Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles: The Multifaceted Nature of Leadership

Henry Mintzberg was one of the first to identify a comprehensive set of managerial roles that captured the reality of managerial work. Later, he updated this original list into an overall management model.

In this piece, I examine the importance of Mintzberg’s managerial roles and management model, and how leaders can use it for reflective practice and personal growth.

Leadership and management literature often feature simplistic "recipes" for success. If you've felt that popular advice doesn't capture the full scope of your daily responsibilities, you're not alone.

Many of these recipes address one or two aspects while ignoring others. They rely on broad concepts like "be a good communicator" or "make strategic decisions." This is convenient for the author but not for the practicing manager who is left guessing about the other critical pieces.

The notable exception is Henry Mintzberg’s research on the true nature of managerial work. His model provides a granularity that’s missing in leadership discussions.

Why study Mintzberg's roles?

Imagine a novice carpenter who only knows a hammer as 'that hitting thing.' They might drive nails, but will be lost when faced with the nuanced tasks of finishing or restoration. Just as a master understands subtle differences in tools and techniques, effective managers need a rich vocabulary to distinguish and apply various principles of leadership.

Mintzberg's research offers a comprehensive toolbox, providing the in-depth understanding often missing in leadership discussions. By breaking down managerial roles into concrete categories, it helps pinpoint areas for improvement and develop targeted skills.

This awareness is crucial; how can you enhance aspects you're not aware of?

True leadership is developed “on the job,” but there are fundamental concepts every manager should grasp. Many believe an MBA suffices, but these programs focus more on running a business than operating effectively within one. Mintzberg’s work bridges this gap, offering a detailed blueprint to understand the intricate details of management, rather than just the broad strokes.

The true value of the framework isn't its accuracy, but how it illuminates the various "hats" you wear daily. It helps identify habitual tendencies and provides depth for ongoing development. Leadership is a craft to be honed over a lifetime, and Mintzberg's model is a framework to revisit throughout your career.

At first glance, this model might seem complex. However, this intricacy is intentional and necessary, reflecting the multifaceted nature of leadership and management. As you revisit this piece, you'll see patterns and connections you initially missed.

I've included a reflection exercise at the end to help apply these concepts to your leadership journey.

Mintzberg’s original 10 managerial roles

Mintzberg’s original 1973 list had ten roles in the interpersonal, informational, and decisional categories.

Interpersonal roles

These roles involve interacting with others and are essential for building relationships, leading teams, and representing the organization.

1. Figurehead: As a symbolic leader, you perform ceremonial duties and represent your organization in formal activities (e.g., signing documents, attending events). This role shows how visible leadership can set the tone for culture and values.
2. Leader: You’re responsible for motivating and managing your team, providing guidance, support, and feedback. This role focuses on direct influence with subordinates, shaping their development and performance.
3. Liaison: Here, you build and maintain a network of contacts inside and outside your organization. It reflects your ability to leverage relationships for information, resources, and opportunities, making you a connector.

Informational roles

Managers must collect, process, and disseminate information, making them a critical node in communication networks.

1. Monitor: You continuously seek and gather information from internal and external sources, staying aware of industry trends, team progress, and organizational currents. This ensures you have the situational awareness to respond effectively.
2. Disseminator: Once you have relevant information, you must communicate it to your team or key stakeholders. As a disseminator, you filter and decide what information is most important to share.
3. Spokesperson: In this role, you represent and speak for your organization to outsiders. In public presentations, media engagements, or stakeholder meetings, you communicate organizational goals, policies, and achievements.

Decisional roles

Managers make important decisions that affect their teams, projects, and the organization’s strategic direction.

1. Entrepreneur: As a change agent, you initiate and lead new projects, innovations, and strategies to improve your organization's performance or respond to challenges. This role emphasizes forward-thinking and the drive for continuous improvement.
2. Disturbance Handler: When crises or conflicts arise, you step in to resolve problems, manage team disputes, respond to external threats, or handle unexpected operational issues. Your ability to stabilize situations is crucial.
3. Resource Allocator: You decide how to best use organizational resources, including time, budgets, and human capital. It involves setting priorities and making trade-offs to ensure projects are adequately resourced and aligned with strategic goals.
4. Negotiator: Whether negotiating with external partners, suppliers, or internal teams, you represent the organization's interests to reach agreements that benefit the business. This role involves balancing different perspectives, needs, and resources to achieve favorable outcomes.

