Self-Reflection on Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles

This article reflects on Mintzberg's managerial roles, specifically the interpersonal role, which includes leadership, liaison, and figurehead functions. It also includes a personal analysis and development plan for improving managerial skills.

Running head: SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 1
Self-Reflection on Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles
Student’s Name
Institution affiliation

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 2
Self-Reflection on Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles
Organizations exist to achieve specific goals and to attain their objectives all the
departments and functions need to operate optimally. Managers perform various roles in an
organisation ranging from ensuring the proper running of all departments to liaising with the
organisation’s stakeholders. Managers, therefore, are at the heart of any success or failure in
organisations as their actions or inactions will determine whether or not an organisation takes
full advantages of the available opportunities and deals successfully with threats to its
existence. Mintzberg analysed the various functions that managers undertake in their day to
day work and classified them into three broad categories: Interpersonal, informational and
decisional roles. Each of these managerial roles encompasses specific behaviours and activities
that a manager undertakes in the course of his or her daily work. The reflection will focus on
Mintzberg’s interpersonal managerial role which consists of Liaison, Figurehead and leadership
functions.
Literature Review
The precursors to Mintzberg’s study of management functions and roles were illustrious
management gurus including Tom Peters, Michael Porter, Henry Fanyol and Warren Bennis
(Mintzberg, 2009). Fanyol was concerned with the control function of management and came
up with the fourteen principles of management which later formed the bedrock of the
management science. (Narayanan & Nath, 1993). On his part, Peters focuses on management
efficiency and more specifically on action based management (Peters & Waterman, 1982). All
these professionals laid the ground for the Revolutionary work of Henry Mintzberg on
Managerial roles.

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 3
Dr Henry Mintzberg, a Canadian management professional, evaluated the various levels
and categorisations of managers and concluded that all managers performed similar essential
functions irrespective of their hierarchical positions in the organisation. He came up with ten
roles or “organised sets of behaviours” that are common to all managers which he later
categorised into three principal managerial roles: interpersonal, Decisional and informational
roles (Mintzberg, 1973). The interpersonal role encompasses leadership, liaison and figurehead
functions while informational role deals with the work of the manager as a disseminator of
information, the organisation or department’s spokesperson and the monitor of the various
aspects of the organisation or department. As a decision maker, the manager has to wear the
hat of the entrepreneur, resource allocator disturbance handler and negotiator. All managers,
irrespective of whether they are in top management or the lower level management perform
all these roles.
The interpersonal role is one of the essential functions that any manager performs in
the course of his or her work in an organisation. The interpersonal roles include acting as the
department or organisation’s leader, liaison officer and figurehead. As the leader, the manager
ensures that the employees in the department or the whole organisation perform at their best
through proper motivation and provision of a good working environment. The manager
provides effective communication channels for networking both within the and outside the
organisation, which ensures that the organisation or department keeps abreast of the current
event that may have a bearing on the operation of the organisation. Also, being a liaison person
means that the manager is charged with the responsibility of keeping in touch with the
stakeholders and appraising them accordingly. As the topmost person in a department or

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 4
organisation, it is the manager’s duty to represents the other employees in various social and
legal functions acting as the symbol of authority and status.
Many managers consider the interpersonal managerial role as the most significant in
their job irrespective of whether the manager in question operates in the higher echelons of
the organisation or is just a low-level manager. Among the ten managerial roles recognised by
Mintzberg, managers consider components of the interpersonal roles as most applicable in
their positions. “Leadership” features prominently as one of the roles that rank highest among
management professionals, probably because leadership role allows a manager the weld
together different elements into a comprehensive whole (Mintzberg, 2009). In another study
on private and public managers, the researchers Pavett and Lau found out that the ‘leader’ role
was the most used by managers regardless of the work setting (Pavett & Lau, 1983). Also, the
researchers found out that the ‘leader’ role was not career-specific and could be used by
managers across the industries. Pavett and Lau’s study indicates that hierarchy has a bearing
on the ranking of managerial roles, with low-level managers ranking leader role highest while
high-level managers consider other managerial roles including disseminator, negotiator, liaison,
spokesperson and figurehead as important in their daily activities at the workplace. Another
study by Muma, Smith, & Somers (2006) collaborates with earlier findings on the importance of
the ‘leader’ role to managers. The study set out to apply Mintzberg’s managerial roles model in
the evaluating management in academic departments, and the results indicated that PA
department Chairpersons and Faculty ranked the leader construct as the one that is important
in the management of the department. In the Study, the Decision and informational roles were
less important in the managers’ lives especially novice managers. However, more experienced

