What type of manager is responsible for translating the general goals and plans developed for an organization into more specific activities?

Within the traditional, hierarchical approach to management, managers generally fall into three categories based upon their position or location within the organizational structure.

What is a Top Manager?

Top-level Managers are the senior executives or board of directors. They are responsible for developing the organizations mission, vision, and corporate-level strategy.

What is a Middle Manager?

Middle Managers are responsible for overseeing the functional activities of front-line managers. They focus primarily on translating the companies strategic plans into actionable items for the front-line managers to carry out.

What is a Front-Line Manager?

A front-line manager controls a specific function or task directly related to the products or services that the organization delivers.

This tiered view of management does not fully incorporate the role or type of managers in the modern business organization. This is particularly true within organizations (such as flat structural organizations) that lack the traditional reporting and hierarchical structure. 

Back to: BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Other types of managers might include:

What is a Functional Manager?

Functional managers oversee the activities carried out in any functional area or division of the company. For example, a marketing manager may oversee the activities of all or a group of marketers within the company.

What is a Team Manager?

A team manager supervises a team within the organization. The manager may be a front-line or functional manager. Also, the manager may coordinate the activities of a cross-functional team (from various functional areas within the organization) that has members from various levels within the organization. As such, the team manager may not fall neatly within a traditional organizational plan.

What is a Project Manager?

A project manager is responsible for a specific project (or multiple projects) within the organization. These projects may take place at any level of the organization (front-line, middle, or top). Project managers are very common in specific industries.

What is a General Manager?

A general manager is generally responsible for an identifiable business unit. The role of the general manager may span middle and front-line management roles and incorporate various organizational functions. It could also incorporate numerous teams and projects within the business unit.

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The levels of management can normally be divided into three types of management which include top level management, middle level management, and lower level management. These three levels of business management are usually found in large organizations.

In this article, you’ll learn about the differences between each level of managers and the responsibility of top level management, middle level management, and lower level management.

Normally, most organizations especially large organizations have these three management levels:

1. Top-level managers are responsible for the direction of the organization.
2. Middle-level managers are responsible to translate strategics from top level manager into objective and operation activities.
3. Low-level managers or Frontline manager are supervise the operation activities.

The number of managers in each level of business management are resembles as a pyramid. To understand how these three level of manager perform their different responsibilities, we will explain one by one below.

Top Level Management

Top level management is the highest level from three levels of management. Top level management people are executives of an organization, they are commonly called organizational leaders. The top level managers are responsible for overall of top management to make the business survival, growth, and overall effectiveness of the organization.

However, these managers are not only responsible for the entire organization, but also interact with the external environment that’s affect the business.

President, vice president, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO), and board of directors are all examples of top-level managers.

In overall, the responsibility of top level management is to set overall direction of the business by formulating strategy and control business resources. The main functions of the top level management can be summarized as follows:

1. Set the direction of the organization by strategic plans in short term and long term.
2. Interaction with the external environment that’s affect the business.
3. Set overall objectives, goals, and company policies to guidance and control the business.
4. Make decisions on the important decision that’s affect the direction of organization.
5. Control and manage the business resources such as capital, financial resource, and investment.

Middle Level Management

Middle level management located in the middle of the levels of management hierarchy, between top level management and lower level management. In general, the role of the middle management is to be an administrator who connect between top level manager and front line manager, sometimes called tactical managers.

The responsibility of the middle level manager is to be a bridge between top level management and lower level management, they are responsible for translating the strategies, goals, and plans developed by strategic managers (Top Level Manager) into more specific objectives and activities. The main roles of the middle level management can be summarized as follows:

1. Control, evaluate, and inspiring lower level managers for better performance.
2. Interpret and design implementation method from top level management to lower level management.
3. Report performance and important information to top level management.
4. Coordinate between relative department.

Front Line Management

Front line management or operative level management are lower level managers who supervise the operation activities in the organization such as marketing department, operation department, logistics department, and accounting department. Front line management is directly involved to non-management employees (also known as, workers).

This front-line management or lower level management often has titles such as supervisor, foreman, marketing manager, or sales manager.

The major role of these Front Line Managers are involved with implementing the specific plans from the middle-level managers into the operational task, and assigning these tasks to workers. The main functions of the top-level management can be summarized as follows:

1. Assigning employees tasks.
2. Control, maintenance discipline, and motivate workers.
3. Maintain the quality standard of production as well as quantity of production.
4. Instruct, guide, and training their workers.

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