First, let’s define the term “middle management”. It is a term typically given to department heads that supervise front-line managers, implement strategy, solve problems, and serve as a feedback loop to the department VP and President/C-Suite Execs. The role of middle management is pivotal in many manufacturing organizations, even more so in today’s economy. These managers are not only responsible for fostering a high-performance team environment, but they also act as the crucial link between strategic vision and day-to-day operations. They play a fundamental role in talent development, a factor that’s crucial for any growing organization’s health and financial performance. You’d think, as such an important asset, managers would be used in far more meaningful ways, however, a recent survey proves otherwise. Surveyed middle managers, reported spending nearly half of their working time on nonmanagerial work rather than focusing on the work that makes an organization run: nurturing talent.
Managers can’t achieve greatness in isolation. They need a supportive ecosystem, which includes clear expectations, targeted training, inspiring leadership examples, and adequate infrastructural support. Research shows that having more top-performing middle managers leads to much better financial outcomes. What actions can leaders and organizations take to create more top-performing managers and, in turn, increase the value they bring?
Optimize the organization’s structure
In organizational design, many companies focus on finding the right “spans”—the magic number of employees a manager can oversee to achieve optimal effectiveness and efficiency. There are two common challenges to this approach. Overly large spans create a massive strain on managers’ time, leaving them with little opportunity to give meaningful coaching or spend sufficient time on strategy. The opposite is also true. Strong individual contributors are “rewarded” with people leadership responsibilities that take them away from the individual-contributor work they would prefer to continue doing. Both scenarios put a strain on the organization.
By systematically reviewing an organization’s structure, leaders can identify where their managers are not set up to succeed and create value. We once performed an organizational audit for an Additive Manufacturing client and found several managers who had no direct reports. The company optimized its structure by creating healthier manager spans and transitioning some people managers into expert roles that were better suited to their strengths and aspirations. These shifts improved the efficiency of the team, with no reduction in head count.
Reset Manager Roles
Leaders and organizations can conduct a thorough review of manager roles (using, for example, focus groups and calendar analysis) and categorize management tasks based on whether they add value or not. Begin to look for ways to automate repetitive tasks, ban unnecessary meetings, and eliminate as much bureaucratic work as possible—for instance, administering forms, complex approvals, and reports that are not necessary for people development and safety. This is where emerging technologies like generative AI can help.
The Pivot
Once the organization has given managers a fighting chance of spending time on what matters, it can define what great looks like, clearly communicate the vision, and provide any related upskilling.
Business strategy and values together are the first lens through which to prioritize these manager behaviors. The focus should be on which practices allow the organization to best unleash business impact and live up to its commitments to employees and stakeholders. For example, organizations focused on flawless execution may want to prioritize operational discipline, challenging leadership, and personal ownership to deliver on their business strategy, whereas those looking to innovate could prioritize managers that encourage their teams to be creative, entrepreneurial, open, and trusting.
Is Your Cup Being Poured Into
Research shows that middle managers are the most burned-out job level across organizations and that there is a huge purpose gap, particularly between frontline managers and executives. Things to consider:
Increase purpose. First, encourage employees to see the role as a destination, rather than a stepping stone for bigger and better things. Removing the stigma and highlighting all the benefits of the role can help drive feelings of purpose. Second, ensure the connection between the managerial role is crystal clear, including to the organization’s overall purpose.
Foster inclusion. Women and people of color remain underrepresented in managerial roles, and organizations could do more to prioritize their inclusion. Programs to facilitate the mentorship, apprenticeship, and sponsorship of managers, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, can have a meaningful impact on their experience in the role.
Accountability Mechanisms
The final step is to build accountability mechanisms to help reinforce what great looks like and to give middle managers continuous progress updates on how they are doing. The greatest formal mechanism is an organization’s performance management system, from goal setting to continuous feedback, performance review, and consequence management. There should be a tight connection between what leaders want managers to do with respect to thinking strategically and coaching others and how they are rewarded.
Companies can no longer afford to overlook their middle managers, who are key contributors to both organizational health and financial performance.
Leaders, take note: top performers will not only be better equipped to nurture the talent that is the foundation of a healthy workplace but could also help increase investment by directly adding to the bottom line revenue. That’s a win–win!
So How Can We Help You…
When you’re ready to grow and expand your Engineering and Operational Leadership Teams, here are 3 ways that we can help:
1. We partner with your existing talent acquisition teams to help attract and retain Engineers and the frontline leaders that drive productivity.
2. Reduce the cost of acquiring and training new hires by supporting and enhancing the efforts of your onboarding team for the first 90 days.
3. Provide a no-cost assessment of your hiring strategies with a 15-minute consultation:
