# Types of Managers - The Buddy By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2023-01-01 Perhaps one has come across “the buddy” type of manager. The buddy manager does not want to be excluded from the pack of workers and takes great pains to try to minimize the gap between the manager and subordinates. This might at first seem like a good thing. However, in practice, this approach to management tends to generate several negative organizational outcomes. First, ignoring the gap between the manager and subordinate only occurs at the discretion of the manager. The gap is only ignored, not erased. As soon as “something” occurs which requires the manager to act like a manager, all the espoused “closeness” evaporates, and things execute officially. The gap between manager and subordinate is ignored until it isn’t. And when it isn’t it is always to the detriment of the subordinate. Second, the manager-as-a-buddy approach erodes the stature of the administration. If the manager is supposed to act “one way,” but tells all the subordinates that it doesn’t really matter and that the manager can still be “one of them,” such action calls into question the validity of the rest of the organizational structure. While it is certainly possible that the organizational structure is a complete charade, it is doubtful that the upper echelon appointed the person as a manager to undercut the perceived legitimacy of the system. Lastly, the buddy manager often is more of a joke than a friend. Instead of generating “good times,” it is often just a sad experience to witness. The buddy manager might need a friend, but can never be a friend that is trusted. #### Related Items [[Management]] [[Business]] [[Types of Managers]]