The Role And Responsibilities Of A Line Manager | TSW Training

In the intricate dance toward organisational success, who ensures a company’s people are working harmoniously towards the collective goal? Who leads each team, ensuring they collaborate effectively and are performing to their potential? Cue the line manager.

The line manager stands as a foundational pillar, connecting the strategic vision of leadership with the practical contributions of their team. This key business role serves to guide and unify, bridging the intricate layers of a business.

Within the organisational hierarchy, the line manager plays an essential role. Tasked with the dual responsibility of managing employees and balancing project needs, they’re crucial for achieving departmental and company-wide objectives at an operational level.

But what precisely is a line manager, and why do they hold such significance in the corporate world?

Discover the intricacies of this role in our TSW Training article. For those on the move, catch our narration on TSW’s skills development podcast, Learn Practice Perform

⏰Key points

• Line managers are accountable for their team’s performance. Win or lose, it’s the line manager’s watch, and they’re responsible.
• To truly lead a team, a line manager must master the art of managing people and the intricate systems and processes surrounding them.
• Good line managers are the voice of their team, brave enough to communicate upwards, seeking clarity and direction for those on the front lines.

What is a Line Manager?

In the vast maze of organisational structures, the line manager emerges as a central figure. Directly responsible for a team of employees, they form the vital link in hierarchical systems, ensuring clear lines of authority and effective communication.

Line Manager Meaning and Definition

Search the internet, and you’ll find it hard to come by a comprehensive definition of a line manager. The Cambridge Dictionary provides a concise explanation that covers all you need to know. A line manager is…

“…the person who is directly responsible for managing the work of someone else in a company or business, and who is one level above that person”

A line manager, often referred to simply as a “manager,” is an individual who has direct responsibility over employees and their work in an organisation.

The term “line manager” often underscores the direct line of authority and communication between managers and the people working in their teams.

It’s not a job title!

A line manager is not a job title; it is a line of responsibility for another person or team.

Think of it this way, my ‘boss’ is called Stuart and he is my line manager. On an organisational chart, you would see a solid line between his name and mine – hence the label.

So, in simpler terms, the term’ Line Manager’ implies that a manager has a person or team of people who report to them.  

By extension, a manager who doesn’t manage people directly is not a line manager.

Project managers, for example, may coordinate a team of people who do not report to them. However, they may be a line manager to a project co-ordinator.

Additionally, some managers oversee only a single function and have no line management responsibilities. For example, an IT Manager may be responsible for the systems, networks, and hardware in a business, but often works as a one-person team.

What Does a Line Manager Do?

The following are some of the responsibilities of a line manager.

Line Manager Responsibilities

Line managers are the heartbeat of any organisation, pulsing life, direction, and purpose through its corridors.

They serve as the bridge between senior and frontline employees, ensuring their teams work for the organisation’s good and in pursuit of its objectives.

But what exactly do they oversee? Here’s a detailed insight:

• Guardians of Performance: They closely monitor staff, aligning everyone with the organisation’s goals and standards.
• Navigators of Growth: Through detailed assessment and feedback, they pinpoint roadblocks and help teams steer their growth trajectory.
• Mentors and Trainers: Recognising knowledge gaps, they arrange internal and external training, ensuring the team’s perpetual readiness for success.
• Resourceful Strategists: They deftly handle day-to-day decisions, from task allocations to operational adjustments, ensuring resources, be they manpower, materials, or machinery, are utilised optimally in pursuit of team and organisational goals.
• Talent Spotters: Engaged deeply in recruitment, they hire, induct, and ensure new members assimilate well into the company’s culture.
• Communication Conduits: They serve as a two-way channel, relaying crucial information between senior leadership and frontline staff. This includes conveying changes, missions, visions, and values from the top.
• Safety Advocates: For line managers, health and safety are more than just tick boxes; they are imperatives.
• System Architects: Developing efficient systems, handling information, and reporting are within the realm of the line manager, ensuring smooth operations irrespective of their specialist domain, whether it be finance, sales, or marketing.
• People’s Champions: From leading meetings and conducting interviews to guiding through disciplinary actions and nurturing growth, they ensure everyone thrives in a conducive environment.

