This document discusses different types of managers and management styles. It begins by defining a manager and explaining that managers can be classified by their level in the organization or scope of responsibilities. There are three levels of management: first-line managers who directly supervise employees, middle managers who oversee first-line managers, and top managers who are responsible for overall organizational performance. The document also describes several common management styles such as autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire, and MBWA (management by walking around). It provides advantages and disadvantages for each style. Finally, it discusses managerial skills, roles, rewards and challenges of being a manager.

1. Types of Managers
Fundamentals of Management
Professor Maria Mouta
By:
Ana Cláudia Fonseca | Saira Khalil Ur Rehman | Pascoal Sebastião Matiue
Bragança, 2015

2. 2
Fundamentals of Management | International Business Management
INDEX
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 3
ESSENTIAL MANAGERIAL TASKS......................................................................................... 4
LEVELS OF MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................... 5
MANAGEMENT STYLES .......................................................................................................... 6
Autocratic ............................................................................................................................... 6
Consultative............................................................................................................................ 6
Persuasive ............................................................................................................................. 7
Disadvantages to a persuasive style of management ......................................................... 7
Democratic ............................................................................................................................. 8
Chaotic................................................................................................................................... 8
Laissez-faire........................................................................................................................... 8
MBWA.................................................................................................................................... 8
Disadvantages to a MBWA style of management................................................................ 9
Asian Paternalistic.................................................................................................................. 9
REWARDS AND CHALLENGES OF BEING A MANAGER ......................................................12
MANAGEMENT ROLES ...........................................................................................................13
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................14
REFERENCES .........................................................................................................................15

3. 3
Fundamentals of Management | International Business Management
INTRODUCTION
The managerial functions must be performed by anyone who manages any type
of organized activity. With the basic understanding of management, defining the term
manager becomes relative simple. According to Ricky W. Griffin definition of manager is
as follows:
"A manager is someone whose primary activities are a part of the management
process. In particular, a manager is someone who plans, organizes, leads, and controls
human, financial, physical, and information resources."
The success or failure of an organization depends heavily on the ability of its
managers to perform these tasks effectively. Managers can be classified in two ways:
by their level within the organization and by the scope of their responsibilities. Beyond
these two ways managers can be distinguished in ways of making decisions and
relating to subordinates - management styles.

4. 4
Fundamentals of Management | International Business Management
ESSENTIAL MANAGERIAL TASKS
The job of management is to help an organization make the best use of its resources to
achieve its goals. How do managers accomplish this objective? They do so by
performing four essential managerial tasks: planning, organizing, leading, and
controlling.
Figure 1
Planning
ControllingLeading
Organising

5. 5
Fundamentals of Management | International Business Management
LEVELS OF MANAGEMENT
Organizations normally have three levels of management: first-line managers, middle
managers, and top managers.
1. At the base of the managerial hierarchy are first-line managers, often called
supervisors. They are responsible for daily supervision of the non-managerial
employees who perform the specific activities necessary to produce goods and
services. First-line managers work in all departments or functions of an
organization.
2. Supervising the first-line managers are middle managers, responsible for finding
the best way to organize human and other resources to achieve organizational
goals. To increase efficiency, middle managers find ways to help first-line
managers and non-managerial employees better use resources to reduce
manufacturing costs or improve customer service.
3. In contrast to middle managers, top managers are responsible for the
performance of all departments. They have cross-departmental responsibility.
Top managers establish organizational goals, such as which goods and services
the company should produce; they decide how the different departments should
interact; and they monitor how well middle managers in each department use
resources to achieve goals.
Figure 2

6. 6
Fundamentals of Management | International Business Management
MANAGEMENT STYLES
Autocratic
An autocratic management style is one where the manager makes decisions
unilaterally, and without much regard for subordinates. As a result, decisions will reflect
the opinions and personality of the manager, which in turn can project an image of a
confident, well managed business. On the other hand, strong and competent
subordinates may chafe because of limits on decision-making freedom, the organization
will get limited initiatives from those "on the front lines", and turnover among the best
subordinates will be higher.
There are two types of autocratic leaders:
● a directive autocrat makes decisions unilaterally and closely supervises
subordinates
● a permissive autocrat makes decisions unilaterally, but gives subordinates
latitude in carrying out their work application: It is used in times of crisis where
the time for discussion is unavailable and the managers are responsible to
give orders only. These orders need to be obeyed immediately by the staff so
that further problems are not caused. This style is also used in the military
and police forces where instructions are given and need to be taken seriously
without hesitation or questions.
Consultative
A more paternalistic form is also essentially dictatorial. However, decisions do take into
account the best interests of the employees as well as the business. Communication is
again generally downward, but feedback to the management is encouraged to maintain
morale. This style can be highly advantageous when it engenders loyalty from the
employees, leading to a lower labour turnover, thanks to the emphasis on social needs.
On the other hand, for an autocratic management style the lack of worker motivation
can be typical if no loyal connection is established between the manager and the people
who are managed. It shares disadvantages with an autocratic style, such as employees
becoming dependent on the leader.

