Why Middle Managers are Important.
- Middle managers are the only people who manage both up and down.
- Experienced middle managers are the best coaches for future executives.
- Middle managers are usually the force behind process improvement.
- Middle managers know how to manage diverse work groups.
- They are problem solvers.
- They know to how to turn strategy into operational tactics.
What are the roles and responsibilities of middle management?
- Middle managers are the ones that recruit as well as retain employees. ...
- Middle management has the authority to make changes in the lower levels and thus implements strategies that can enable better work performance.
- They are the ones who get things done. ...
- They coordinate with both upper and lower levels and guide the workforce to achieve set targets. ...
What are the duties of middle manager?
What Are the Four Major Responsibilities for the Typical Middle Manager?
- Goal Setting. Managers at all levels of an organization set goals. ...
- Strategies. Strategic development and planning is necessary at all management levels. ...
- Resource Allocation. One of the most distinct roles of mid-level management is resource allocation and utilization. ...
- People Development. ...
What is an important job responsibility for a middle manager?
What are the Roles and Responsibilities of a Middle Manager?
- Overseeing the work of all employees and being updated with the work of all departments. ...
- Monitoring the performance of all employees and providing the board with an in-depth performance review of each member of the staff.
- Effectively communicating the suggestion and feedback given by the board for the employees. ...
What are middle managers responsible for?
Some common duties and responsibilities of middle level managers include: Developing and implementing day-to-day routines for a specific office, branch or department Monitoring employee performance Assigning and supervising specific work tasks Making sure that processes and procedures are in ...
Why are middle managers important?
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. At the same time they are far away enough from the front lines to allow them to keep in mind ...
What is the role of middle managers in the organization?
Middle managers also act as communicators for upper management, delivering information about organizational change initiatives and strategies to those in lower levels of the organization. The tone in which these messages are delivered can influence whether initiatives succeed or fail.
How to improve middle managers?
The 5 most important ways to improve the leadership competence of middle managers are: 1 Develop their ability to interpret the meaning of events (give them opportunity to sharpen judgment and practice strategic thinking, give them tools to champion change and evaluate initiatives) 2 Develop their ability to create alignment on objectives and strategies through all layers of the organization (teach them to drive results and foster open communication, and challenge them to improve systems/processes and tactics that facilitate communication and achievement of results) 3 Increase their commitment and optimism (this will help them to build confidence to influence others and lead courageously) 4 Build mutual trust and cooperation, strengthen collective identity (foster enthusiasm and teamwork as a management team) 5 Develop their ability to organize and coordinate activities (improve systems and processes, manage execution, build relationships, stretch personal ability to adapt and develop)
Why is it important for middle managers to be trained to interpret the meaning of events?
Because messages can be colored by an individual's emotions about them , it's important that middle managers are trained to interpret the meaning of events and sharpen their judgment so they communicate in a way that ensures success.
Why do middle managers have strong social networks?
Because most middle managers begin their careers as specialists and often rotate through a variety of jobs, they develop strong social networks. They understand how to communicate across functional areas and know who can get what done.
Why do middle managers act as pace-setters for implementing change?
And because they are uniquely positioned to understand the consequences of change, middle managers act as pace-setters for implementing change, ensuring that there is a balance between change that happens so fast it upends the organization's structure , and change that happens so slowly that it has too little effect.
How does change affect the organization?
Change can cause distress throughout the organization, which upper management may be too far removed from to address. Through their personal relationships with employees, middle managers can uncover resistance and barriers to implementing change, and provide employees with a "safe" environment so they can carry on with their everyday responsibilities.
Why are middle managers important?
Especially as remote and hybrid work takes over — and the distance between employees increases — middle managers are more important than ever.
Who created the middle managers?
The idea of middle managers as unexceptional, mediocre supervisors has been around for decades — at least since a seminal 1977 HBR article by Abraham Zaleznik that made a clear, explicit distinction between being a leader (an inspirational visionary) and a manager (a strategic administrator). These ideas are still central to what’s taught in many MBA and executive development programs, where there’s a tendency to educate managers on how to “upgrade” and become leaders.
What is the relationship between managers in the middle of hierarchical layers?
Thus, a manager in the middle of hierarchical layers builds relationships with those at the top (from a position of followership and lower power) and with the people at the bottom (from a position of leadership and higher power).
What is a broker in a dialogue?
A broker creates a dialogue between people who have conflicting agendas. Because hierarchical levels have often different goals and needs, connecting leaders can serve as interpreters and translators of these needs, brokering inter-level dialogue between the people above and below them.
Why is it important to connect with leaders?
So especially during times of change, it is important to offer this population extra support, like coaching and spaces for safe conversations and sharing. This is crucial for their success, but is often undervalued by companies who put a greater share of their coaching budget to top executives rather than to middle managers.
Why should the communications and human resources departments work together?
Once there is buy in from the top, both the communications and human resources departments need to work together to update company-wide language — for example, on balanced scorecards, hiring competencies lists, and contracts to reflect the importance of connecting behaviors. The balanced scorecards for executive performance should also be tweaked to accommodate the importance of psychological safety and their co-responsibility to ensure connections are truly enabled.
