For the most part, managers in the 21st century make decisions, gather, process, and disperse information. Also, managers often function as liaisons, figureheads, and leaders. Their current roles are thence synonymous to the ones posited by Henry Mintzberg in 1975. Regarding their leadership and management role, Mintzberg discussed it from an interrelationship perspective. Mintzberg (1975) specifically mentioned that “the influence of managers is most clearly seen in the leader role.” Essentially, he viewed these roles as inseparable and referred to the Gestalt psychological perspective where structures are seen as a whole. This suggests that he does not distinguish a difference between the two. Finally, his tone of voice appeared to be neutral, i.e., neither positive nor negative. Precisely, his main objective was to refute the myths of management. He provided substantial evidence and data to support his postulations which I think he did objectively. Lamond seems to think that Mintzberg and Fayol’s work had commonalities, so Mintzberg perhaps could have been less critical of Fayol’s works.
Professor Sir Hilary Beckles is the present vice chancellor of the University of the West Indies. He “carries out important ceremonial and civic duties including matriculation and degree ceremonies” (UWI, n.d.). He also provides leadership and direction to the university's academic and administrative departments. In this role, he communicates with both internal and external stakeholders processing information useful for decision-making. As vice chancellor, he also leverages and manages the institution's resources.
Undoubtedly, Mintzberg's management roles are operational in his position as vice chancellor. Most notably, the figurehead, leadership, and informational roles are most evident and applicable in his role of the office. He can also be considered as a resource allocator since he manages the university’s resources. Mintzberg’s conceptual system thence feels like the most applicable approach.
Krista
MDE student
University of Maryland Global Campus
University of Maryland Global Campus | UMGC
References
Mintzberg, H. (1975). The manager's job: Folklore and fact. Harvard Business Review, 53(4). https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=914FDgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT42&dq=the+manager%27s+job+folklore+and+fact&ots=wKt9Y2pHqH&sig=H0ViTMo99tfzxlsPw3uL2snoCDs#v=onepage&q=the%20manager's%20job%20folklore%20and%20fact&f=false
The University of the West Indies. (n.d.). About the VC. The University of the West Indies. https://www.uwi.edu/vcbiography.php