The many faces of the manager

 A manager is a symbol of authority. From  the Mongols to the Greeks to the French and British colonialists, management reeks of power. Mao Zedong proclaimed that 'power comes through the barrel of a gun'. In the 1960s and 1970s this may have stirred discussions but since 1990s Chinese have proved that economic power as exercised by deft managerial moves is more powerful than the military might of the Red Army. The world is wary of China being the Workshop of the World. Mismanagement has consistently been the hallmark of Russia, Nigeria and Egypt, for example. 

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There is considerable pompousness attached to the position of a manager.  Technocrats feel impotent without a management degree. The highest salaries are earned by the Chief executives officers and not by the chief operating officers. While technical co-workers do the real work, these colleagues themselves,  in an attitude of servile acceptance, attribute larger than life features to this manager who is at best a coordinator but passes off as a maestro.

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In the co-worker's mind, the manager is what the co-worker wants to be himself: (a) a higher authority who is acknowledged as knowledgeable and diffuses knowledge; (b) a high performer in the sense he is able to coordinate organizational activities effectively and deliver to satisfaction;  (c) personally well disposed, amiable and approachable; (d) goes by given norms; (e) evolves consensus (the subordinate expects him to value the opinion of all and carry all along); (f) adheres to the given processes; (g) cares to socialize to a reasonable extent;(h) shows exemplary commitment by leading from the front. Derived expectations include that (i) he would be a fair and prompt allocator of reward; (ii) have a sense of action and recalibrate every given opportunity to suit the organization and the individual; (iii) he is to be goal specific; (iv) he continuously communicates about rights, expectations, and obligations.

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Management is about managing subordinates. Subordinates are people. People are fragile. Managers need to pack them well with adequate buffer space and label well that human resources have to be handled with care. Management and staff cohabit together in this Belgian stained  glass cage. The 'dome of many splendoured glass' may fragment to pieces if delicate care is not taken. A manager then has to appeal to the hearts and minds of his constituencies.