MID TERM EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

MANAGERIAL ROLES
In an organization, as in a play or a movie, a role is the part a person plays in a given situation. Managers often play a number of different roles. Much of our knowledge about managerial roles comes from the work of Henry Mintzberg. Mintzberg identified ten basic managerial roles clustered into three general categories.
Interpersonal Roles Mintzberg’s interpersonal roles are primarily social in nature; that is, they are roles in which the manger’s main task is to relate to other people in certain ways. The manager sometimes many serve as a figurehead for the organization. Taking visitors to dinner and attending ribbon-cutting ceremonies are part of the figurehead role. In the role of leader, the manager works to hire, train, and motivate employees. Finally, the liaison role consists of relating to others outside the group or organization. For example, a manger at Intel might be responsible for handling all price negotiations with a major supplier of electronic circuit boards. Obviously, each of these interpersonal roles involves behavioral processes.
Informational Roles Mintzberg’s three informational roles involve some aspects of information processing. The monitor actively seeks information that might be of value to the organization in general or to specific managers. The manager who transmits this information to others is carrying out the role of disseminator. The spokesperson speaks for the organization to outsiders. For example, the manager chosen by Apple Computer to appear at a press conference announcing a merger or other major deal, such as a recent decision to undertake a joint venture with Microsoft, would be serving in this role. Again, behavioral processes are part of these roles because information is almost always exchanged between people.
Decision-making Roles Finally, Mintzberg identified