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 5
PA departments chairpersons tended to use the liaison and figurehead roles much more
frequently (Davies, 2006).
Self-Analysis/Reflection of the Interpersonal Managerial Role
Mintzberg’s managerial roles model, like all management models, applies to manager’s
life as well as to the normal life. In its essence, management is all about leading an organised
life harnessing the resources at one's disposal effectively to achieve set life goals (Chodorek,
2010). In other words, management positions at the workplace is an extension of one’s
personal life and a chaotic life can herald a difficult life as a manager.
Going through this course, I have come to appreciate the similarity of managing my
personal life and running a department or an organisation. In both cases, there are limited
resources and infinite wants, and it is up to the person to rationalise on the best use of the
resources at hand to meet the stated objectives and goals.
A challenging management task that I can recall was a class group assignment in which I
was made the group leader. For starters, I was not the best student in the subject, and I had a
feeling that the group settled on me as the leader as they wanted to avoid responsibility. My
inferiority coloured the first few minutes of our discussions, and I would feel slighted any time a
member of the group challenged or corrected any of my suggestions. Consequently, the first
meeting ended up in disarray and when the professor demanded feedback on the project’s
progress, I had a difficult time explaining that little was achieved in that first sitting. In
subsequent meetings, I decided to play the role of the leader in leveraging the diverse skills of
the members to archive the group’s objectives. My role changed from the one of a lord to a
facilitator, negotiating egos and getting the best out of the group members. Throughout the life

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 6
of the group project, my roles tended to draw on many of Mintzberg’s interpersonal and
informational and decisional roles. As head of the group, I had to play the figurehead role and
attend any group leaders’ meetings. I was the liaison person between the group and the
lecturer and in addition to negotiating with the professor if the group needed something from
him such as extended deadlines. In the course of the project, I played the role of resource
allocator deciding on the time allocated to the members’ contributions during debates and
moderating the debate to prevent it degenerating into a shouting match. At the end of the
project, I was expected to present the report and allocate group members parts of the report
on which they would answer questions from the other students. The class group project was a
success as we ended up being the second-best group in the class. The professor was surprised
that we ended the project on such as high note as he had almost given up on our group during
the initial stages of the project which was characterised by inefficiencies and lack of focus.
After taking the three management diagnostic tests, I have realised that I have strengths
and weaknesses in the various parts of my managerial life. One of the strengths that I have
noted is that I learn and adapt fairly fast to issues. Secondly, I have realised that I have a knack
for effectively managing a team by giving all the members chances to contribute their input on
any issue that needs deliberation. Also, I excel in Problem-solving and decision-making areas.
These are areas that need strengthening through continuous learning and keeping up to date
with current best practices in the field.
I have notable weaknesses in various areas including Coaching and developing my team,
and leading change. These weaknesses need a comprehensive plan both in learning and

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 7
practice. There is a need to increase and update my knowledge on the recognised weaknesses
and also find opportunities in real life in which I can act out the information learned.
Action/ Development Plan
Personal Development Plan
Name:
Date:
Part 1: Personal Analysis
Strengths
I learn and adapt fairly fast to changing
management environments.
I have good team management skills
especially listening skills and an ability to
moderate discussions.
My decision making and problem-solving
skills are above par.
Leading the class discussion group gave me
confidence in my ability to manage teams
and solve conflicts.
Weaknesses
I have a weakness in coaching and
developing my team.
Also, I have a problem leading change
especially if it will have some negative
impacts on some of my team members.
I need more practice in leading teams to gain
more confidence and avoid false starts as it
consumes time which could be put to better
use.
Opportunities
The current course on management is daily
improving my capacity to manage teams and
Threats
Lack of opportunities to practice the learning
covered in the course.

