Management theory tends to focus on exactly that – management. However, there are multiple tiers to ‘managing’ a business from team members through supervisors up to the board. Should the expectations on each of these be similar? Does each of these have a similar role? Are we realistic about what each one should achieve? In our many engagements with clients large and small, we have seen varying expectations and pressures on management. Some are team leaders engaging in a transformation programme and others are senior leaders performing the work of their team. In summary, neither seems quite right so let’s take a look at management roles – supervisors, managers and directors.
Types of management roles
This list is not exhaustive but it seems to us that there are several broad categories of management within organisations:
- Team leader/supervisor
- Junior manager
- Middle manager
- Senior manager
- Director
None of these are clear cut. For example, a supervisor of a factory floor may oversee 200 people whereas a team leader in an office may have 10 people. A junior manager may have no team members at all but the organisation wishes to progress and retain perceived talent. Some very senior managers have job titles including Head of, VP, Director or president but are actually not true directors. Directors usually have statutory duties, such as compliance with the UK Companies Act, ensuring proper stewardship over the organisation.
Management definitions
There are relatively clear definitions for each type of management roles as follows:
- Supervisor – An officer in charge of a unit or operation of a business that manages a team based on pre-existing organisational procedures.
- Manager – A person responsible for running part of a business, usually including supervision of a team or a department, managing the resources of that business unit to achieve its stated objectives set by the board of directors.
- Director – A member of the board responsible for the performance of a business, operating within their statutory duties and abiding by applicable regulation and legislation. They set the vision, objectives and policies against which performance is measured and ensure that the organisation is accountable to external stakeholders.
There are some similarities across the definitions with all possessing some responsibility for overseeing people and monitoring and/or measuring performance. This is natural as the board-level vision and goals cascade down the organisation. What differs at each level is influence, complexity and leadership, which we will explore in further detail.
Management roles in business
In many organisations, the team leaders or supervisors have little to no influence on the business. They operate to clear guidelines, following well-established procedures and monitoring compliance with them. On occasion, due to the ‘front line’ or ‘shop floor’ nature of the roles, they are drawn upon to develop teams or enact change. This is a challenge if the individual has been promoted or recruited as a responsible head to oversee the team rather than a trained manager.
It is tempting to consider that managers are trained to manage the resources of the business to achieve the required outcomes. A long-held statistic suggests that 68% of managers consider themselves to be accidental i.e. more than two-thirds possess inadequate levels of training. The Chartered Management Institute estimates this to be closer to 4 in 5 managers or around 2.4m in the UK. These roles differ in scope and complexity with greater emphasis on performance, managing resources and leading teams of people. We also know that the majority of hires do not necessarily become good managers.
Directors focus on the recruitment of senior management and a key part of the role is to lead the organisation. They are often time-poor individuals with a plethora of responsibilities and stakeholders, both internal and external. Unlike the management layers within the organisation, they typically do not have the bandwidth to develop people or get ‘hands on’ with change.
Leader versus manager
Leadership is developing an understanding of what goals the organisation should pursue and how it should go about it. Leaders set the vision, tone and standards for the organisation. In summary, they achieve goals through the direction of others. A great leader is a person who achieves this time and again under differing circumstances. A leader who inspires, motivates, supports and enables their followers to achieve is a true leader.
The truth is that most team leaders and supervisors are not leaders. That doesn’t mean that they cannot become leaders but that the confines of the role focus on following guidelines and procedures. It doesn’t get much better in the management level, with only 1in 5 rating themselves as leaders according to CIPD. Additionally, a manager does not become a leader simply by doing a management job. When you consider that nearly 2/3 of millennials don’t feel as though they are being trained to become leaders, the scope for under-performance is significant.
Part of the nature of the director role is to lead. Since the board sets the vision, mission and values by which the organisation abides, they by definition lead. However, there are rigid organisational structures and robust performance management frameworks to ensure that objectives are met. This implies that the system of control is used as a proxy for leadership in some large organisations.
Reality check for leaders
It should be obvious at this point that a team leader may not have the skills to develop others, lead a change or influence corporate direction. This is either because of training and/or corporate culture. Similarly, a junior manager with no people is more likely to be a ‘doer’ than a leader and simply has to ensure that their own performance is ‘good enough’.
A non-statutory director hired by the board to run an operation, division or department is expected to have some leadership attributes. Their roles may be complex, often pressured, with delivery of performance paramount. Many are experienced people that possess a good balance of organisational, stakeholder and management skills. Where many organisations fail is to expect these senior managers to be ‘leaders’ while juggling too many balls, potentially setting your senior managers up for failure. Ultimately, some senior leaders are forced to adapt a command-and-control approach to get what they need rather than displaying leadership by its definition.
Supporting your managers and your people
In an ideal world, all supervisors and managers would undergo some form of management skills training. Additionally, middle to senior management would undergo leadership coaching to get the best performance from their people. Unfortunately, the statistics don’t bear this out. We also don’t know how many of the non-accidental managers received thorough training or leadership guidance. Ultimately, consider that over half of people leave jobs due to poor management and the cost is stark.
Think Beyond offers businesses support with bespoke workshop courses for management roles. We can tailor a course to varying levels of seniority and our modular approach allows us to customise for the outcomes you need. We also conduct training either on-site or off-site depending on circumstances.
If you would like to find out more, simply pop a few details online and we will call you. Alternatively, why not send us a short email with your questions or a request for training.
Finally, why not read a related article on investing in your managers or our skills workshop services.