It’s worth noting that GOOD line managers do these things, and they do them well!

In a nutshell, a line manager is about managing people and shaping the environment around them to drive a business forward.

8 Essential Line Manager Skills and How to Develop Them

1. Clear Communication

What It Is: The ability to convey information succinctly and clearly.

Develop It: Practice active listening. Enrol in public speaking and presentation skills training. After meetings, ask team members if your points were clear and understood. Role-play difficult conversations.

2. Effective Delegation

What It Is: Entrusting tasks appropriately without micromanaging.

Develop It: Recognise team strengths. Set clear task expectations. Trust your team to take ownership. Review outcomes, not processes.

3. Feedback Delivery

What It Is: Providing both constructive critique and praise.

Develop It: Provide timely feedback. Attend workshops on effective feedback. Encourage a feedback-rich culture.

4. Decision Making

What It Is: Being decisive in making informed choices confidently.

Develop It: Gather data consistently. Weigh the pros and cons. Commit and learn from each decision. Seek mentorship on complex decisions.

5. Emotional Intelligence and Empathy

What It Is: The ability to understand, value, and respond to your own and team members’ emotions effectively.

Develop It: Cultivate active listening habits without interrupting. Seek feedback and engage in exercises and assessments to enhance self-awareness. Attend emotional intelligence training. Foster an environment that promotes understanding and inclusivity.

6. Conflict Resolution

What It Is: Addressing and resolving disagreements efficiently.

Develop It: Stay neutral in disputes. Understand all sides. Mediation training can be invaluable. Promote a no-blame culture.

7. Time Management

What It Is: Efficiently juggling multiple tasks.

Develop It: Prioritise tasks using tools like the Eisenhower matrix. Set specific time blocks for tasks. Review and adjust weekly schedules. Avoid multitasking.

8. Team Building

What It Is: Cultivating a cohesive, balanced, collaborative team with talent in the right places.

Develop It: Schedule regular team-building activities. Celebrate team achievements, big or small. Encourage open dialogue. Recognise individual contributions.

Incorporate these skills into your line management approach, and you’ll foster a team environment where growth, trust, and success are paramount.

What Makes a Good Line Manager?

A good line manager realises the role does not require them to do the hands-on work; their line management role makes them responsible for managing the people who do the job.

Here are five steps to becoming a good manager; it’s not an exhaustive list, but it is an excellent foundation for success:

• Build and Develop Teams: Surround yourself with great people and create an environment for them to thrive
• Delegate and Empower: Stop doing the frontline work – it’s not your job, so learn to build a strong team, delegate effectively and empower your capable team.
• Developing Management Skills: Management capability is a moving target; understand the management skills you need and continually work on them.
• Organise Yourself and Your Team: Work on your organisation and time management, and help your team do the same.
• They Have Emotional Intelligence: Get attuned to the emotional and motivational pulses of your team, fostering empathy, understanding, and effective communication.

Related readings to help you effectively implement these steps:

• Belbin’s Team Roles
• Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence Model

Becoming a great line manager is a journey. It involves learning new skills and learning from mistakes.

But what happens when a line manager fails to learn from mistakes and refuses to develop new skills – enter the bad line manager!

What Makes a Bad Line Manager: 5 Common Traits

Ben Willmott, head of public policy at the CIPD, when discussing new research on the importance of people management, said their research starkly shows that poor managers, who lack key people management skills, can have a very negative effect on the mental health, job satisfaction and performance of the people they manage.  

What do poor managers look like?

