Rodela E S
Department of Veterans Affairs, San Antonio, TX.
Health Care Superv. 1991 Apr;9(3):63-72.
Mintzberg proposed that managers at all levels enact ten roles. There is, however, a relative importance ascribed to the various roles given the manager's location in the hierarchy. Like Mintzberg's ideas on the utility of ten roles, we found that managers at all levels, to varying degrees, need the three skills proposed by Katz. We have argued that a variety of roles and skills describe what managers do. At the same time, the predominance of one role or skill over another may be influenced by the location of the manager in the hierarchy. The question is not whether roles would be enacted at different levels or whether skills will be required, but whether one role or skill or a set of roles and skills will be predominant for the first-line supervisor. The first-line supervisor's work requires that he or she be predominantly proficient in the areas of human and technical skills in order to fulfill supervisory responsibilities. Current empirical research supports this assertion; however, the continuing study of managerial roles and skills and other variables such as functional specialty will offer other opportunities for the study of first-line supervisors. For example, will the predominance of the roles and skills that we have discussed vary if the supervisor is a line or staff manager or if the supervisor works in a production or service related organization? Organizations adapt to change to meet the expectations of those within and outside the organization with something at stake. Organizations need managers to facilitate the realization of organizational goals, so organizations need to continuously train managers, targeting appropriate roles and skills given each manager's location in the hierarchy. The preceding pages should provide resource materials to individuals and organizations interested in evaluating and designing the training and development of first-line supervisors. This roles-and-skills information can be productively utilized to assist the organization with its management training, particularly of first-line supervisors.
明茨伯格提出，各级管理者都要扮演十种角色。然而，鉴于管理者在层级体系中的位置，不同角色具有不同的相对重要性。与明茨伯格关于十种角色效用的观点类似，我们发现各级管理者在不同程度上都需要卡茨提出的三种技能。我们认为，各种角色和技能描述了管理者的工作内容。同时，一种角色或技能相对于另一种角色或技能的主导地位可能会受到管理者在层级体系中位置的影响。问题不在于不同层级是否会扮演不同角色或是否需要不同技能，而在于对于一线主管而言，一种角色或技能或一组角色和技能是否会占据主导地位。一线主管的工作要求其在人际技能和技术技能方面具备较高的熟练度，以便履行监督职责。当前的实证研究支持这一论断；然而，对管理角色和技能以及其他变量（如职能专长）的持续研究将为一线主管的研究提供其他机会。例如，如果主管是直线经理或参谋经理，或者主管在生产或服务相关组织工作，我们所讨论的角色和技能的主导地位会有所不同吗？组织为了满足组织内外利益相关者的期望而适应变革。组织需要管理者来促进组织目标的实现，因此组织需要持续培训管理者，根据每个管理者在层级体系中的位置确定合适的角色和技能。前文应为有兴趣评估和设计一线主管培训与发展的个人和组织提供参考资料。这些角色和技能信息可有效地用于协助组织进行管理培训，尤其是一线主管的培训。
