Middle management is often denounced. Their prime value in some organizations is that they can be the first targets in a downsizing, easily eliminated because their impact is hidden and downplayed, if not mocked.
Who is churning out pointless reports? The office grapevine would finger that unloved group mercilessly.
''It's easy to blame middle management,'' McKinsey & Co. consultants Bill Schaninger, Bryan Hancock, and Emily Field write in Power to the Middle.
The purpose is to congratulate middle managers rather than bury them. Our hierarchical organizations are essential hubs for co-ordinators, leading to the crucial co-ordination of middle managers. They are a bridge between the upper and lower ranks, Translating strategy and, indeed, supporting good ideas raised by their team. The best of them are too valuable to be promoted to more senior positions. Their talent should be honoured with greater remuneration and status, but they should be kept in place. A job this important shouldn't have the high turnover that is commonplace in many organizations.
We often talk about why people don't leave companies; they leave bad managers. The consultants note, however, that people stay with, and are loyal to, their best managers.
Many other middle managers might also be coveted, except their own bosses deny them the chance to make a difference. On average, middle managers spend almost three-quarters of their time on tasks other than managing their teams, according to a recent study by McKinsey. It appears that over a quarter of their day goes to performing individual contributor work, instead of leading, co-ordinating, coaching and inspiring their team. There is about a day dedicated to administrative duties.
The consultants spend their time advising the senior echelon in organizations on thorny problems. The organization change required can't be achieved without the active involvement of middle managers, they said. Our most valuable players, however, are too often discarded.
Many said it was their responsibility to safeguard their teams from misguided and even toxic executives. They know the value of training but can't get the buy-in and budget from above. They are also beleaguered because they feel that they don't understand the details of a task or strategy and too often expect the impossible. How do they get the trust of their team?
A pharmacist in a pharmacy described the role as a babysitter. Another benchmark is that of a firefighter, always putting out fires. A study at Columbia University demonstrates the pressure from above and below, leading to a punching bag metaphor. Plus, too often they were forced to give orders based on decisions from above and end up taking the blame when things didn't work out.
The middle is not all that important, so the term middle suggests that they are not as important as they should be. The consultants argue that as workplaces grapple with massive changes, middle managers will be pivotal. Breakneck work is common these days. While communication is easy thanks to technology, it is also incredibly complex, complicated, and convoluted. Remote work has bled the bonds in many teams.
The consultants feel that organizations would benefit by a return to'management by walking around' that was common in the 1950s. It needs to be updated, of course, to accommodate the modern-day complexities of technology and remote work. Middle managers will need to lead with compassion, asking employees in their walk-bys not just how is the work going? That must not come from formula but from genuine curiosity. However, loyalty can be built with loyalty, she said.
Of course, not all middle managers are excellent. Many performers are subpar due to promotions of top-notch individuals who lack people skills and coaching abilities. It has also caused negative stereotypes about middle managers. However, it is time to acknowledge the importance of talented middle managers, coaches and develop more of them, and offer them the respect and support they need in their important role.
The most successful movie of all time, according to blogger Seth Godin, is My Big Fat Greek Wedding. As well as Sheelagh Whittaker, former CEO of both EDS Canada and Cancom, he is the author of When Harvey Didn't Meet Sheelagh: Emails on Leadership.