Explain three ways of classifying managers
4 years ago
Principle of Management
- Managers can be classified by management levels were we have:-
- First line managers also known as operations managers or just line managers. These are responsible for the work of employees only and as such do not supervise any managers. They are the lowest management level in the organisational hierarchy, being directly responsible for the supervision of non-managerial First line managers’ activities tend to focus mainly on the day to day running of the organisation and they focus on the activities of sub-units such as departments and sections thereof.
Typical titles of first line managers are: foreman, supervisor, operations managers etc
- Middle managers (also known as tactical managers or management control level). This may incorporate more than one level in the organisation. They are primarily concerned with directing the operations of lower level In addition they are also responsible for implementing and interpreting the policies formulated by the top management level. Thus they are intermediaries between top management and lower level management.
Typical titles include: Branch managers, Regional managers, senior managers etc.
- Top management (also known as strategic managers or corporate level managers). Top managers probably account for a relatively small group of executives who control the organisation. They are thus responsible for establishing the organisation’s goals, strategies and operating In addition, they also represent the organisation to the external environment e.g. by meeting with government officials, other business executives, other institutional heads etc.
Activities undertaken at this level are thus of a long term nature and mainly guide the organisation’s conduct with the environment. They tend to focus on the organisation as a whole, with emphasis on both the present and the future scale of operations
Typical titles are: Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director, and General Manager etc.
b) MANAGEMENT CAN ALSO BE CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THE SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES
- Functional Managers- These are responsible for just one speciality organisational activity g. the finance manager (responsible for finance) and the human resources managers (responsible for the human resource function) this level of management may be likened to that of operational management for they are also responsible for the day to day running of the organisation as well as the direct supervision of subordinates.
The people headed by a functional manager are engaged in a common set of activities
- General Managers. Unlike functional managers, general managers oversee the complex units e.g. subsidiaries or independent operating divisions. In this case they will be responsible for all the activities of that unit such as marketing, production etc. Thus the general manager will be in charge of the functional managers falling under his sub-unit or division.
Susmita Sah
Jan 13, 2022