While a great starting point for increasing granularity, Mintzberg recognized the need for refinement and expansion. The original roles, although comprehensive, didn't fully capture the nuances of modern management.

All of this material together seemed to cover the things that managers do, but it did not amount to much of a theory, or a model, to help managers understand their work. [2]

Later, he updated this list into a more comprehensive model capturing the complexity of managerial roles. The revised framework incorporates new ones and provides a more holistic view of managerial work.

Mintzberg’s Model of Managing

His management model portrays managers as intermediaries between their unit and the external world. In the updated framework, the original roles are not distinct compartments but activities in constant interplay. Your role as a manager extends beyond direct action. You're often one or two steps removed, guiding others through information and motivation.

The model has three interconnected planes: information, people, and action, with each operating on internal and external dimensions. [2]

• Information plane
  • Communicating (Internal + external)
  • Controlling (internal)
• People plane
  • Leading (internal)
  • Linking (external)
• Action Plane
  • Doing (Internal)
  • Dealing (External)

Notice how "leading" is one of six operating modes.

Beyond these roles, you're responsible for framing - setting the context and strategy for your team. This framing isn't just about your actions; it's what preoccupies your thoughts. Your mental frame becomes the lens through which your team views their work.

Equally critical is scheduling. Your calendar choices aren't just about managing time; they signal priorities to your team. When you allocate your time, you're directing their focus as well.

The challenge? Balancing these roles and responsibilities. It's about dividing your work into manageable pieces, then using your framework to integrate them into a coherent whole.

Let’s take a closer look at what each plane entails.

Managing through information

The information plane in Mintzberg's framework positions the manager as the central hub of a unit. This role has evolved from the traditional Monitor, Disseminator, and Spokesperson functions, highlighting the importance of information management in modern leadership.

This plane involves two key roles: communicating and controlling.

Communicating

In the communicating role, you're a conduit for information flow. You'll spend significant time - often up to half - gathering and disseminating information. This makes you the nerve center of your unit, with a broad understanding of all operations.

As the nerve center, you’re constantly monitoring internal operations and external events, disseminating crucial data to your team, and representing your unit externally. Your information advantage lies not in documented facts, but in current, often “verbal, visual, and visceral” knowledge.

Controlling

In the controlling role, you use information to direct your team's behavior. This encompasses activities like designing systems, delegating tasks, authorizing decisions, allocating resources, and setting targets. Each action is a form of decision-making and a mechanism of control.

Keys to effective management

• Recognize your unique position as your unit’s information hub. Your ability to connect disparate information can provide valuable insights that others might miss.
• Be mindful of different forms of decision-making as control mechanisms. From system design to target-setting, each approach has its place, but over-reliance on any single method can be detrimental.
• Challenge yourself to move beyond the information plane. While data and targets are important, they shouldn't come at the cost of neglecting direct engagement with your team and hands-on involvement in critical activities.

Managing with people

In Mintzberg's updated framework, the traditional roles of Leader, Figurehead, and Liaison evolve into two interconnected concepts: leading inside your unit and linking to external stakeholders.

The leading role can certainly make a difference. But it is no more the be-all and end-all of managing than is controlling or decision making. In fact, I believe we need to see leadership as a necessary component of management. [2]

Leading

When managing with people, you're closer to action without directly engaging in it. It requires a different mindset than managing through information. Instead of guiding people towards predetermined ends, you're encouraging them to pursue their natural goals.

As a leader, your main challenge is to shift from an "I" to a "we" mentality. Formal authority has limits, and your success is tied to the performance of others. Instead of focusing on empowerment, which can reinforce subordination, concentrate on engagement – working alongside your team, not dictating to them.

The leader role involves:

1. Energizing people: Inspire and motivate your team to perform at their best.
2. Facilitating development: Provide opportunities and support for personal and professional growth.
3. Building cohesive teams: Create a collaborative, supportive environment.
4. Shaping culture: Be the energy center of your unit, influence decisions and set the tone.

