenge is that not everyone has the charisma to be a visionary leader. Placing too much emphasis on one person’s inspiring qualities can make the organization vulnerable if and when that person leaves. Visionary leaders are also highly independent and might not fit well with the overall corporate culture.

When you accept a manager job, you agree to cultivate management skills to help your organization thrive and endure. You will use these skills as you fulfill your responsibilities as a manager, including:

1. 1. Team preparation: You bring organizational know-how to your job; you must transfer this knowledge to your team members. You do this when onboarding new employees or training existing team members for new positions and responsibilities. An effective manager will find the right combination of formal training, mentoring, and on-the-job experience to ensure their team approaches every initiative with the utmost preparation.
2. 2. Workflow creation: How do you ensure that work stays organized and on track? You develop business processes and workflows to optimize team performance. As teams scale up, you’ll rely on sustainable processes that can function without constant supervision. Build sustainable workflows using project management software, formalized job descriptions, routine meetings, and daily stand-ups. When workflows go awry, nip the problem in the bud with precise corrective action.
3. 3. Steady, clear communication: Your team members, from direct reports to support staff, need you as a resource when they have questions or problems. They also need you to inform them about organizational developments and new initiatives. With this in mind, you must work to cultivate effective communication skills. Good communication builds trust between management and line-level workers. It also keeps all stakeholders on the same page about the company’s direction. Remember that communication runs in both directions. Embrace your team members’ critical thinking skills and solicit their input and honest feedback.
4. 4. Team motivation: Few manager responsibilities matter more than team motivation, yet motivation can be hard to quantify. The best managers will understand what intrinsically motivates employees, including a desire for excellence and a belief in the mission. They also understand what extrinsically motivates employees, including the pursuit of money and the thrill of status and recognition.

The path to becoming a successful manager passes through three crucial touchpoints. No matter your industry, company, or level of management, you’ll need these three attributes to become a great manager:

1. 1. Education: Most manager job descriptions require a bachelor’s degree. Some manager positions even require a master’s degree. Beyond your higher education experience, you may be asked to take management training courses offered as part of professional educational programs. Your employer may well cover the course expenses.
2. 2. Experience: As with many other corporate roles, a manager position requires substantial on-the-job experience. Working in your industry of choice equips you with the necessary skills—including technical skills, leadership skills, and interpersonal skills—to thrive in corporate culture. For many management professionals, years of management experience in a related field yields more value than a degree in business management.
3. 3. Specialization: Specialization helps you stand out from the pack. It makes you the ideal candidate for certain jobs, offering expertise that other job candidates cannot match. The best way to hone special skills is to choose a career path that truly inspires you. That way, every day on the job builds your expertise in a field you feel passionate about. You can bring your specialized skills to both small businesses and big corporations. Even if you end up in a senior management role, you can still draw upon the specific expertise that launched your career in management.

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