Here are some key features of a bad line manager:

1. Lack of Clear Communication
   • In Practice: Managers often provide vague instructions, fail to set clear expectations, or withhold vital information from team members.
   • Impact: Confusion, mistakes, and inefficiency. Team members waste time seeking clarity or making uninformed decisions.
2. Failure to Provide Feedback
   • In Practice: Managers avoid giving positive and negative feedback, leaving employees uncertain about their performance.
   • Impact: Employees miss growth opportunities and may continue making mistakes unknowingly. Morale can decrease when good work goes unnoticed.
3. Micromanagement
   • In Practice: Managers scrutinise every detail of their employees’ work, often intervening unnecessarily or demanding frequent updates.
   • Impact: Stifled employee creativity and initiative. It also creates an environment of distrust, leading to decreased employee engagement and job satisfaction.
4. Lack of Empathy and Understanding
   • In Practice: Managers show little concern for their employees’ well-being or professional aspirations. They may dismiss or belittle employee concerns.
   • Impact: This damages the manager-employee relationship, resulting in decreased loyalty and commitment. Over time, retention rates may decline as employees seek better work environments.
5. Avoidance of Responsibility
   • In Practice: When things go wrong, bad managers blame others and avoid taking responsibility for their decisions or the team’s performance.
   • Impact: This erodes trust and respect from team members. It can also lead to a culture where blame is passed around and accountability is avoided.

Developing Bad Line Managers

Recognising these traits and understanding their consequences is vital for organisations seeking to improve management quality and overall workplace culture.

Similarly, if you are a line manager and see any of these traits in yourself, you should consider working on these areas by:

• Getting a coach
• Taking management training programs, such as the Management Skills 101 course offered by TSW Training
• Reflecting on specific behaviours and committing to change

There are many skills you will need for success, but identifying your strengths and weaknesses by conducting a SWOT analysis to prioritise action is a great place to start.

Line Manager Training

According to a recent study by West Monroe, 59% of managers supervising up to two people don’t receive formal managerial training. This shocking statistic highlights the importance of understanding what a line manager is and the tasks they oversee.

The same study also found that 41% of managers with up to five colleagues under their supervision suffer the same training deficiency.

However, improving your business’s personnel development program shouldn’t be laborious.

With nearly 60 years of professional development expertise under our belt, TSW’s core management training courses understand and focus on the importance of effective managerial education.

However, we also appreciate that effective coaching moves away from didactic environments and scenarios to encourage real-world practice, fostering opportunities for knowledge implementation.

But why is specific line manager training so necessary now? And how do you know when your team is receiving high-quality guidance?

How important is line manager training?

Your management team may face a variety of challenges, from conducting or arranging comprehensive health and safety training courses to reassuring staff about the business’s strength.

For example, new research by McKinsey, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, found that one in 16 workers will need to change occupations by 2030. So, there’s never been a better time to improve your managerial training solutions.

Moreover, line managers are directly responsible for team performance. The best leaders possess the skills to galvanise results without adversely affecting morale.

To this end, a recent report by CIPD highlighted a direct correlation between poor managers and employee engagement. The report found that, according to workers, two of the core reasons for stress-related absence were “workload” and “management style.”

This proves the importance of line managers in productivity and adds further credence to the suggestion that managers can directly impact staff behaviour.

However, with such diverse challenges ahead, what does effective training for line managers entail?

10 topics that should be included in effective line manager training

Successful training should prepare your team for the effective execution of general line manager duties and responsibilities while simultaneously covering as many challenges as possible.

In addition, it covers a breadth of topic genres, from acing the art of effective communication to displaying strong emotional intelligence in the workplace.

A comprehensive training schedule touches on these 10 topics:

• Performance management

• Conflict management and resolution

• Emotional intelligence

• Communication

• Coaching and mentoring

• Health and Safety

• Effective delegation

• Recruitment, selection, and induction

• Time management

• Decision making

That might seem like a broad scale of subject matter for a role that sits just above the team in a standard business hierarchy. So, let’s break down the nuances of line manager roles versus those of other management personnel.

Challenges of Being a Line Manager for the First Time

Becoming a Line Manager for the first time can be a proud but daunting moment. As we’ve already discussed, it now means you’re directly responsible for your team’s performance.

Making the step up to management can come with several common challenges.

