Who Is a Manager?

It used to be fairly simple to define who managers were: They were the organizational members
who told others what to do and how to do it. It was easy to differentiate managers from
nonmanagerial employees. Now, it isn’t quite that simple. In many organizations, the changing
nature of work has blurred the distinction between managers and nonmanagerial
employees. Many traditional nonmanagerial jobs now include managerial activities.9 For example,
at General Cable Corporation’s facility in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, managerial
responsibilities are shared by managers and team members. Most of the employees
at Moose Jaw are cross-trained and multi-skilled. Within a single shift, an employee can be
a team leader, equipment operator, maintenance technician, quality inspector, or improvement
planner.10
So, how do we define who managers are? A manager is someone who coordinates
and oversees the work of other people so that organizational goals can be accomplished. A
manager’s job is not about personal achievement—it’s about helping others do their work.
That may mean coordinating the work of a departmental group, or it might mean supervising
a single person. It could involve coordinating the work activities of a team with people
from different departments or even people outside the organization, such as temporary
employees or individuals who work for the organization’s suppliers