Nature of Managerial Work and Organizational Structure (Part 1 & 2)

6th Lecture (Fully Detailed) in Engineering Management

Empowerment

The process of enabling or authorizing an individual to think, behave, act, and control work and decision making in autonomous ways.

Top Managers

Responsible for developing the organization’s strategy and being a steward for its vision and mission.

Functional Managers

Managers responsible for the efficiency and effectiveness of a specific area, such as accounting or marketing.

Delegation

The process of assigning responsibility to others to perform tasks, which is often the first step to empowerment.

Line Manager

A manager who leads a function that contributes directly to the products or services the organization creates.

Staff Manager

A manager who leads a function that creates indirect inputs, supporting roles rather than direct production.

General Manager

Responsible for managing a revenue-producing unit, making decisions across different functions.

Mintzberg's Managerial Roles

Ten roles identified by Henry Mintzberg that common to the work of all managers, divided into interpersonal, informational, and decisional roles.

Authority in Empowerment

True authority involves not just the power to act but the ability to inspire others and clarify decision rights.

Capacity

The skills, tools, and resources required to effectively make decisions and take action.

Context

Understanding the broader strategy and goals of the organization to act effectively.

Desire

The motivation and incentive for team members to take ownership and perform at their best.

Machine Organization

A highly specialized organization with formal communication and a distinct separation between line and staff functions.

Professional Organization

An organization relying on the skills and knowledge of professionals, found in hospitals and universities.

Innovative Organization

A flexible organization that rejects bureaucracy and focuses on innovation and multi-discipline teams.

Missionary Organization

An organization where the mission is paramount, inspiring staff to align with common values.

Informal Organization

The invisible network of interpersonal relationships that shapes how people connect to carry out activities.

Supervisory or team managers

are responsible for coordinating a subgroup of a particular function or a team composed of members from different parts of the organization.

Empowered execution

is about more than granting autonomy. It’s about decentralizing decision-making to ensure your teams can adapt, innovate, and outperform at the speed your environment demands.

Authority

inspire, the confidence in those unambiguous decision rights, defines what decisions must be made.

Context

clarity, understanding how their actions contribute, operates with purpose.

Desire

motivation, feels safe to take responsible risks, solve problems, make decisions with fear of retribution.

Faster Decision-Making
Enhanced Ownership
Unleashing Creativity
Improved Morale

4 Benefits of an Empowered Team

Faster Decision-Making

Your team can act swiftly, keeping projects on track and adapting to changing circumstances.

Enhanced Ownership

When team members have a say in the decision-making process, they feel a sense of control and responsibility for their work. This leads to higher engagement and motivation. Investing in your team leads to a more motivated and invested workforce. They take pride in their work and are more likely to go the extra mile when they feel their decisions contribute to the team’s success

Unleashing Creativity

Small problems, when left unaddressed, can snowball. Empowering your team to make decisions about how to tackle them fosters innovative solutions, leading to unexpected breakthroughs.

Improved Morale

Feeling trusted and valued is a cornerstone of employee satisfaction. When you empower your team members to make decisions, you demonstrate your trust in their abilities, leading to a happier and more productive team.

Informational roles

link all managerial work together.

Interpersonal roles

ensure that information is provided.

decisional roles

make significant use of the information.

Long-range planning

Managers occupying executive positions are frequently involved in strategic planning and development.

Controlling

Managers evaluate and take corrective action concerning the allocation and use of human, financial, and material resources.

Environmental scanning

Managers must continually watch for changes in the business environment and monitor business indicators such as returns on equity or investment, economic indicators, business cycles, and so forth.

Supervision

Managers continually oversee the work of their subordinates.

Coordinating

Managers often must coordinate the work of others both inside the work unit and out.

Customer relations and marketing

Certain managers are involved in direct contact with customers and potential customers.

Community relations

Contact must be maintained and nurtured with representatives from various constituencies outside the company, including state and federal agencies, local civic groups, and suppliers

Internal consulting

Some managers make use of their technical expertise to solve internal problems, acting as inside consultants for organizational change and development.

Monitoring products and services

Managers get involved in planning, scheduling, and monitoring the design, development, production, and delivery of the organization’s products and services.

Long-range planning
Controlling
Environmental scanning
Supervision
Coordinating
Customer relations and marketing
Community relations
Internal consulting
Monitoring products and services

9 Managerial Responsibilities