Some of the most abundant include:

• Communicating effectively 
• Multi-tasking 
• Performance management 
• Developing leadership while maintaining performance
• Conflict management and resolution
• Task delegation
• Providing feedback and recognition 
• Safeguarding employee well-being 
• Emphasising brand culture

Communicating effectively

Open lines of communication are crucial for ensuring your team works effectively. Moreover, consistent dialogue can encourage a collaborative environment where employee engagement helps drive productivity.

Employee engagement is a huge factor in productivity. In fact, Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report found that worker disengagement has cost the global economy $8.8 trillion in lost productivity.

Additionally, ensuring open dialogue exists throughout the team is imperative for building relationships based on mutual trust.

Activities such as regular check-ins and one-on-ones help foster positive working relationships and build trust. They can also ensure team conflicts are managed quickly and effectively.

Multi-tasking

Multi-tasking is one of the bedrocks of what line managers do. While most employees with a view on career progression will have leveraged multi-tasking skills in their career previously, spinning plates as a manager can be tougher.

However, rather than standard task work, managerial functions are more closely tied to time, stress, and relationship management.

However, somewhat paradoxically, one line management skill that can aid in multi-tasking efforts is delegation. We’ll discuss this trait more shortly.

Performance management 

A leading line management proficiency is the ability to drive performance through shared accountability for results..

Again, open communication lines are crucial to maintaining strong performance. For example, notifying employees of target achievement.

Conversely, it’s just as important to notify employees when their performance falls short of targets. Although this should be delivered constructively and developmentally.

Breaking this particular aptitude down further, strong performance management consists of five core steps: 

An effective five-step performance management process

1. Planning and goal setting: SMART objectives are perfect for setting attainable targets within realistic timeframes. 

2. Collaborative involvement: Engage in developmental conversations with employees during one-to-ones. This revolves around setting goals that both management and workers can agree on.

3. Feedback: Line managers and employees should welcome feedback as a means to drive performance. Set up regular sessions to track changes.

4. Progress tracking: Monitoring development helps employees take charge of their own progress. Managers should encourage workers to exceed attainable targets.

5. Reward and compensation: Celebrating team wins is a key element of performance management. This helps to build team morale as well as enforce trust relationships.

Developing leadership skills while maintaining performance

Most line management skills we’ve discussed thus far are centred around enhancing and maintaining team performance. However, this ability is more grounded in personal development.

Balancing new responsibilities with your own workload can be tough for first-time managers. It helps to maintain clear goals both for yourself and the team. Track your progress and celebrate your successes along the way.

However, if your personal development trajectory stalls as a result of team engagement efforts, our management training courses are perfect for sharpening your tools.

Conflict management and resolution

Conflict management is an aptitude that leaders hope they never need to use.

But whether through personality clashes, differing opinions or simple misunderstandings, conflicts can arise. It’s your job to know how to resolve them effectively from the moment you begin your new role.

There are five essential skills to develop when resolving workplace discord:

1. Proactivity – don’t let conflict linger. 
2. Observation – evaluate your team regularly and note any unusual interactions or body language.
3. Impartiality – always remain fair and reserve judgmental feelings or behaviour.
4. Avoid assumptions – listen and learn, never assume.
5. Situational awareness – know when to step in when resolution talks are being dominated by one party.

In addition to these broader steps, new managers can seek advice internally from senior or more experienced colleagues to workshop sensible resolutions.

Don’t be afraid to ask for solutions in an effort to bring the two parties together and establish a mutually agreeable progression point.

Conflict resolution technique

Alternatively, the Gibbs Reflective Cycle is another highly effective approach to conflict resolution and efficacy review.

The self-reflection process transitions through six key phases:

• Description
• Feelings
• Evaluation
• Analysis
• Conclusion
• Action plan.

Whether you use this process to arrive at a sensible solution or to review your own management approach, it can provide much-needed perspective.

Task delegation 

A recent study by the US Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that 84% of employees left jobs due to bad managers.

Of that number, 37% cited issues related to managerial delegation as a reason for leaving.

Delegation issues in newly appointed managers generally stem from concerns over time-consuming mentoring processes, unwillingness to relinquish control, or feelings of retained accountability.

