Role of Line Manager

Line managers getting involved in HR activities can produce some benefit and also some disadvantages, their role consist in coordinating procedures and operations between HR sector and highest level of the company; on the one hand they enable HR practices and polices, they are linked to higher level of management, provide communication among the levels and the sectors of a company, works and operate close to his own staff, meaning of stronger relations between members, and is better able to face and approach daily matters in the company. On the other hand, they do not possess those skill useful to manage and relate with the HR sector, their experience are more compatible to the top management, can be not really effective in training staff because do not have a real past experience in HR management, their role can be overloaded and finally often they suffer a conflict of priorities.

Line manager , in order to manage effectively people, has to be self-confident in himself and have to understand the considerable role that he is playing in the management process, he has to have a strong sense of his own security, this because he has constantly to face problems concerning people and staff. In order to provide a positive behavior, line manager has to be involved in decision making, has to be assured about possibilities of career progression and has to be assured about his job security; a good relation with own managers is really important also to enable to perform with out conflicts and contrasts. Usually line managers do not have a managerial knowledge, this why is really important for there contribute to the company, that they produce the maximum effort to earn as much information as possible to possess abilities and features appropriate to face any sort of matter.

Prospects profile of HR manager looks more suitable to a role of line manager, the candidate, in fact, is requested to interact, coordinate and relate to different levels of an organization, considerable relevance is given to the aspect of implementing and developing policies, practices and procedures. The role seems overload, a typical characteristic of a line manager, and often contemplate the interaction with other department and function, which are features of a line manager; finally the job profile explain that knowing company objectives and targets is fundamental, in fact line managers always have to coordinate set target to developed policies, and this sometimes can create conflict of interests and priorities for the line manager.

References:

-Mullins, L. (2007) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8^th ed. Pearson Education Limited: Harlow

-CIPD (2009) [online].Role of Front Line Managers. Available from:http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/maneco/general/rolefrntlinemngers.htm [Accessed 28 April 2010].

-Prospects(2009) online job offers [online] Availablefrom:http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/p!eLaXi[Accessed 12 April 2010]