Why is executive buy in important?
Executives buy-in is important because much of what connecting leaders do is risky. It would be naïve and idealistic to expect people to ramp up their performance in these areas without providing support. Remember: some of these behaviors are riskier than others. For example, speaking up for others requires exposing yourself to the top of the organization, as well as possibly disappointing the bottom. So, executives need to be prepared to aid connecting leaders by fostering and environment of psychological safety.
Why are middle managers important?
Why 'middle managers' are an employer's most important leaders. If an employer wants to get a workforce on board by using employee engagement programs and platforms , a simple , smart place to start is finding and supporting the right managers, according to new research from TINYpulse. While the term “middle manager” often gets a bad rap within HR ...
What is the role of a middle manager?
The impact of a good middle manager goes beyond employee engagement. The role they play in maintaining productivity also is at the top of the list. While C-suite executives create big-picture plans, managers are responsible for putting those plans into action and securing employee buy-in on the company’s strategies.
Why is employee engagement important?
After all, if a talented employee leaves, it’s their direct manager who will feel that loss the most.
How does a manager impact employee satisfaction?
Clearly, managers have an overall positive impact on employee satisfaction. Middle manager-led employees were more likely to say that they’d stay at their companies even if another company offered them a 10% raise. These same employees were also more likely to report that their supervisors were responsive to feedback and willing to support professional growth efforts.
Why is manager support important?
Limeade, a corporate wellness technology company, found that manager support was actually more important than executive support when it came to employee well-being. When given the right tools, managers positively and directly influence retention efforts.
How many employees have a good relationship with their manager?
Yet only 40% of employees report having a good relationship with their manager.
Is a middle manager a good idea?
While the term “middle manager” often gets a bad rap within HR and business in general, it turns out that high-quality middle managers are the keys to success for a majority, if not all, employers, says Ketti Salemme, employee engagement researcher at TINYpulse, which offers an employee engagement platform for pulse surveys, peer recognition and performance reviews.
The roles of middle managers
Sandwiched between the executive leadership’s strategic vision, high performance expectations, and the day-to-day challenges of executing this with the operational colleagues, middle managers have several vital roles: Bridge-builders, explainers, energisers, and enablers.
A mindset of enablement
I will use the spartan runners as an illustration of an enabling mindset. Giving someone a leg up is an offer of support, which only works when the runners collaborate. It requires the help receiving person to actively engage and to put effort into the moment.
Building Psychological Capital
The PsyCap construct offers a simple and powerful “map” that can guide middle managers efforts to enable their people to grow through building their resources of resilience, optimism, confidence and willpower. I view PsyCap as the building blocks of the elusive Growth Mindset, that for many is a fuzzy aspiration.
PsyCap and organizational development
Through our development work with organisations, we experience that middle manager’s awareness of, and the application of, Psychological Capital construct is powerful for many individual and organizational indicators.
Why are middle managers important?
Middle managers are essential in organizations, in part because they link senior management and the rest of the company. Sirota describes them as “the glue across upper and lower levels as well as horizontally with other departments.”
Why do middle managers leave their companies?
If middle managers are so valuable, why would they report dissatisfaction and leave their companies? A primary reason is lack of advancement opportunity , says Sirota. “When companies downsize, they will often cut middle management ranks. But even if companies just stagnate, advancement opportunities are limited. This hits people very hard, particularly people in their late 30s and 40s.”
Why are middle managers so challenging?
However, middle managers also can be a challenging group of employees to develop and retain. According to a 2007 Accenture survey of middle managers around the world, 20% reported dissatisfaction with their current organization and that same percentage reported that they were looking for another job. One of the top reasons cited was lack of prospects for advancement.
How does individual development affect retention?
Individual development plans that are connected to corporate goals, and access to educational opportunities can play a big role in increasing retention rates , Colligan states. “While many companies don’t have robust education programs, they can send employees for an executive education program on marketing, strategy or finance — something that enhances their skills as a middle manager. It tells the manager that the company cares about him or her. Companies that do this on a regular basis tend to find turnover lower.”
Why do companies use search firms?
In addition, using search firms to fill top positions from outside can send a message that “maybe middle managers shouldn’t stay at that company any longer,” says Colligan. He describes one company which historically brought in top-level leaders from the outside, resulting in the departure of managers one level below, many of whom went on to become CEOs and CFOs at other companies. “The company had great people who knew they would never become CEO if they stayed. I’m not suggesting that there is never a time to use search firms, but for some companies, the search firms are almost their human resources department.”
How many middle managers are there in a company?
Almost every company has them. They may number six or 6,000 and they all share the same job category — middle managers. They are often referred to as the “glue” that holds companies together, bridging the gap between the top management team and lower level workers. They implement strategy and organizational changes, keeping workers engaged during both good and bad economic cycles.
What happens if companies don't manage change?
If companies don’t manage change well, they will confront a “frozen” middle management and “vicious cycles of low morale and low engagement,” Ryan says. “Regardless of the economic climate, companies need to build a resilient workforce and engage the middle to go forward, because this is where change occurs.”
