What type of a manager is responsible for providing the overall direction of an organization?

Managers play critical roles across different business settings. Whether providing leadership for a department or an entire business, managers may be responsible for creating and implementing strategies, directly overseeing shift workers, or ensuring projects are completed on time and within budgetary parameters.

Most corporate structures have different types of managers, each type fulfilling a distinct purpose. For prospective managers, understanding these different subsets of the profession is an important first step. Knowing more about the various types of managers can help you determine which career trajectory is right for you. It can lso help you choose an educational path, such as a Master of Arts in Management and Leadership, to gain the necessary skills for a management position.

What Are the Different Types of Managers?

The four most common types of managers are top-level managers, middle managers, first-line managers, and team leaders. These roles vary not only in their day-to-day responsibilities, but also in their broader function in the organization and the types of employees they manage.

Top-Level Managers

Top-level managers are those who represent the highest level of executive management. Top-level managers often have the word “chief” in their job titles, such as chief executive officer, chief financial officer, and so on.

These managers help sustain the company’s growth and execute plans over the long term. They make major business decisions — such as launching a new product or restructuring departments — with the goal of seeing the company thrive, not just in the moment but into the future. Additional duties of top-level managers might include facilitating strategic partnerships with other companies or deciding to take a company public.

Middle Managers

Middle managers usually report to the top-level managers, yet they still have a lot of autonomy to make decisions within their area or department of the company. These managers often have job titles that include the word “director.” They may also be department heads.

Middle managers tend to function as points of contact between first-line managers and top-level management, ensuring that the two groups maintain productive two-way communication. Middle managers may help develop or implement plans to help top-level managers address obstacles or achieve certain business goals. Additional core duties can include mentoring lower-level managers and helping them prepare for career advancement.

First-Line Managers

This role represents an entry-level position for management professionals. First-line managers work directly with non-management employees and project team members. Their overarching role is to supervise employee productivity and hold employees accountable for achieving company goals.

Generally, first-line managers handle internal work only. In other words, they are not responsible for larger-scale business decisions, like whether to take the company public, rebrand, or partner with another business. However, the first-line manager’s core responsibilities can include communicating concerns to middle managers, acting as liaisons for addressing employee needs.

Team Leaders

Team leaders are managers who specialize in a particular task, product, or project. Their role is to oversee all the logistics of their assignment, which may include completing a project on time, onboarding new employees, and assigning specific tasks to various team members.

Understanding Different Management Styles

In addition to there being different types of managers, there are also different management styles. No matter which type of managerial work you take on, you may run into scenarios where some of the following management approaches may prove advantageous.

Visionary

Visionary managers can paint a picture of what the future could look like. They use skills such as persuasion and charisma, as well as leading by example, to inspire their team members to pursue this vision. This can be a highly effective leadership style when you’re a true authority in your field, or when you’re facing a challenge that calls for a complete change in perspective, such as launching a brand-new company or division. However, it can be less effective when employees require a high degree of guidance.

Participative

Participative leaders actively court feedback and try to involve their employees in the decision-making process. While this approach can be an effective way to build employee buy-in and engagement, it may also inadvertently cause employees to question the manager’s overall authority. Participative leadership can be most useful in situations in which the manager needs to cultivate employee engagement, or where leaders determine that multiple perspectives will help ensure the best outcome.

Coaching

Managers using the coaching style focus on developing their team members, helping them hone the skills they need to perform at an optimal level. It’s a great approach in company cultures that prize team building and employee development, but it requires a lot of direct monitoring and regular feedback. The coaching approach might be best in situations where managers are interested in not just completing a project, but in helping individual employees hone their skills and progress in their careers as well.

Authoritative

Finally, there are the “take-charge” leaders who provide their employees with constant monitoring and direction. This authoritative stance can be useful in situations that demand quick decision-making, including during times of crisis. However, this style of management tends to have a negative impact on employee morale over time. Authoritative management is often invoked in emergency situations, or when a prompt and clear decision is necessary; however, it is usually not recommended as a long-term approach.

The Skills of Effective Management

To succeed in any type of managerial role, certain skills are essential. Some of the core competencies for the management profession include:

• Leadership skills. Managers should be able to set a vision for their employees, inspire action, and hold everyone accountable.
• Problem-solving skills. Managers should be able to brainstorm creative and efficient solutions to obstacles that may be abstract or complex.
• Communication skills. Giving and receiving feedback, setting a vision, and offering reports to other members of senior management or shareholders are all essential components of management.
• Organizational skills. Good managers should be able to juggle multiple projects at once and ensure that they do not let any details slip through the cracks.
• Technology skills. Increasingly, computer literacy is necessary for managers at any level. Managers should also understand the technical skills relevant to their field.

Earning a Master of Arts in Management and Leadership can help individuals fortify these fundamental competencies, and ultimately drive their success in the field of management.

Lead Others and Achieve Your Goals

The success of any business hinges on strong, effective leadership. The different types of managers can all play a part in this leadership. If you are interested in leading others and helping an organization run smoothly, you may want to consider earning an advanced degree in management and leadership.

With 100% online coursework and eight concentrations to choose from, Maryville University’s online Master of Arts in Management and Leadership program can help you excel in the personal and organizational aspects of management. Through core courses such as Business Ethics, Organizational Behavior and Development, and Interpersonal Management, you can hone your leadership skills and prepare for success in any of a variety of industries. Explore the curriculum and start your career in management and leadership today.

Recommended Reading

Importance of Entrepreneurship: Types, Benefits, and Styles

Importance of Diversity in Leadership

Virtual Leadership Styles for Remote Businesses

Sources

The Balance Careers, “Visionary Leadership”

Boundless, Middle-Level Management

G2, “What’s Your Type? Four Types of Managers Every Project Needs”

Harvard Business Review, “The Real Value of Middle Managers”

Houston Chronicle, “Management Styles & Techniques”

Houston Chronicle, “What Business Management Skills Do Companies Look For?”

