Struggling with Job Titles and Hierarchy: How Do You Differentiate Roles Like Managing Director and General Manager?

Dear All,

I faced a problem when I tried to develop our job descriptions and organization chart. There is repetition of certain positions, such as accountant. For example, we have an accountant with 2000Drs and another accountant with 11000Drs. What I'm trying to do is rename the positions to ensure the distribution of grades.

Another question, please: Does any HR professional have any idea about the difference between a Managing Director and a General Manager? Does anybody have a hierarchy or structure comparison between the two roles? In my organization, we have a group of plants and factories managed through one management. There are different levels and standards, not all divisions are at the same level.

Thank you in advance. I hope to hear your advice soon.

Assil

Hello Assil,

I think your query lacks details. It's too general in nature, hence the lack of any response. I suggest you post more details about the organizational structure, the present designation pattern, etc.

If you wish, you can mail me at: taj@sphinxresources.com

Regards,
TS

Dear Assil,

Organization depends on a system, not on the basis of salary or experience. What you can do in the chart is grade accountants as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... based on salary ranges. Alternatively, you can list senior accountants first followed by juniors. Additionally, the general manager always reports to the Managing Director. Please refer to the attached organization chart.

Best regards,
Sajid Ansari

Your query is genuine. Many organizations do not have line diagrams or boxes to show their hierarchy. That is generally decided by the authority, work output that flows from respective positions. In this case, you may be saddled with two Accountants drawing different levels of remuneration. My view is if you identify their job descriptions, job profiles, and correlate with basic minimum qualification, I think you would be safely able to justify your action of giving their new "nomenclatures".

As regards Managing Director & General Manager, again this is confusing. In some countries, a General Manager is higher in rank than an MD. But in our side of geography, MD is supposed to be the "Top Boss" reporting to the investors/shareholders. There could be a number of GMs reporting to him in respective functions like HR, Finance, Marketing, Production, International Distribution, and so on. So here also if you have a proper job description with authority mandates from the investors, you would be able to differentiate between the two positions. To my knowledge, under the regulations in the Middle East, the position of MD is statutory and enjoys a lot of statutory powers, authorities, and responsibilities than that of GM. Please check.

Please write to me in case you want to interact with me more on this and other related topics. My email id is abhirutu@rediffmail.com, abhirutu@gmail.com. Please feel free to call me at +91 9822394170. Regards & wish you ALWAYS the best!!!

Hello everyone,

This is Pavan, recently joined CiteHR. I would like to shed some light on the query below:

Quote
Does any HR have any idea about the difference between a Managing Director and a General Manager?
Unquote

The difference between a Managing Director and a General Manager is quite simple. The Managing Director is usually the owner of the company in a private company. In some government companies, the Managing Director can also be an employee, performing assigned duties and responsibilities.

On the other hand, the General Manager typically oversees an entire department, similar to the Head of the Department in a college. The Managing Director can be likened to the owner or principal of the college.

I hope this explanation clarifies things. Please share your reviews and suggestions with me. Have a nice day.

Thanks/Regards,
Pavan Kinhal