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 8
also effectively manage my personal life
properly.
The final grade in the course will provide
guaranteed feedback on my learning and
practice on management.
The classwork practicals are providing the
much needed real-life practice in managing
and working in teams.
Part 2: Setting Goals
Weakness Action Resources and
support
Measures of
success
Review
Target Date
Leadership Volunteer for
parttime
employment in
an HR firm.
Read “The
Seven Habits of
Highly effective
I will need the
professor’s
recommendation
and support.
I will need to
sacrifice some of
my leisure time.
Reviews by
the
supervisors
and managers
will indicate
the progress
Post-
November
30th

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 9
people” by
Stephen Covey.
Work on
improving my
emotional
intelligence
I will get the book
in the school
library.
Emotional
intelligence
improvement
through the
keeping of regular
journals of my
reactions to people
and situations
Figurehead Work on my
behaviour and
image and
make
deliberate
efforts to be
more
empathetic
Inform my peers
about my
intentions
Get feedback
from my
peers and
lecturers
November
30th
Liaison Improve my
networking
skills
Enrol in an online
short course on
networking
Final grade
and
comments
October 31st

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 10
from the
lecturer
Monitor/Disseminator Improve on my
reading and
research skills,
as well as on
how to share
information
from outside
effectively
Search for online
resources and
practice.
Spokesperson Work on my
presentation
skills.
Get permission and
support to be
making monthly
presentations in
class.
Attend at one
public lecture per
month to learn the
art of public
speaking.
Feedback
from the
lecturer and
the students.
After every
presentation
starting
August 2018
Entrepreneur Improve on
Change
Get online and
library resources
Answering
questions
November
30th

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 11
management,
creativity and
problem-
solving skills.
and study on the
subject.
Read the book:
Leading Change
from the
textbooks
Feedback
from the
professor
Disturbance handler Improve on
conflict
resolution and
team
emotional
management
Online resources
and support from
the professor
Feedback
from the
lecturer
November
30th
Resource Allocator Study on
budget
processes and
on ways to cut
costs
Depend on online
resources and
support from the
lecturer
Feedback
from the
lecturer
November
30th
Negotiator Improve on
how to achieve
a win-win
situation
during a
negotiation
Read an article
entitled “role-
playing”
Feedback
from the
professor
November
30th

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 12
Conclusion
Mintzberg’s managerial roles is a revolutionary way of understanding the functions of a
manager. All managers irrespective of their hierarchy in the organisation employ the ten roles
in their daily management activities. However, upper management tends to use the decisional
and informational roles more compared to low-level managers. At the same time, upper-level
managers play the role of a figurehead in many instances compared to the managers at the
bottom of the ladder.

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 13
References
Chodorek, M. (January 01, 2010). Self-assesment of the Positive Potential of Organisation by
managers of Polish companies: Research results. Journal of Positive Management, 1, 85-
96.
Davies, M. F., & Kanaki, E. (October 01, 2006). Interpersonal characteristics associated with
different team roles in work groups. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21, 7, 638-650.
Mintzberg, H. (1973). The Nature of Managerial Work, Harpercollins College Division.
Mintzberg, H. (2009a). The evolution of a model of managing. Retrieved from
http://www.mintzberg.org/sites/default/files/managingmodel.pdf
Mintzberg, H. (2009b) The evolution of a model of managing. Retrieved from
http://www.mintzberg.org/sites/default/files/managingmodel.pdf
Muma, R. D., Smith, B., & Somers, P. A. (January 01, 2006). Use of Mintzberg's Model of
Managerial Roles to Evaluate Academic Administrators. Journal of Allied Health, 35, 2,
65-74.
Narayanan, V. K., & Nath, R. (1993). Organization theory: a strategic approach, Irwin.
Pavett C.M. & Lau A.W. (1983). Managerial work: the influence of hierarchical level and
functional specialty. Acad Manage J; 26:170–177.
Peters, T. J., & Waterman, R. H. (1982). In search of excellence: Lessons from America's best-run
companies. New York: Harper & Row.
Porter, M. (2008). The five competitive forces that shape strategy. Harvard Business Review,
82–83.