Houston Chronicle, “What Managerial Roles Does a First-Line Manager Need?”

Houston Chronicle, “Why Is Good Management Essential in the Workplace?”

Investopedia, Upper Management

Market Business News, “What Is a Manager? Definition and Meaning”

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Administrative Services and Facilities Managers

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Top Executives

Management is a process and is how an organization is administered so that it functions effectively and efficiently. The roles of a top-level manager include planning, organization, direction, coordination, and control.

Management, and by extension, a top-level manager, is in charge of the organization's planning. Planning is when the management sets objectives and goals for the organization, as well as how the objectives and goals will be achieved.

A top-level manager is in charge of organizing the activities of the business so that these activities are aligned to the predetermined objectives that were laid down in the planning phase.

A top-level manager is in charge of directing not only individual employees but also entire departments to mobilize themselves, so that they meet the organization's goals.

A top-level manager is in charge of coordinating the different departments and activities within the organization so that everything works smoothly.

Just like a vehicle needs to be controlled so that it veer out of its lane, so does a business need to be controlled so that its activities and departments do not deviate from the goals of the organization. That, too, is a role of a top-level manager.

Within these four functions, there are more principles that guide how a top-level manager works and which goals they aspire to.

Of all the top management roles and responsibilities, planning is one of the most important. In fact, every other business activity is borne out of planning, either directly or indirectly, because it is based on policies and strategies that were predetermined during planning.

Planning isn’t something you do once and then forget it. Ideally, It is something you want to do continuously, so that you avoid wasting time. When a company meets the objectives associated with a specific plan, that plan ends there, and a new one must take its place to further guide the organization. That;s what makes planning a continuous process.

Implementation: The process of planning is delicate in the sense that it means nothing without implementation. As much as possible, a business should try to avoid drafting plans that cannot be implemented, because they are impractical or unrealistic. To be effective, the process of planning should not only be ambitious, but also rational and realistic.

Transparency: A good business is transparent about the plans it makes. The members of the organization, including top-level management, the employees, and the shareholders, should be made aware of the plans of the business. The same holds for major external stakeholders of the business. This transparency ensures that everyone is in the loop and therefore can work towards achieving the objectives of the business.

Sustainability: There are two types of plans: long-term plans and short-term plans. For both long-term and short-term plans to work, they should be sustainable. They shouldn't give rise to self-generated hurdles; instead, they should enable the organization to achieve its goals.

Every organization, no matter how large, will have some common goal or goals that it aspires to. There will, however, be smaller goals for the different branches and departments of the organization. These goals should ultimately only be there to lead the organization to achieve its main objectives.

Coordination: Each department should have coordination within itself in order to achieve its goals. However, there should also be coordination between different departments so that they work to achieve the common goals of the organization. The idea is that the business should function like one large machine with the different parts working in harmony. The lack of coordination ultimately leads the business to deviate from its goals.

Balance: For the business’s activities to run smoothly, each department should have balance with itself and there should also be balance between the departments. Within a department, no single employee should be under-worked or overworked. Neither should any department end up doing more than its fair share of work.

Uniformity: The organization should deliver its activities in a manner that is uniform. When there is no system for running things, then there is bound to be a lack of efficiency and the organization is likely to be hampered in its efforts to achieve its goals.

Efficiency: The organization should not only achieve its goals but should seek to do that in the most cost-effective manner possible. Part of that is making sure every employee enjoys job satisfaction in order to encourage them to be as productive as possible.

Maximum Individual Contribution: A good manager should be able to direct his or her employees such that each employee does their best. The management style should, therefore, be focused on the individual. Only by doing this can the top level manager reap the most benefit out of every individual employee.

Appropriateness of Direction Technique: There are lots of different types of direction. The most important ones include individual awareness, leadership, encouragement, and motivation. This principle, however, is all about using the right type of direction for a given situation.

Leadership: This is all about the leadership technique of direction. Leadership is a skill that all top-level managers should have in spades. Arguably, it is the most important direction technique there is; typically, it guarantees the best results. A group of people who are working toward a common goal will need a leader, which will enable the group to function properly.

Following Through: Not only is it important to direct employees and tell them what to do, it is also important that they follow the directions. This will tell the top-level manager whether or not their direction technique was effective.

Continuity: Coordination, like planning, is a continuous process. In any organization, something is being coordinated. In fact,usually,a lot of things are being coordinated at the same time. This continuity ensures that everything is working smoothly and that every business has a need for the process.

Early Beginning: A business should seek to start the coordination process in the early stages of policy-making and planning. If this important process isn’t emphasized early enough, then it will be difficult to emphasize during the execution stage.

Direct Contact: A business can achieve coordination most effectively by fostering direct interpersonal relationships. This isn’t only the vertical relationships between seniors and juniors, but also horizontal relationships among team members. When direct contact is involved in the coordination process, employees are more likely to agree on actions, methods and accomplishments.

Flexible Controls: The limits that an organization sets should not be extreme. Just like a rubber band, an organization should be able to withstand stress and strain by being more flexible. Rigidity and control can lead to negative results.

Exceptions: There is no such thing as a rule without an exception. Every rule should be flexible. Flexibility should not be seen as loopholes but as relief from the extremity of a rule. If a plan is too rigid, then it's probably an unrealistic plan. Exceptions are an important part of controlling not only your business activities, but also your employees.

Action: To effectively control an organization, you should be able to check that the activities do not deviate from the goals of that organization. A top-level manager should know which actions to take, in case anything goes wrong.