Managerial Roles & Skills: Types, Skills & Challenges

TAKEAWAYS:

• Managers perform interpersonal, informational, and decisional roles (Mintzberg) that vary by level (top/middle/first-line).
• Technical, human, and conceptual skills are essential, with human skills becoming critical in team-based workplaces like Pathao’s ride-hailing.
• Emerging challenges include digital transformation (e.g., NTC’s IoT rollout), ethical dilemmas (e.g., NEPSE’s insider trading risks), and global competition (e.g., Daraz vs. Amazon).
• Leadership vs. management: Leaders inspire (e.g., Chaudhary Group’s visionary founders), while managers execute (e.g., Nabil Bank’s daily operations).
• Skills gap: Nepali managers often lack data literacy (e.g., analyzing Khalti’s transaction trends) or cross-cultural adaptability (e.g., joint ventures with Indian firms).
• Exam focus: Expect role-based scenarios (e.g., "How would a Daraz store manager handle a supply chain delay?") and skill-matching questions (e.g., "Which skill is most needed for a NTC project manager?").

---

1. Managerial Roles: Mintzberg’s 10 Roles

Henry Mintzberg classified managerial work into three categories (10 roles total), each tied to a manager’s level in the organization. Visualize how these roles interact in a real Nepali company like Himalayan Java:

How it works:

• Top managers (e.g., Chaudhary Group CEO) spend more time on interpersonal and decisional roles (e.g., negotiating mergers).
• Middle managers (e.g., Daraz’s regional head) focus on informational and decisional roles (e.g., allocating resources to stores).
• First-line managers (e.g., Nabil Bank branch manager) handle operational decision-making (e.g., approving loans).

Worked Example: NTC’s 5G Rollout

• Role: Entrepreneur (identifying 5G as a growth opportunity) + Resource Allocator (budgeting Rs. 50 billion).
• Challenge: Balancing Liaison (coordinating with Ncell and Smart Telecom) and Disturbance Handler (public protests over costs).
• Skill Needed: Conceptual (big-picture planning) + Human (stakeholder management).

---

2. Managerial Skills: The 3 Core Types

Robert Katz identified three essential skills, each critical at different career stages. Compare them using this table:

Visual: Skill Progression by Managerial Level

• First-line managers: 80% technical, 20% human.
• Middle managers: 50% human, 30% technical, 20% conceptual.
• Top managers: 80% conceptual, 15% human, 5% technical.

Real-World Tie-In: Khalti’s Growth

• Technical Skill: App developers coding secure payment gateways.
• Human Skill: Customer support resolving disputes (e.g., failed transactions).
• Conceptual Skill: CEO’s vision to expand beyond UPI (e.g., Khalti Credit).

---

3. Emerging Challenges for Modern Managers

Nepali managers today face unique pressures due to digital disruption, globalization, and ethical expectations. Key challenges:

Case Study: Daraz Nepal’s Challenges

1. Role: Disturbance Handler (supply chain disruptions during COVID).
2. Skill Gap: Lack of digital marketing skills to compete with Amazon India.
3. Ethical Issue: Balancing profit (discounts) with seller welfare (fair pricing).
4. Solution: Hired conceptual-skilled managers from Unilever Nepal for strategic planning.

---

4. Line Managers vs. Staff Managers

A common exam distinction:

Visual: Organizational Structure (Nepal Telecom)

---

5. Skills for Successful Managers (Exam-Focused)

The syllabus emphasizes 10 critical skills, often tested in short-answer or scenario-based questions:

Worked Example: Bank Manager’s Skills Scenario: A Nabil Bank branch manager must approve a loan for a small business.

• Technical: Calculates EMI using bank’s software.
• Human: Assesses borrower’s credibility through conversation.
• Conceptual: Decides whether the loan aligns with bank’s SME growth strategy.

Exam Tip: Always link skills to roles in your answer. Example:

"A liaison role at Daraz requires strong human skills for supplier negotiations and conceptual skills to align with Alibaba’s global strategy."

---

In the Real World

1. eSewa’s Managerial Roles

   • Informational Role: The CEO monitors digital payment trends (e.g., UPI adoption) and disseminates updates to the team.
   • Decisional Role: As a disturbance handler, eSewa’s crisis team managed the 2022 cyberattack by isolating affected systems.
   • Skill Used: Conceptual (designing a multi-factor authentication system) + Human (reassuring users via social media).

2. Pathao’s Delivery Managers

   • Interpersonal Roles: Managers act as leaders by training drivers on safety protocols and liaisons with local police during protests.
   • Emerging Challenge: Digital literacy gap—many drivers lack skills to use Pathao’s new AI route optimizer.
   • Solution: Pathao’s HR (staff managers) designed short video tutorials (human skill) to bridge the gap.

3. NTC’s 5G Project

   • Managerial Skills in Action:
     • Technical: Engineers configuring base stations.
     • Human: Negotiating with Ncell and Smart Telecom (liaison role) to avoid spectrum conflicts.
     • Conceptual: CEO’s decision to partner with Huawei despite geopolitical risks.
   • Ethical Dilemma: Balancing speed of rollout (profit) with affordable pricing (social responsibility).

---

Exam Tip

1. Role-Based Questions:
   • Do: "Explain how a middle manager at Daraz would perform the monitor role during Diwali sales."
   • Answer Structure:

     *"A Daraz middle manager in the monitor role would:

     1. Track inventory levels (using ERP software) to avoid stockouts.
     2. Analyze customer complaints (via chat logs) to identify trends (e.g., delayed deliveries).
     3. Compare sales data with competitors (Amazon India) to adjust discounts. Skills used: Technical (data analysis), Human (feedback interpretation)."*

2. Skill Matching:

   • Question: "Which skill is most critical for a NEPSE compliance officer?"
   • Answer: *"Conceptual skills are most critical because compliance officers must:

     • Understand regulatory frameworks (big-picture knowledge).
     • Design audit procedures (strategic thinking).
     • Balance market efficiency with investor protection (ethical judgment). Example: When NEPSE introduced short-selling rules, the officer had to conceptualize how this affects liquidity."*

3. Case Study Approach:

   • Question: "How would a Khalti manager handle a data breach?"
   • Answer:

     *"As a disturbance handler, the manager would:

     1. Activate the crisis team (interpersonal: leader role).
     2. Isolate affected systems (technical skill).
     3. Communicate transparently with users (human skill: spokesperson role).
     4. Review security protocols (conceptual: long-term prevention). Ethical consideration: Prioritizing user trust over short-term cost savings."*

4. Common Pitfalls:

   • ❌ Vague answers: Avoid "Managers need skills." → Instead, *"A first-line manager at Himalayan Java needs technical skills to train baristas on coffee-making standards."
   • ❌ Ignoring levels: Always specify top/middle/first-line when discussing roles.
   • ❌ Overlooking ethics: Modern exams test CSR and digital ethics. Example: "How would you apply managerial ethics at Daraz during a supplier price-fixing scandal?"

---

Final Visual: Managerial Skills Cheat Sheet