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 14
Appendix
Management Diagnostic Tools
1. Emotional Intelligence
emotional intelligence
Your score is:* 70

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 15
when it comes to emotional intelligence, how savvy are you?
It’s well understood that emotional intelligence (EI) – the ability to bring out the best in
ourselves and others – is a crucial part of a leader’s repertoire. And our work with
organizations shows that EI can make the difference between a highly effective and an
average professional contributor. The good news is that EI can be developed.
Through our long-standing partnership with EI pioneers Dr. Daniel Goleman and Dr.
Richard Boyatzis, we offer tools and resources that help individuals to assess their levels
of emotional intelligence – then develop this important capability so it can be translated
into personal effectiveness and competitive advantage for their organization.
Click here to find out more about Emotional Intelligence
Or contact us to discuss
* Please note: this quiz is designed to be a quick introduction to the importance of
emotional intelligence (EI). The results you get from this quiz are not a comprehensive
picture of your EI and the quiz is not representative of Hay Group surveys.
2. Quinn Test

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 16
Quinn test: Results
You will find your results below. Besides the spider diagram, in which your personal
talents are presented visually, we have explained your two strongest and two weakest
talents. You will also find the relevant training courses per talent. If you want more
information about Quinn or how to interpret these results, then click on (How to
interpret?). Good luck!
A profile is worthless to you if you don’t know what to do with it. We look at your profile
both in terms of your competencies and from a talent management perspective in order
to interpret your results.
Competence management departs from the idea of a 'gap' between the competencies
or talents that you have and the competencies you would like or are desirable for your
job. Talent management also departs from the talents you have but focuses on personal
development. Whilst with competency management you work on your skills and areas
of knowledge that are not as strong, with management you maximise the talents you do
have. That is why we explain your two strongest roles but also your two weakest roles
as a professional or manager.
A high score is more than 40 points. A low score is less than 15 points.

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 17
Mentor (100%)
As a mentor you above focus on people development. In this role you are helpful,
caring, sensitive, approachable, open and just. When fulfilling your role you listen and
support, you express your appreciation and you give compliments and credit where
credit is due. You help to develop skills, offer opportunities for education and training
and stimulate plans for personal development.
Broker (100%)
As a broker you are the one who encourages cooperation, achieves coherence and
teamwork and resolves conflicts between people or teams. In this role you are above all
process-oriented. As far as behaviour is concerned, you are amongst other things
expected to mediate in disputes between people and use conflict-handling techniques
to resolve them or certainly reduce or prevent them. You contribute to the
development of cohesion and morale; you collect information and achieve cooperation
and collaboration. You above all believe in team-oriented or group-oriented solutions to
problems and promote this in your style of working together or leadership.
Director (96%)
As a director you make clear the expectations by means of planning and setting targets.
You are a confirmed and decisive initiator, who describes and defines problems, selects
alternatives, indicates what has to be achieved, sets roles and tasks, draws up rules and
policy and gives instructions. If people think of the director’s role, they above all think of
tough, hard-working, demanding, no-nonsense figures. Demanding for others, but also

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 18
for themselves. Authority is often the crux of your way of leading or cooperating with
management and colleagues.
Facilitator (93%)
As a facilitator you above all work to maintain external legitimacy and obtaining
production resources from outside. Image, presentation and reputation are important
to you. You are expected to be politically astute, with sufficient power of conviction,
influence and power. You meet people from outside the department as a
representative, negotiator and purchaser. You work on marketing and often act as a
liaison and spokesman.
Producer (91%)
As a producer you are above all task-oriented and focus on output and work. You show
great involvement, motivation, energy and personal commitment. You accept
responsibility, conclude assignments successfully and constantly manage to achieve
great productivity. You encourage your employees to increase production and achieve
their predefined targets. You set targets and encourage your team, employees or
colleagues to work in a result and output-oriented way.
Innovator (82%)
As an innovator you pay attention to a changing environment, you recognise important
trends, can imagine and anticipate the changes that are necessary and tolerate
uncertainties and risk. You observe a need and see a way to fulfil it. In this role you rely
on predictions derived from facts, ideas and intuitive insight. Your management,
colleagues and employees expect you to be creative and intelligent, you are a trend