7. 7
Fundamentals of Management | International Business Management
Persuasive
A persuasive management style involves the manager sharing some characteristics
with that of an autocratic manager. The most important aspect of a persuasive manager
is that they maintain control over the entire decision making process. The most
prominent difference here is that the persuasive manager will spend more time working
with their subordinates in order to try to convince them of the benefits of the decision
that have been made. A persuasive manager is more aware of their employees, but it
would be incorrect to say that the persuasive style of management is more inclusive of
employees. Just as there are occasions where the use of an autocratic management
style would be appropriate, there are also instances where a company will benefit from
a persuasive management style. For example, if a task that needs to be completed but
it is slightly complicated it may be necessary to rely upon input from an expert. In such a
situation, the expert may take time to explain to others why events are happening in the
order in which they will occur, but ultimately the way in which things are done will be
that person's responsibility. In those circumstances, they are highly unlikely to delegate
any part of the decision making process to those who are lower down in the hierarchy.
Disadvantages to a persuasive style of management
A. There may not be enough or even an entire lack of support from employees for
management. Seeing as how the employees will have no input into the decision
making process, they also may not trust the decisions that are made.
B. A system that has no input from employees minimises access to one of the most
valuable resources that a business has; the ideas of the people who are working
on the "front line". As a result, employees will show no initiative, which can
reduce productivity.
C. One-way communication models are unlikely to be effective when compared to
two-way communication.

8. 8
Fundamentals of Management | International Business Management
Democratic
In a democratic style, the manager allows the employees to take part in decision-
making: therefore everything is agreed upon by the majority. The communication is
extensive in both directions (from employees to leaders and vice versa). This style can
be particularly useful when complex decisions need to be made that require a range of
specialist skills: for example, when a new ICT system needs to be put in place and the
upper management of the business is computer-illiterate. From the overall business’s
point of view, job satisfaction and quality of work will improve, and participatory
contributions from subordinates will be much higher. However, the decision-making
process could be severely slowed down unless decision processes are streamlined.
The need for consensus may avoid taking the ‘best’ decision for the business unless it
is managed or limited.
Chaotic
A very modern style of management, chaotic management gives the employees total
control over the decision making process. Some modern companies have adopted this
style of management and in return have become some of the most influential and
innovative companies.
Laissez-faire
Laissez-faire management takes a back seat role in the company providing guidance
when needed, employees are allowed to let their own ideas and creativity flourish in
their specific areas. The manager is looked upon as more of a mentor than a leader.
MBWA
Management by Walking Around (MBWA) is a classic technique used by managers who
are proactive listeners. Managers using this style gather as much information as
possible so that a challenging situation doesn’t turn into a bigger problem. Listening
carefully to employees’ suggestions and concerns will help evade potential crises.
MBWA benefits managers by providing unfiltered, real-time information about processes
and policies that is often left out of formal communication channels. By walking around,

9. 9
Fundamentals of Management | International Business Management
management gets an idea of the level of morale in the organization and can offer help if
there is trouble.
A potential concern of MBWA is that the manager will second-guess employees’
decisions. The manager must maintain his or her role as coach and counsellor, not
director. By leaving decision-making responsibilities with the employees, managers can
be assured of the fastest possible response time.
Disadvantages to a MBWA style of management
A. There may not be enough or even an entire lack of support from employees for
management. Seeing as how the employees will have no input into the decision
making process, they also may not trust the decisions that are made.
B. Another disadvantage can materialize when the interactions during rounds are
perceived or executed as micro management style. People skills and emotional
intelligence are required for this management style to be beneficial.
C. Another disadvantage or pitfall of MBWA is the manager taking ownership of too
many issues that surface during the talks. The manager should only intervene
when the resolution of the issue is more advantageous to the organization then
the employee’s development opportunity to handle the next situation on their
own.
Asian Paternalistic
Like consultative and easily confused with autocratic and dictatorial; however, decisions
take into account the best interests of the employees as well as the business, often
more so than interests of the individual manager. Communication is downward.
Feedback and questioning authority are absent as respect to superiors and group
harmony are central characteristics within the culture. This style demands loyalty from
the employees, often more than to societies' rules in general. Staff turnover is
discouraged and rare. Worker motivation is the status quo with East Asians often having
the world's highest numbers of hours worked per week, due to a sense of family duty
with the manager being the father, and staff being obedient children, all striving for
harmony, and other related Confucian characteristics. Most aspects of work are done

