Management Roles: Mintzberg

Henry Mintzberg identified 10 management roles grouped into 3 categories. This is separate from the POLC management process. POLC describes the broad functions managers perform; Mintzberg describes the roles managers switch among while doing the job.

The Three Categories

Category	Core Job	Roles
Interpersonal	Deal with people and relationships	Figurehead, Leader, Liaison
Informational	Gather and transmit information	Monitor, Disseminator, Spokesperson
Decision-Making	Choose actions and allocate resources	Entrepreneur, Disturbance Handler, Resource Allocator, Negotiator

Interpersonal Roles

Role	What It Means	Scenario Cue
Figurehead	Ceremonial or symbolic representative	Attending ceremonies, greeting visitors, ribbon cuttings
Leader	Motivates, trains, hires, guides, and develops employees	Coaching team members, building commitment
Liaison	Builds connections outside the unit or chain of command	Coordinating with other departments or external contacts

Exam trap

Figurehead is symbolic presence. Leader is motivating and developing people. Do not treat all “people-facing” examples as leadership.

Informational Roles

Role	What It Means	Scenario Cue
Monitor	Scans the environment and gathers information	Reading reports, watching competitors, tracking trends
Disseminator	Shares information internally with subordinates	Passing updates to employees so they can act
Spokesperson	Shares information externally on behalf of the unit or firm	Speaking to media, investors, government, suppliers

Decision-Making Roles

Role	What It Means	Scenario Cue
Entrepreneur	Initiates improvements, new projects, products, or processes	Proactively creating change
Disturbance Handler	Responds to unexpected crises or high-pressure problems	Strike, supply disruption, sudden competitor threat
Resource Allocator	Decides who gets budget, staff, time, or equipment	Choosing project funding or staffing levels
Negotiator	Works out agreements with others	Supplier terms, pay disputes, workload agreements

Proactive vs reactive

Entrepreneur creates change before a crisis. Disturbance Handler responds after a disturbance appears.

Fast Recall

FIL - MDS - EDRN

• Figurehead, Leader, Liaison
• Monitor, Disseminator, Spokesperson
• Entrepreneur, Disturbance Handler, Resource Allocator, Negotiator

Related Notes

ManagementProcess — POLC functions that managers perform
ManagerTypes — manager levels and functional areas
ManagementSkills — skills managers need to perform these roles
LeadershipApproaches — leadership is one role, not the whole management job

Key Points for Exam/Study

• Mintzberg = 10 roles in 3 categories.
• Interpersonal: Figurehead, Leader, Liaison.
• Informational: Monitor, Disseminator, Spokesperson.
• Decision-making: Entrepreneur, Disturbance Handler, Resource Allocator, Negotiator.
• Entrepreneur role is proactive improvement; disturbance handler is reactive crisis response.
• Spokesperson sends information outside; disseminator sends information inside.