According to a report from management consulting firm Development Dimensions International, 62% of CEOs do not rate their middle managers very highly. And unfortunately, many CEOs see middle managers as less valuable, compared to their executive leadership cohort.
Abraham Zaleznick first coined the phrase “middle manager” in 1977. He categorized leaders as either strategic or administrative and today’s middle managers are still often considered villains to the workers, and simply paper pushers to executives.
Over the past several decades, experts have forecast the extinction of middle managers. And middle managers have been laid off in disproportionate numbers since the 1980s. Now, many middle managers are starting to question their own existence. As Fast Company’s Julia Herbst writes, “no one wants to be a middle manager anymore.”
However, I believe under-appreciating middle managers is a mistake. Here’s how to ensure we don’t waste the talents of middle managers everywhere.
The under-appreciated value of middle managers
Middle managers have the power to solve organizational problems with detail, scale, and connection that top executives (and AI) cannot hope to emulate.
Many organizations are concerned about retaining great employees. According to McKinsey, workers’ relationships with management account for 86% of workers’ satisfaction at work. In this way, middle managers can serve as a valuable lever for retention.
According to a study from The Workforce Institute at UKG, 70% of people report their manager has “the greatest impact on their mental health, on par with the impact of their partner.” This indicates that middle managers can improve worker well-being—and raises questions about corporate investments in yoga sessions and work pets, which often don’t have the same impact on well-being.
And many teams are currently locked in a battle over hybrid work. However, middle managers have the perfect combination of personal relationship and corporate authority to cajole unwilling workers back to the office.
Plus, going into 2024, many organizations are realizing the need to cut costs. Only middle managers know exactly where the waste is high and the risks are low—offering value that far exceeds the cost of management consultants, and their red pens.
When an organization needs to upskill or reskill, middle managers know role requirements and the people intimately, and are best placed to support an accurate needs analysis and to help with learning, development, and day-to-day coaching.
Finally, middle managers can help attract top talent. In a market where culture statements are homogenous, and benefits are competitive, the unique rapport built with hiring managers is one of the only things that truly stands out to the top talent teams are trying to secure.
How to get the most out of middle managers
But how do you empower middle managers to actually apply these talents? How do you move your middle managers from surviving to thriving—and let them add even more value to your bottom line? There are a few obstacles in the way of middle managers that teams can remove.
A survey from Gartner found that the average manager has 51% more responsibilities than they can effectively manage. More than half their time is spent doing individual contributor work, and the other half is mired in people administration. You can address this by reviewing the types of work that you require middle managers to do and streamlining or delegating lower value and lower risk tasks.
BoldHR’s research has found that one of the most pressing concerns among midlevel leaders is their own confidence. Leading from the middle is lonely, and for many middle managers their sense of identity, role expectations, and how to add value can be confusing. To help middle managers, leaders can provide role clarity. Too many middle managers feel like a dumping ground for miscellaneous tasks
One study found that 82% of new leaders have never been trained or coached to lead. Businesses often spend more on compliance training than they do on leadership training, with the most neglected cohort being midlevel leaders. In a recent survey of 250 leaders, BoldHR found that 96% of experienced leaders are desperate for targeted, experience-appropriate training.
A cost-free lever that most organizations can address is to reset the reputation of middle management. Many workers believe being a middle manager is a terrible job. A recent survey found that 62% of professionals don’t want to become managers, and 20% of existing managers would quit leadership if they could afford to. Fortunately, you can shift the perception of middle management jobs in your company.
Emphasize that being a part of middle management is no longer simply a poorly defined, poorly supported pathway into the C-suite. Communicate that career middle managers are not failed C-suite wannabes.
My team’s research shows that 80% of leaders don’t want to join the C-suite, but instead want their role to be seen as a fully differentiated, influential, and highly prized career destination. This could very well be middle management.
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