Organizational Behaviour

Assuming management roles involves juggling various responsibilities concurrently. Good managers are those who can inspire their teams, take charge of individuals and operations, and adeptly manage a variety of situations. Each role that they undertake is crucial and comes with its own set of challenges.

In this article, we will talk about the roles and responsibilities of managers. As an example, we will take Public Bank. However, at first, let’s discuss some genera points to understand what types of managers are, why managers are essential, and place they occupy in the organizational structure.

Managerial Role: What Is It?

A managerial role refers to specific responsibilities that a manager undertakes to achieve organizational goals. Henry Mintzberg, a renowned management researcher, classified a manager’s job into ten roles. These roles, grouped as interpersonal, informational, and decisional, are integral to the effective functioning of an organizational structure. The managerial role in each category varies; interpersonal roles involve direct interactions with employees, informational roles pertain to processing information, and decisional roles involve making significant decisions. Each role is crucial in maintaining the balance and flow of operations within an organization.

Types of Managers

In any organization, the management team plays a crucial role in ensuring smooth operations and achieving strategic goals. The types of managers and their specific roles and responsibilities vary based on their position within the organizational structure. Here are some common types of managers:

Vertical Management	This refers to the hierarchical structure of management where each manager has direct control over their subordinates, contributing to the overall organizational objectives. It ensures clear communication and accountability within the organization.
Top-Level Managers	These are the highest-ranking managers in an organization, such as CEOs and presidents. They are responsible for setting organizational goals, creating policies, and making significant decisions that affect the entire organization.
Middle Managers	Positioned between top-level and first-line managers, middle managers, such as department heads, implement the strategies set by top-level managers. They coordinate activities within their departments and manage the performance of first-line managers.
First-Line Managers	These managers, including supervisors and team leaders, have direct oversight of the workforce. They ensure employees understand their roles, motivate them, and manage day-to-day operations.
Team Leaders	While not always considered managers, team leaders play a vital role in managing a small group of employees. They coordinate team efforts, facilitate communication, and often have hands-on involvement in the team’s work.

These types of managers, each with their unique roles, work together to create a cohesive management team that drives the organization towards its goals. The effectiveness of this team is crucial for the success of any organization.

Identifying Management Roles

In the organizational structure, managers at all levels of management play vital roles that contribute to the overall success of the organization. These management roles can be broadly categorized into three types:

• Leadership and Interpersonal Roles

These involve directing and coordinating the work of employees, resolving conflicts, and building a positive work environment. Good managers excel in these roles, motivating their teams and fostering collaboration.

• Informational Roles

Managers act as the hub of information within their department. They gather, process, and disseminate information to guide decision-making processes.

• Decision Making Roles

Managers make strategic decisions that affect their department and sometimes the entire organization. This includes resource allocation, setting departmental goals, and resolving issues that arise.

Good managers effectively juggle these roles, adapting their approach based on the situation and the levels of management they occupy. Their ability to switch between these roles as needed is crucial for maintaining a well-functioning organizational structure.

Explaining Why Managers Are Important?

Managers are the backbone of the management team, steering the organization towards its goals. One reason why managers are important is their ability to coordinate the roles and responsibilities of team members, ensuring that everyone is working towards the same objectives.

At different levels of management, managers serve as leaders, decision-makers, and communicators. They set the tone for the work environment, influence team morale, and directly impact employee productivity and satisfaction.

Furthermore, managers are crucial in implementing organizational strategies, managing resources, and driving change. They bridge the gap between the workforce and the higher management, facilitating communication and understanding.

In conclusion, why managers are important cannot be overstated. Their roles in planning, organizing, leading, and controlling are vital for the smooth operation and success of an organization.

Good Managers: Core Features and Characteristics

Good managers are the backbone of any successful organization. They navigate through various levels of management, ensuring that the roles and responsibilities of each team member are clear and aligned with the company’s goals. In the context of an organizational structure, managers are essential for maintaining the flow of operations and fostering a positive work environment. Here are some core features and characteristics of good managers:

• Empathy: Good managers understand and share the feelings of their team members. They create an environment where employees feel heard and valued, which is crucial for motivation and engagement.
• Self-recognition: They are aware of their strengths and weaknesses and are open to feedback. This self-awareness helps them to lead by example and continuously improve their management style.
• Positive outlook: Maintaining a positive attitude, especially in challenging situations, inspires teams to stay focused and overcome obstacles.
• Approachability: An approachable manager is accessible and easy to talk to, making it easier for team members to express concerns and ideas.

In essence, good managers are pivotal in shaping the roles and responsibilities within a team. Their ability to empathize, recognize their own limitations, maintain a positive outlook, and be approachable defines their success and, by extension, the success of their teams. As such, managers are essential at all levels of management for achieving organizational objectives and driving growth.

Now, let’s read the following sample to see what functions managers perform at Public Bank.

Public Bank and Its Management System

Public Bank was established in the year 1966 by its founder Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr. Teh Hong Piow. The idea behind its foundation was to establish a financial institution that would satisfy financial needs of the public, hence, the name Public Bank. Having begun as a single branch, Public Bank has grown over the years and is now regarded as the best bank in Malaysia. Nowadays, the bank even has branches outside of Malaysia, which makes it one of the biggest banks in the region. In the beginning, Public Bank only offered services of retail and commercial banking. Currently the bank provides full financial services including both commercial and personal banking. Some of Public Bank’s branches operate under principles of Islamic banking. Other banking services offered by the bank include acting as share broker for its clients and managing trust funds among many other services (Public Bank Berhad, 2012)

Public Bank has also gone into providing insurance services such as bankassurance as well as other insurance products. It also takes care of sales and management on behalf of its numerous clients. Today, the bank has 401 branches and employs 17500 people. The bank has a large client base, serving more than 8 million clients all over Malaysia and outside the country. After 45 years in the industry, Public Bank has grown in terms of assets and is now regarded as the third largest banking group in whole Malaysia. When ranked in South East Asia, Public Bank is on the sixth positions in the rating (Buchanan & Huczynski, 2010).