However, there’s more to delegation than simply reassigning tasks. To be a successful manager, it pays to recognise when functions can be handed over.

Lower-level duties, non-growth-focused tasks or roles better suited to another colleague’s unique skillset are all examples of shareable workload opportunities.

Providing feedback and recognition

Feedback is a cornerstone of development – both professionally and personally. However, managers must know how to leverage feedback to achieve the desired galvanising effect.

Improperly relayed feedback (good or bad) can have a negative impact on employees if incorrectly delivered.

Safeguarding employee wellbeing

A recent study by Champion Health recorded that 76% of professionals are currently experiencing moderate to high levels of stress.

Some factors in building work-related stress are:

• Boring or unstimulating roles
• Monotonous task lists 
• Unmanageable task lists
• Changes within the business
• Role changes
• Professional or financial insecurity.

Line managers can face daily warning signs of these stress-builders in their team. So it’s incredibly important to ensure work remains engaging, collaborative and balanced for all.

Team-building exercises are an excellent way to break up the monotony of the 9-to-5 workday while simultaneously enhancing your team culture. Speaking of culture, let’s address the final core skill of first-time line managers.

Emphasising brand culture

One of a line manager’s lesser-known duties or responsibilities is to serve as a flag carrier for brand culture within their team.

Strong company values should be passed down to employees. The best instances of exemplary culture embolden employees to use brand values as a conduit for decision-making.

One such example of an incredible brand culture is Airbnb. The company’s “Champion the mission” value inspires employees to encourage diversity and inclusion wherever possible.

Strategies for Success as a Line Manager

As we’ve demonstrated throughout this article, being a good line manager is composed of various decisions, processes, and approaches.

However, courses like our ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management demonstrate that, with strong strategies and the correct mindset, you can continuously hone your management skills.

The pathway to line managerial success can be split into five core strategies. Let’s dive deeper into those now to provide you with a more comprehensive understanding.

Building solid relationships with team members

Building solid relationships as a line manager doesn’t mean taking the team out for drinks or attempting to become best friends with all.

As mentioned earlier, solid professional relationships are established through open communication and accountability, utilising brand culture to help navigate challenges.

On the route to achieving mutual trust, it’s essential to understand each employee’s strengths, weaknesses, and career aspirations while providing regular feedback and support to foster professional development.

Showing team members (through actions, not just words) that you genuinely care for their development is vital to cultivating strong bonds.

Empowering and motivating employees

Empowering employees to make decisions and take ownership of their workload can be a powerful motivator. Encourage autonomy, delegate tasks effectively, and provide opportunities for growth and skill development.

Giving employees a chance to take action and make organisational decisions inspires, engages and helps instil those important brand cultures we discussed earlier.

However, once you have offered autonomy or delegated key assignments, it’s important to implement regular review sessions to track goal achievement and plot progression.

Additionally, it’s just as crucial to deliver feedback, whether positive or developmental.

Continuous learning and professional development

As our leadership courses demonstrate, the path to professional development is constantly evolving. Line managers should remain adaptable and open to opportunities for personal improvement.

Not only does this highlight your growth focus to the team, but it also signposts your willingness to improve for their benefit. Additionally, this approach simultaneously sends signals to higher management that you are continually developing.

Adapting your skills and acting on performance-related feedback in a positive and constructive manner delivers vital opportunities to train for the challenges we outlined earlier, such as conflict management and colleague engagement.

Creating a positive work environment

Everything we have covered thus far has aimed at assisting you in cultivating a working culture that allows staff to flourish, encourages collaboration, minimises conflict and, ultimately, enables a positive working environment.

However, creating this engaging atmosphere depends on your attitude, patience, and ability to resonate with colleagues.

As we’ve mentioned, trust is a key factor in shaping a collaborative space. Each individual needs to feel safe to project their ideas and express discomfort as it arises.

Effective time management techniques

There is more to time management than simply prioritising tasks. Line managers need to learn to eliminate or delegate non-crucial tasks, execute effective diary management, and be sensible when setting work deadlines (both for themselves and their colleagues).