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 19
watcher who can see the future and can propose innovations. But can also present them
in a way that makes others enthusiastic and convince them that they are necessary and
desirable.
Monitor (82%)
As a monitor you know perfectly what is going on in the department, you check
whether your people keep to the rules and whether production targets are being met.
You know all the facts and details and are the perfect analyst. Characteristic for this role
is your great commitment and your competence to deal with administration, study and
quickly react to routine information, carry out inspection tours and draw up overviews,
reports and other documents. You have an eye for detail, control and analysis.
Coordinator (76%)
As a coordinator you always maintain the structure of the system and its flow. You are
reliable and your management, colleagues or employees can depend on you. Typical
behaviour for you includes focussing on lightening tasks such as arranging, organising
and coordinating the efforts of your people, dealing with crises and an interest in and
attention to technological, logistical and thematic assignments.
3. Mind Tools Diagnostic Test
How Good Are Your
Management Skills?

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 20
© iStockphoto
baona
You need a lot of skills to become a good manager.
In business, we often seem to focus
less on good management, and more
on the glamorous and exciting work of
leadership.
However, managers are responsible for making sure that
things are done properly. And while leaders may bring us
vision, inspiration and challenge, these things count for
nothing without the efficient implementation brought about
by good management.
To be a great manager, you must have an extensive set of
skills – from planning and delegation to communication and
motivation. Because the skill set is so wide, it's tempting to
build skills in the areas of management that you're already
comfortable with. But, for your long-term success, it's wise
to analyze your skills in all areas of management – and
then to challenge yourself to improve in all of these areas.
This quiz helps you to quickly identify your areas of
strength and weakness, so that you can capitalize on the

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 21
former and manage the latter. We then direct you to
resources that you can use to develop your skills further.
Note:
To learn more about leadership and to assess your
leadership skills, complete our quiz, How Good Are Your
Leadership Skills?
How Good Are Your Management Skills?
Instructions
For each statement, click the button in the column that
best describes you. Please answer questions as you
actually are (rather than how you think you should be), and
don't worry if some questions seem to score in the 'wrong
direction'. When you are finished, please click the
'Calculate My Total' button at the bottom of the test.
20 Statements to Answer
Not
at
All
Rare
ly
Sometim
es
Ofte
n
Very
Ofte
n
1When I have a problem, I try to
solve it myself before asking my
boss what to do.
2When I delegate work, I give it to
whoever has the most time
available.
3I follow up with team members
whenever I see that their behavior
has a negative impact on
customer service.
4I make decisions following careful

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 22
20 Statements to Answer
Not
at
All
Rare
ly
Sometim
es
Ofte
n
Very
Ofte
n
analysis, rather than relying on gut
instinct.
5I let my team members figure out
for themselves how best to work
together – teams are a work in
progress!
6I wait before disciplining a team
member, so that people have a
chance to correct their behaviors
for themselves.
7Technical skills are the most
important skills that I need to be
an effective manager.
8I spend time talking with my
team about what's going well and
what needs improving.
9In meetings, I take on the role of
moderator/facilitator when
necessary, and I help my team
reach a better understanding of
the issue or reach consensus.
10I fully understand how the
business processes in my
department operate, and I'm
working to eliminate bottlenecks.
11When putting together a team, I
consider the skills I need – and
then I seek people who best fit my
criteria.

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 23
20 Statements to Answer
Not
at
All
Rare
ly
Sometim
es
Ofte
n
Very
Ofte
n
12I do all that I can to avoid
conflict in my team.
13I try to motivate people within
my team by tailoring my approach
to motivation to match each
individual's needs.
14When my team makes a
significant mistake, I update my
boss on what has happened, and
then I think of it as an important
lesson learned.
15When conflict occurs within a
new team, I accept it as an
inevitable stage in the team
development process.
16I talk to team members about
their individual goals, and I link
these to the goals of the entire
organization.
17If I'm putting a team together, I
select people with similar
personalities, ages, time with the
company, and other
characteristics.
18I think that the statement "If
you want a job done well, do it
yourself" is true.
19I talk with team members as
individuals to ensure that they're
happy and productive.

