Managers typically function as the top supervisors in a specific department of an organization and carry out a variety of duties. Management directs and delegates tasks to employees, plans and organizes the scope of work for the department they oversee, and monitors the progress of assignments and projects. Managers also work as intermediaries between their reporting staff and the company's executive-level leadership.
According to Susan M. Heathfield on About.com, a manager must exhibit the ability to coach and mentor his employees, which requires the use of considerable people skills. A manager is responsible for recruiting, hiring and firing members of his department according to an assigned headcount total. Managers are also responsible for evaluating the success of a plan and whether employees and resources are sufficiently allocated. Managers often oversee departmental budgets that are assigned to them from executive officers within the organization.
Managers primarily serve their roles under the direction of superiors in higher positions, such as presidents, vice presidents and chief operational officers. In a typical corporate setting, the chief members of staff all work directly under the chief executive officer, who is appointed by a company's board of directors. The specific managerial structure and delegation of duties varies between companies and individual departments.