Deadline setting is a proven driver of workload efficiency and task management. When done correctly by setting attainable goals, this process boosts colleague engagement by leveraging accountability.

Conversely, knowing when employees are being overworked is essential. Remember to acknowledge signs of workload-related stress in your team.

Line Manager vs. Manager vs. Supervisor

As we’ve previously mentioned, ‘line manager’ is not a job title. Instead, it is an acknowledgement of responsibility for a team or direct reports.

However, one initial distinction we can make when establishing ‘line managers’ against ‘managers’ is that a ‘manager’ position is generalist and covers a host of different roles. In comparison, line managers are more centred around team/personnel scenarios.

But let’s take this analysis one step further. To add more clarity to the changes in positional responsibilities, we should analyse the difference between a Line Manager and a Departmental Manager.

Department Manager

Also known as a ‘Functional Manager’, it helps to think of departmental bosses more as business strategists than personnel managers.

They oversee departmental performance by strategising pathways to effective goal achievement via frameworks to manage budgets, resources and ROI.

Line Manager

Generally more hands-on than a departmental colleague, Line managers look after the team’s day-to-day operations.

Line managers implement company policies and offer personal and professional support to ensure goals are achieved. As such, they are more accountable for individual team performance. 

Supervisor

Typically sitting slightly lower in the business hierarchy than a Line Manager, supervisors oversee a specific area of a department.

As such, supervisors are more occupied with task completion and short-term goal achievement than with strategy or employee management. It helps to think of them as the head of a production line or in a quality control scenario.

To further clarify those distinctions, here’s a helpful reference table.

Line Manager Vs. Department Manager Vs. Supervisor Comparison Table:

Management Role	Line Manager	Functional Manager	Supervisor
Primary Focus	Directly oversees a specific person or team, managing daily performance vs. business goals.	Sets overall departmental direction and goals, ensuring effective resource utilisation.	Oversees a specific area or function within a department, focusing on immediate task execution and team coordination.
Responsibilities	Planning team workload, providing support, and implementing company policies at the team level. Directly responsible for team performance.	Developing strategies to achieve company goals in alignment with the budget and resources. Usually sits above line managers and interacts with departmental heads.	In charge of ensuring the smooth operation of daily tasks, coordinates team activities, and takes a more hands-on approach to workforce management.
Interaction Level	First-hand team interaction acts as a bridge between the workforce and higher management.	Works more closely with department heads. Can also engage with line managers or supervisors.	Works closely with the immediate team to oversee specific functions.
Scope of Authority	Managing a team or department. Influencing and implementing operational decisions at the ground level.	Responsible for departmental direction. Giving input on strategic decisions at a higher level.	Authority is limited to a specific area or function. They make decisions related to the immediate execution of tasks.
Involvement in Planning	Often involved at the team level with the operational execution of tasks.	Involved in a strategic development stage of plans to achieve company goals.	Immediate task planning and execution within a specific area or function.
Performance Duties	Directly responsible for team performance, conducts performance one-to-ones, and appraisals.	Ensures effective resource utilisation and departmental performance.	More focused on immediate operations rather than one-to-ones or appraisals.

What About Line Manager vs. Production Manager?

When it comes to determining the differences between a line manager and a production manager, the distinctions can be somewhat more complicated to spot. That’s chiefly because their roles can overlap.

However, one primary distinction is that production managers are ordinarily found in the manufacturing industry. Overseeing the whole product creation process from strategy to quality control.

Meanwhile, line managers (when in a manufacturing setting) maintain efficiency on an operational level.

A more helpful way to distil this comparison is this: line managers ensure that staff are happy and have the tools and training required to complete role-specific tasks. Meanwhile, production managers oversee all aspects of product manufacturing.

Now that we know more about the nuances between differing management positions, let’s look into the obstacles you could face from the moment you step into management.

Be Adaptable

Above all, great managers are adaptable, resilient and open to change. To excel as a line manager, you must continuously learn, upskill, and be receptive to feedback and change, all while supporting your team to do the same!

To enhance your line management skills, please speak with one of our team members about our range of management and skills development courses.