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 24
20 Statements to Answer
Not
at
All
Rare
ly
Sometim
es
Ofte
n
Very
Ofte
n
20I brief my team members so
that they know what's going on
around them in the organization.
Calculate My Total
Total = 73
Score Interpretation
Sco
re Comment
20-
46
You need to improve your management skills urgently. If you
want to be effective in a leadership role, you must learn how to
organize and monitor your team's work. Now is the time to start
developing these skills to increase your team's success!
(Read below to start.)
47-
73
You're on your way to becoming a good manager. You're doing
some things really well, and these are likely the things you feel
comfortable with. Now it's time to work on the skills that you've
been avoiding. Focus on the areas where your score is low, and
figure out what you can do to make the improvements you
need. (Read below to start.)
74-
100
You're doing a great job managing your team. Now you should
concentrate on improving your skills even further. In what areas
did you score a bit low? That's where you can develop
improvement goals. Also, think about how you can take
advantage of these skills to reach your career goals.
(Read below to start.)
Effective management requires a wide range of skills, and
each of these skills complements the others. Your goal

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 25
should be to develop and maintain all of these skills, so that
you can help your team accomplish its objectives efficiently
and effectively. Read on for ideas and resources that you
can use to do this.
A Model of Effective Management
Our quiz is based on eight essential skill areas where
managers should focus their efforts. By covering these
basics, you'll enjoy more success as a team manager:
1. Understanding team dynamics and encouraging good
relationships.
2. Selecting and developing the right people.
3. Delegating effectively.
4. Motivating people.
5. Managing discipline and dealing with conflict.
6. Communicating.
7. Planning, making decisions, and problem solving.
8. Avoiding common managerial mistakes.
We'll explore each of these in more detail.
Understanding Team Dynamics and
Encouraging Good Relationships
(Questions 5, 15, 17)
Your score is 9 out of 15
Good management means understanding how teams
operate. It's worth remembering that teams usually follow a

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 26
certain pattern of development: forming, norming,
storming, and performing . It's important to encourage
and support people through this process, so that you can
help your team become fully effective as quickly as
possible.
When forming teams, managers must create a balance so
that there's a diverse set of skills, personalities, and
perspectives. You may think it's easier to manage a group
of people who are likely to get along, but truly effective
teams invite many viewpoints and use their differences to
be creative and innovative.
Here, your task is to develop the skills needed to steer
those differences in a positive direction. This is why
introducing a team charter and knowing how to resolve
team conflict are so useful for managing your team
effectively.
Selecting and Developing the Right People
(Questions 11, 17)
Your score is 9 out of 10
Finding great new team members, and developing the skills
needed for your team's success is another important part
of team formation.
You can improve your recruiting skills with our Recruiting
Skills Bite-Sized Training pack, and with out articles
on Hiring People – Questions to Ask , InBox
Assessment , Using Recruitment Tests , and Aptitude
Testing .
And you can develop people's skills with our articles on,
among others, Successful Induction , Understanding
Developmental Needs , Training Needs Assessment ,

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 27
and the GROW Model . You'll also find our Bite-Sized
Training session on Mentoring Skillsuseful.
Delegating Effectively
(Questions 2, 18)
Your score is 3 out of 10
Having the right people with the right skills isn't sufficient
for a team's success. Managers must also know how to get
the job done efficiently. Delegation is the key to this.
Some managers, especially those who earned their
positions based on their technical expertise, try to do most
of the work themselves. They think that, because they're
responsible for the work, they should do it themselves to
make sure it's done right.
Effective managers recognize that by assigning work to the
right people (not just those with the most time available),
and clearly outlining expectations, teams can accomplish
much more. But it's often difficult to trust others to do the
job. As a manager, remember that when your team
members have the right skills, training and motivation, you
can usually trust them to get the work done right.
Find out your strengths and weaknesses related to
delegation by taking our quiz How Well Do You
Delegate?
Motivating People
(Questions 13, 19)
Your score is 8 out of 10
Another necessary management skill is motivating others.
It's one thing to motivate yourself, but it's quite another to