Linking

While internal leadership is crucial, your role extends beyond your immediate team. Linking to people outside your unit is equally important for effective management.

This external-facing role involves:

1. Network building: Establish and maintain relationships with key stakeholders.
2. Official representation: Be the face of your unit in formal settings.
3. Championing needs: Advocate for your team's interests and requirements.
4. Influence management: Transmit external influences internally while acting as a gatekeeper and buffer.

Effective boundary management requires a balance. Protect your unit from unnecessary external pressures while remaining responsive to important outside influences. Sometimes, you must be assertive in advocating for your team's needs.

Keys to effective management

1. Embrace engagement over empowerment: True empowerment comes from within. Your role is to create an environment that enables engagement and intrinsic motivation.
2. Become a cultural catalyst: Understand that your presence and actions shape your team's spirit. Be intentional about the culture you're cultivating.
3. Master the art of influence flow: In your linking role, view yourself not just as a conduit for information and influence, but as a valve controlling what passes through and how. This requires discernment about what to share, when, and how.

Managing action

In Mintzberg's updated framework, the Action Plane integrates the roles of Entrepreneur, Disturbance Handler, Resource Allocator, and Negotiator. It emphasizes that effective management involves strategic thinking and being an agent of action.

The Action Plane comprises two primary modes: Doing (Internal) and Dealing (External).

Doing

As a manager, your role extends beyond information processing and people management. You're expected to be a doer, actively engaging in your organization's work. This doesn't mean you're constantly executing tasks, but rather closely involved in making things happen.

Your internal "doing" role manifests in two essential ways:

1. Proactively managing projects: Participating in projects demonstrates leadership and provides insights for strategy development. Don't shy away from getting your hands dirty. It's through these tangible experiences that you truly learn and shape effective strategies.
2. Reactively handling disturbances: Your involvement in addressing unexpected challenges is necessary due to your unique position. You possess the formal authority, comprehensive information, or specific expertise to address certain issues effectively. An effective organization isn't just one that avoids problems, but one that adeptly handles unexpected challenges.

Dealing

Externally, your role involves dealing – building coalitions and conducting negotiations. Your position as a figurehead, information hub, and authority figure makes you uniquely suited for these tasks. Whether securing contracts or managing partnerships, your involvement is crucial in closing deals and advancing the organization.

Keys to effective management

Too much micromanaging?

Macroleading may well be the bigger problem today. Managers who don’t do and deal can become incapable of making sensible decisions and robust strategies. We no more need managers who never do and deal than we need managers who only do and deal. [2]

1. Embrace hands-on involvement: Reject the notion that managers should be detached decision-makers. Your active participation is crucial for learning, strategy development, and effective leadership.
2. Reframe disturbances as opportunities: View unexpected challenges not just as problems to avoid, but as chances to demonstrate your organization's resilience and adaptability.
3. Leverage your unique position: Recognize that as a manager, you're often the best person to handle certain projects, disturbances, or negotiations. Don't hesitate to step in when your specific skills or authority are needed.

Balancing the roles

Mintzberg emphasizes a well-rounded approach to management, cautioning against focusing on one aspect at the expense of others.

Thinking is heavy—too much of it can wear a manager down—while acting is light—too much of that and the manager cannot stay put.

By the same token, too much leading can result in a job free of content—aimless, frameless, and actionless—while too much linking can produce a job detached from its internal roots—public relations instead of tangible connections. The manager who only communicates never gets anything done, while the manager who only “does” ends up doing it all alone. And the manager who only controls risks controlling an empty shell of “yes” men and women.

We don’t need people-oriented, information-oriented, or action-oriented managers; we need managers who operate on all three planes. Only together do all these roles on all three planes provide the balance that is essential to the practice of managing. [2]

Resist the temptation to overemphasize one aspect of your role. Focusing solely on action, analysis, or leadership can lead to an imbalanced approach that can prove detrimental. Instead, strive for a well-rounded practice that incorporates all elements.

In practice, these roles blend seamlessly. It's crucial to understand each component, but don't expect to execute them in isolation. Aim for a dynamic balance, adapting your approach as situations demand.

