Why middle management isn't dead

It’s more like re-birthing

It’s fashionable to say it’s over for middle managers. The theory goes that everything they did before either is, or will be, sorted out by new technology.

I don’t know what businesses these people are talking about. But let’s take an obvious candidate – Information Technology.  Change in that industry is rapid, and technology is increasingly complex. But I have yet to find an IT company that isn’t dependent on sound middle management to make sure they can reliably deliver their services.

Middle management is not dying; it’s being redefined. The skill set is changing, but it still requires skill. Someone has to make sure that something is happening. Try running any business where you don’t have a strata of middle managers to ensure that strategy is turned into action.

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Getting traction on change

Sometimes it’s better to lower the bar

Parents walk a tightrope between encouraging their children on one hand, and turning them off on the other. Some obsess about getting their kids to “reach their potential”. Others are so protective their children never get to “stretch” a little and discover new ground.

Where to set the bar is problematic. No one knows where it should be. In business, managers and entrepreneurs regularly set it too high. It’s all lofty talk about “raising the bar”, or clichés about getting going when the going gets tough.

I do not mean the actual goals are too ambitious. It’s more to do with the ladder they put in place to reach them. Either they set the rungs too far apart, or they expect the ladder to be ascended at an unrealistic speed.

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Working with others

Appraise what’s going right, not wrong

Performance appraisal does not have a great record. Studies show it can curb performance rather than enhance it. Control groups free of such practices regularly outperform those subjected to it. There can be fear around it for the employee. The person charged with carrying it out is often untrained and finds it little more than a time-consuming irritation.

So, should you do it? 

If you feel any of the above, and have no training it, the answer is probably no. Handled badly, it can work against relationships rather than enhance them. There is an unfortunate tendency to focus only on history and what is going wrong.

The opposite view is this

Take a positive approach to the issue. Drop the word appraisal and take a mirror image of classic techniques. Reverse the ingrained emotions you have around the process and focus on personal development rather than performance appraisal. Look at how to go forward.

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Treat colleagues like customers

Try this just for today

I once worked in a restaurant where the owner was totally focussed on customer service. The diner’s experience had to be perfect.

Unfortunately, he was obsessive. If a waitress returned to the kitchen to refill a salt shaker, she would not be acknowledged for being on the case. Instead, she would be castigated for not having sorted it out before the diner arrived.

People hated working there. No one felt they were on the same team. Staff turnover was massive. The food was good but the business was a disaster.

Customer service has become a mantra, but if you want a balanced and successful business, extend the idea of service beyond your customers.

What about colleague service?

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