What is the value of middle managers?

Middle managers play a critical role in the organization, especially as implementers of change. Middle managers are the “ears and eyes” of upper management because they are closer to day-to-day operations, customers and front-line employees.

Are middle managers good or bad?

The phrase “middle managers” may evoke images of mediocre, unimaginative types who stonewall every new idea. But recent research reveals that these leaders—two levels below CEO and one level above line workers—actually constitute your most effective allies during major change.

What do middle managers even do really?

The ideal role of a middle manager Reach down into the organization. Consistently translate the strategy into front-line behaviors. Identify the key players in your organization and treat them as company heroes. Allow those heroes to have power over their own decisions.

What is the purpose of middle managers?

Overseeing daily operations: Middle managers are responsible for managing the daily workflow of their team. Their goal is to make sure the day-to-day tasks of their staff are meeting the overall objectives of the company. While working in this role, you’ll make sure employees are staying focused on their work.

Are middle managers obsolete?

Specifically, as organizations shift toward a more distributed workforce long-term, the traditional role of a middle manager — monitoring productivity, optimizing individual performance — is becoming increasingly redundant in three key ways: The conventional 9-to-5 model is growing obsolete.

Why are middle managers bad?

Too often, middle managers get a bad rap. Among the ranks, middle managers can sometimes be seen as inept and more concerned with preserving their position than meeting the needs of their subordinates. These key roles often get blamed for failures from both the top and lower levels of the organization.

Who do middle managers report to?

Middle management is at the center of a hierarchical organization, subordinate to the senior management but above the lowest levels of operational staff. Middle managers are accountable to top management for their department’s function. They provide guidance to lower-level managers and inspire them to perform better.

Why is middle management so hard?

Middle management is a difficult place to occupy. It is often the place where careers are either broken or made. The middle manager is not really in charge of setting direction and whatever direction is set must be done by working through others. It makes perfect sense why this role is difficult!

Do middle managers have a difficult job?

Middle managers, he adds, “have a tough job.” They are managing a finite set of resources, they don’t have control over everyone’s actions, they can frustrate people around them who are not interested in changing direction when necessary, and they must go in a direction – even if it’s an unpopular one — that ensures the project’s success.

What is the difference between middle management and senior management?

Middle managers do not set the organization’s strategy, nor do they decide which markets to enter, with whom to merge, how much to invest, and what technology to employ. Senior managers, in the words of Harvard Business School professor John Kotter, “set agendas,” and in doing so shape the direction of the organization.

Do middle managers make the most important decisions?

It is important to note that though middle managers make many decisions, and many important ones, the context in which they make those decisions is not of their own making. Middle managers do not set the organization’s strategy, nor do they decide which markets to enter, with whom to merge, how much to invest, and what technology to employ.

Is middle management a target or a resource?

Middle management has wavered from being invisible to being a target. Both perspectives are wrong. Middle managers should be valued for what they contribute and be seen as a resource to be developed. Such a perspective is more accurate, healthier, as well as one that would be more productive for all concerned.