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 28
motivate someone else. The key thing to remember is that
motivation is personal. We're all motivated by different
things, and we all have different levels of personal
motivation. So, getting to know your team members on a
personal level allows you to motivate your people better.
Providing feedback on a regular basis is a very powerful
strategy to help you stay informed about what's happening
with individual team members. You can test your
motivation skills with our quiz, and use your answers to
develop your skills further.
Managing Discipline and Dealing with Conflict
(Questions 3, 6, 12)
Your score is 9 out of 15
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, there are problems
with individual performance. As a manager, you have to
deal with these promptly. If you don't discipline, you risk
negative impacts on the rest of the team as well as your
customers, as poor performance typically impacts customer
service, and it hurts the team and everything that the team
has accomplished. It's very demotivating to work beside
someone who consistently fails to meet expectations, so if
you tolerate it, the rest of the team will likely suffer. In our
article on team management skills , we explore this
issue in further detail and give you some examples.
Team performance will also suffer when differences
between individual team members turn into outright
conflict, and it's your job as team manager to facilitate a
resolution. Read our article on Resolving Team
Conflict for a three-step process for doing this. However,
conflict can be positive when it highlights underlying
structural problems – make sure that you recognize conflict

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and deal with its causes, rather than just suppressing its
symptoms or avoiding it.
Communicating
(Questions 8, 9, 16, 20)
Your score is 16 out of 20
An element that's common to all of these management
skills is effective communication. This is critical to any
position you hold, but as a manager, it's especially
important (you can test your communication skills with
our quiz here ). You need to let your team know what's
happening and keep them informed as much as
possible. Team briefing is a specific communication skill
that managers should improve. Also, develop the ability
to facilitate effectively, so that you can guide your team
to a better understanding and serve as a moderator when
necessary.
Planning, Problem Solving and Decision-
Making
(Questions 4, 10)
Your score is 9 out of 10
Many managers are very comfortable with planning,
problem solving and decision making, given that they're
often skilled specialists who've been promoted because of
their knowledge and analytical abilities. As such, one of the
most important issues that managers experience is that
they focus so intensely on these skills when they think
about self-development that they fail to develop their
people skills and team management skills. Make sure that
you don't focus on these skills too much!

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However, if you need to develop these skills, see our major
sections on Problem Solving, Decision-Making,
and Project Management. You'll find many rich skills
improvement resources in these areas.
Avoiding Common Managerial Mistakes
(Questions 1, 7, 14)
Your score is 14 out of 15
Good communication helps you develop facilitation skills,
and it also helps you avoid some of the most common
problems for managers. Some of these common mistakes
are thinking that you can rely on your technical skills alone,
asking your boss to solve your problems, putting your boss
in the awkward position of having to defend you, and not
keeping your boss informed. Our article on Team
Management Skills highlights what to do to avoid these,
and other managerial problems that you should be aware
of.
Key Points
You need to develop and improve your managerial skills on
an ongoing basis as your career develops and as you meet
new managerial challenges.
Whether you manage a department or a project team, it's
important to know how to get the work done right. When
you're asked to achieve something with the help of others,
it's complex – and you spend much of your time managing
relationships instead of doing the actual work. So, you must
develop not only your technical skills, but your
management skills as well.

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Delegating, motivating, communicating, and understanding
team dynamics are some of the key skills needed. With
those skills, along with patience and a strong sense of
balance, you can become a very effective manager.
This site teaches you the skills you need for a happy and
successful career; and this is just one of many tools and
resources that you'll find here at Mind Tools. Subscribe to
our free newsletter, or join the Mind Tools Club and
really supercharge your career!
How Good Are Your Management Skills?
Total = 73
Score Interpretation
Score Comment
20-46
You need to improve your management skills urgently. If you
want to be effective in a leadership role, you must learn how to
organize and monitor your team's work. Now is the time to start
developing these skills to increase your team's success!
(Read below to start.)
47-73 You're on your way to becoming a good manager. You're doing
some things really well, and these are likely the things you feel

SELF REFLECTION ON MINTZBERG’S MANAGERAL ROLES 32
Score Comment
comfortable with. Now it's time to work on the skills that you've
been avoiding. Focus on the areas where your score is low, and
figure out what you can do to make the improvements you need.
(Read below to start.)
74-
100
You're doing a great job managing your team. Now you should
concentrate on improving your skills even further. In what areas
did you score a bit low? That's where you can develop
improvement goals. Also, think about how you can take
advantage of these skills to reach your career goals.
(Read below to start.)