An Analytical study on Mintzberg’s Framework: Managerial Roles

The Canadian academic, Henry Mintzberg who had trained as a mechanical engineer, wrote his PhD thesis at the MIT Sloan School of Management analyzing the actual work habits and time management of chief executive officers (CEOs). In 1973, Mintzberg's thesis on the nature of managerial work was adopted as a study and published for a wider audience Mintzberg's empirical research involved observing and analyzing the activities of the CEOs of five private and semi-public organizations. Previous management behaviour studies had concentrated on team and subordinate behaviour or organizational structure rather than on the day-today reality of managerial behaviour. To describe the work life of a CEO, Mintzberg first identified six characteristics of the job: 1. Managers process large, open-ended workloads under tight time pressure-a manager's job is never done. 2. Managerial activities are relatively short in duration, varied and fragmented and often self-initiated. 3. CEOs prefer action and action driven activities and dislike mail and paperwork. 4. They prefer verbal communication through meetings and phone conversations. 5. They maintain relationships primarily with their subordinates and external parties and least with their superiors. 6. Their involvement in the execution of the work is limited although they initiate many of the decisions.