10. 10
Fundamentals of Management | International Business Management
with a highly collectivist orientation. It shares disadvantages with an autocratic style,
such as employees becoming dependent on the leader, and related issues with
seniority based systems.
An Asian Paternalistic style means that the manager makes decisions from a solid
understanding of what is desired and best by both consumers and staff. Managers must
appear confident, with all answers, and promote growth with harmony, often even if
hiding harmful or sad news is required.

11. 11
Fundamentals of Management | International Business Management
MANAGERIAL SKILLS
Both education and experience enable managers to recognize and develop the
personal skills they need to put organizational resources to their best use.
1. Conceptual skills are demonstrated in the general ability to analyse and
diagnose a situation and to distinguish between cause and effect. Top managers
require the best conceptual skills because their primary responsibilities are
planning and organizing.
2. Human skills include the general ability to understand, alter, lead, and control
the behaviour of other individuals and groups. The ability to communicate, to
coordinate, and to motivate people, and to mould individuals into a cohesive
team, distinguishes effective from ineffective managers.
3. Technical skills are the job-specific skills required to perform a particular type of
work or occupation at a high level. Examples include a manager’s specific
manufacturing, accounting, marketing, and increasingly, IT skills. Managers need
a range of technical skills to be effective.
4. Today the term core competency is often used to refer to the specific set of
departmental skills, knowledge, and experience that allows one organization to
outperform its competitors. In other words, departmental skills that create a core
competency give an organization a competitive advantage.

12. 12
Fundamentals of Management | International Business Management
REWARDS AND CHALLENGES OF BEING A MANAGER
Challenges
1. Managers may have difficulty in effectively blending the knowledge, skills,
ambitions, and experiences of a diverse group of employees.
2. A manager’s success typically is dependent on others’ work performance.
Rewards
1. Managers have an opportunity to create a work environment in which
organizational members can do their work to the best of their ability and help the
organization achieve its goals.
2. Managers often receive recognition and status in the organization and in the
larger community; influence organizational outcomes; and receive appropriate
compensation.
3. Knowing that their efforts, skills, and abilities are needed by the organization
gives many managers great satisfaction.
The manager of today must integrate management skills with new approaches that
emphasize the human touch, enhance flexibility, and involve employees.

13. 13
Fundamentals of Management | International Business Management
MANAGEMENT ROLES
In the late 1960s, Henry Mintzberg conducted a precise study of managers at work. He
concluded that managers perform 10 different roles, which are highly interrelated.
Management roles refer to specific categories of managerial behaviour. Overall there
are ten specific roles performed by managers which are included in the following three
categories.
1. Interpersonal roles include figurehead, leadership, and liaison activities.
2. Informational roles include monitoring, disseminating, and spokesperson
activities.
3. Decisional roles include entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator,
and negotiator.
Figure 3

14. 14
Fundamentals of Management | International Business Management
CONCLUSION
Managers are the professionals who plan, organise, lead and control the organizations’
activities in order to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness to achieve specific goals.
These leaders can be distinguished according to their functions, management levels
and styles, and the organizations must choose the most suitable types for each
organizational activity/department.

15. 15
Fundamentals of Management | International Business Management
REFERENCES
1. https://books.google.pt/books?id=jA-
pBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=fundamentals+of+management+types+
of+managers+pdf&source=bl&ots=opmBav6NdA&sig=0nuB2Zp7kfet-
ipZ6CaFq72-
Ie8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tbxwVdKxIIbSU_Dng_gE&sqi=2&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAA (12-
05-2015, 11h04)
2. http://discovery.bits-
pilani.ac.in/dlpd/courses/coursecontent/courseMaterial/mgtszc211/principles_of_
management_notes.pdf (12-05-2015, 11h51)
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management_styles (09-06-2015, 12h19)