Recognize that your job will have specific needs, and you'll gravitate towards certain roles. The key is to maintain awareness of all aspects and adjust your focus as necessary. This dynamic balance distinguishes effective managers.

Keys to effective management

• Avoid the trap of becoming a one-dimensional manager. Your effectiveness lies in navigating different roles and planes.
• Embrace the blending of roles in your daily practice. This integration is not a flaw but a feature of effective management.
• View your management style as an evolving balance. Be prepared to shift your focus as circumstances change and new challenges arise.
• Prioritize on-the-job learning and reflection. While theoretical knowledge is valuable, true competence comes from practical experience and thoughtful reflection on that experience.

Leadership reflection using Mintzberg's roles

Mintzberg's framework of managerial roles is a powerful lens for self-assessment and growth. Use it regularly during your quarterly and yearly reviews, or when you receive challenging feedback. It can highlight areas where you might be struggling and guide your development.

Begin with a role inventory. List out which roles you feel most confident in and those you struggle with. This first step helps to understand your strengths and areas for improvement.

Then, assess how you're balancing time across the three planes (Information, People, and Action). Use examples from your daily routine to identify any over- or under-investment in areas.

To deepen understanding, engage in these reflective practices:

1. Journaling: Keep a written record of your engagement in each role. Note the challenges you faced and how effectively you managed each task. Over time, this will reveal patterns.
2. Daily reflection:
   1. Which of Mintzberg's roles did I engage in today?
   2. Did I spend enough time on the People Plane to nurture my team?
   3. Where did I feel most challenged, and which role was it connected to?
   4. Which roles do I naturally gravitate toward? Where do I feel out of my depth?
   5. What feedback suggests I need to work on a specific role?
   6. How do I handle disturbances? Do they drain my focus, or do I turn them into opportunities?
3. Time tracking: For a week, categorize your daily tasks according to Mintzberg's roles. This exercise will help you identify imbalances and areas needing adjustment.

Use these insights to work on less-developed roles. Set specific goals, like dedicating 30 minutes daily to monitor industry trends (enhancing the Monitor role) or scheduling weekly one-on-one meetings with team members (improving the Leader role).

To support your growth, identify a mentor or peer for feedback as you improve specific roles. Establish monthly and quarterly checkpoints to evaluate progress, reflect on improvements, and adjust your plan.

Remember to leverage your strengths while addressing gaps. If you excel in roles like Leader or Entrepreneur, consider how to use them to elevate team performance. For weaker roles, seek practical ways to enhance them. If you need to develop your Monitor role, focus on boosting your situational awareness. For Resource Allocation, consider more strategic planning approaches.

Lastly, strive to integrate the planes and roles. Effective leaders don't operate in silos; they blend roles which increases effectiveness.

For example, being a good Monitor can make you a more informed Leader. Look for real-world situations where you can blend these roles to improve both individual performance and team outcomes. For example, lead a team meeting (People Plane) while gathering information (Information Plane) and planning next steps (Action Plane).

Role-playing with a coach can help you practice switching between roles fluidly in a safe environment.

Wrapping up

Mintzberg's framework shows the multifaceted nature of leadership that's overlooked in simplistic management advice. It challenges the notion that it's about mastering a single skill or trait. Instead, it shows management as a dynamic interplay of roles, each crucial in its own right.

Reflecting on your leadership style might reveal that your preferred roles, while strengths, also create blind spots. It prompts you to expand beyond your default modes. If you're data-driven, it nudges you to engage more directly with your team. If you're action-oriented, it reminds you to step back and analyze information patterns.

This role-shifting isn't about achieving perfect balance, but adapting to changing organizational needs.

Mintzberg's work highlights an often-overlooked truth: effective leadership isn't all about direct action. It is also about creating the right conditions for others to act. By understanding the full spectrum of roles, you can choose when to lead from the front, when to facilitate from behind, and when to connect from the side.

Sources

1. Mintzberg, H. (1973). The nature of managerial work.
2. Mintzberg, H. (2009). Managing.
3. Mintzberg, H. (2013). Simply managing: What managers do — and can do better.