Difference between role and designation

This is a follow up post based on a comment on my old post. Here are dictionary definitions of Role and designation

Role - Prescribed or expected behavior associated with a particular position or status in a group or organization.

Designation - nomination, appointment, or election to an office, position, etc.

In many IT companies I have seen designations and roles as totally mismatch. So someone being called as an Architect does no different work from a developer. And sometimes Leads act as managers, and managers just act as project coordinators. This often leads to confusions among what is expected from people, and what are their goals.

It's also important to understand that ROLE PRECEDES DESIGNATION. So if you are a lead aspiring to become a manager, in addition to your responsibilities, you need to get into the role of your manager. Start doing and understanding the nuances of being a manager.

Any questions?

Comments

Anushri Tayal said…
Well thnx a lot Ankur...!! I m glad that you replied me back..!! I think the differnce is much more clear now..thanx again..!!
2:11 PM
Anonymous said…
In IT companies role and designation mismatch exists,can ny one think to solve it ..please?
10:13 AM
Ankur said…
in india we have too much emphasis on designation. It is just a maturity cycle and overtime it will normalise and improve.
4:52 PM
Rajesh said…
So as Designation i am System Analyst and Playing a Role as Business Analyst for the Past 3 Years. Now can i apply for the post of business analyst in other firms?
9:30 AM
Ankur said…
@ rajesh yes.
9:40 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Difference between a Brahmin and a Pandit?

To many people the word brahmin and pandit means the same. I wanted my 2 brahmin friends accompanying me to a recent Jaipur trip, to visit the Amer fort temple. They wanted to leave fast and rest. I insisted..In the heat of Amer and the afternoon, my friend retorted "There is a difference between brahmins and Pandits", i stuck to my guns, "Whatever but i want you visiting the temple". A bystander (sharmaji) could not stop himself from asking the difference between brahmins and pandit (in his lovely heavily accented khadi boli) with my friend OM, and OM gave a very straight and accurate reply...Sharmaji was dumb struck,,,I don't remember the reply as i was enjoying the expression on sharmajis face after the reply from OM.. Answer -  Pandits usually charge a fees for things that they do... like karm kand etc... Brahmins are the ones who are also priests, gurus etc but live on dakshina and not fees...
Read more

Role and Designation

There is lot of difference between role and designation, but v few people in IT industry actually understand it. Many a times role and designation are aligned, but many times it is not. Whenever it is not aligned it leads to lot of frustrations, and confusion for the person on what he should be doing. To make the matters worse, in your annual appraisal cycle you are judged on basis of the designation, and as you were in an unaligned role, you fare badly. The only way i see around is to press management and HR functions to constantly review this and correct this. However as this is a long run exercise it gets overshadowed by many other things. Many people blame attrition on salary, however one can have happy employees even at slightly lower salaries if you can provide them a challenging work environment and role. Also there is big lack of planning future for your employees. Most organizations do not have a growth plan for their people. few who have do not stick to the plan, or make a pl
Read more