The mission of Public Bank is to maintain its current position as the most respected institution offering financial services in Malaysia. Group’s strategy has remained to be consistent and to focus on coordinated growth in the banking industry. Over the years Public Bank has broadened its services to cover other areas of banking that were not their core business at the beginning. The bank also provides services that focus on small and medium sized enterprises as it aspires to maintain its leadership position in the retail banking sector.

Most of bank’s profits are obtained from fees it charges whenever it offers its services, from interest received on loans, and whenever it receives deposits from its clients. Owing to the fact that Public Bank has been in the industry for a very long time, it relies on trust it has built over the years and on its reputation of a stable financial services provider. This reputation allowed it to grow to greater heights.

The core business of the bank remains the loans that it gives out to its clientele. These loans range from mortgages to personal loans. Public Bank also lends money to its clients for property financing as well as gives loans for education purposes. Public Bank continues to offer financial services to small and medium enterprises to help them boost their businesses.

Role of Managers at Public Bank

Henry Mintzberg, an academic of Canadian origin, came up with a model that describes roles of managers in an organization. Managers at Public Bank have also followed this model in their management of the bank. One of manager’s jobs at the bank is to ensure that large work loads are processed within strict deadlines. Manager’s job never actually runs out as there is always something to be taken care of or a task to be done. Managers’ tasks at the bank are often varied in nature. Most of their activities are not handed over from a higher authority but rather result from their own initiative. Unlike other workers at the bank, managers do not take care of paper work. The responsibility of a manager is often to work as a symbolic head of the bank (Mintzberg, 2003).

At Public Bank, it is manger’s responsibility to ensure that proper working atmosphere is maintained at the bank and that subordinates are well motivated. These responsibilities fall within manager’s role of a leader at the bank or a head of his bank department. It is also the work of the manager to maintain close contact with partners outside the bank. This helps to bring clients to the bank while maintaining good professional relations with other stakeholders in the industry. The manager at Public Bank also acts as the monitor. In this role, the manager has the duty to gather information both internally and externally that he or she believes is relevant to the bank. This keeps bank’s management informed of what is happening in the market and what they can do to keep up with competitors.

Griffin & Moorhead (2007) reckon that the manager is also a disseminator. Public Bank is a very big bank. As such, proper channels of sharing information are required to ensure there is no break- down in communication. Every manager, therefore, has the responsibility to ensure that information is properly passed on to subordinates. Other than passing on information to other employees, the manager also has the duty to act as a spokesperson for the bank. He or she then is charged with the job to reveal information regarding bank’s performance to interest groups as well as to explain bank’s policies. Again, should there occur a disturbance at the bank, the manager is the person to bring back order. The manager is also the entrepreneur who formulates policies that ensure that the bank remains profitable.

The manager at the bank also has the role of making decisions about how resources at the bank are allocated. Together with other departmental heads, the manager examines strong areas of the bank in order to allocate funds to projects that bring profit to the bank. Finally, the manager also plays the role of negotiator on behalf of the bank. Whenever the bank needs to do business with other institutions, it is the job of the manager to negotiate on behalf of the bank making sure it gets the best deal possible. Overall, manager at Public Bank is always expected to work for the benefit of the bank.

Managers at Public Bank often had to deal with numerous challenges in their jobs. They have to deal with a lot of pressure due to the nature of the job. They often have to multitask as there is always much work to be done. They are constantly interrupted by clients who need to see them and by important calls that they have to take care of. Bank manager is the head of customer service. Whenever a client of the bank is dissatisfied with the service offered by a teller or any other employee, they complain to the manger who has to apologize to the client. He constantly has to pacify clients and ensure that everything runs smoothly.

The manger also is responsible for hiring and firing of tellers and customer service representatives. Sometimes it is not easy for the manger to find a suitable employee. Although the bank sometimes enlists the services of private human resource firms, most of the actual employee-related process is still left in the hands of the manager. The manager is entrusted with the task of accurately selecting the most suitable individuals for the job. Individuals working at the bank need to be people who can be trusted with sensitive information about accounts and money belonging to clients. The manager then has to ensure that these people are well trained as they have to provide excellent services to clients. They have to be competent accountants who are fluent in banking policies and jargon. It is the job of the manger to correct and reprimand employees under his care.

Managers are entrusted with numerous responsibilities at the bank and with these responsibilities come challenges. One of the ways in which mangers at Public Bank can deal with intense pressure is by delegating duties. This way, junior members of the department are also mentored to someday take over the roles of managers. Delegation of responsibilities also allows for teamwork which is essential for the success of any enterprise. For this system of work delegation to succeed, employees must be well trained to handle clients professionally and to channel any problem that arises to their immediate supervisors and not necessarily to the manager (Robbins & Judge, 2008).

The bank also needs to invest in the latest technology that is available for the banking sector. These technological developments will enable the bank to stay ahead of competitors as it will be able to save time and money in its operations. This will decrease the number of employees that managers have to supervise giving them time to focus on other managerial responsibilities. Hiring of staff should also be done by reputable employment agencies to relieve the manager of this duty.

In conclusion, Public Bank needs to embrace an all-inclusive approach to management. This approach negates the bureaucracy that hinders growth, while allowing new employees to grow within the system. Managers also need to be put through in-service training to ensure that they stay in touch with the latest practices in banking.

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