Middle management serves an important function in a company’s organizational structure. These managers deal with individual employees and customers and serve as a buffer between top-level management and everyone else. The specific roles and responsibilities of a mid-level manager depends on the organization’s size, structure and company culture. Show
Middle management includes all of the management positions in a hierarchical company structure underneath the top management positions and above the non-management workers. These managers generally answer to top management, those who have executive titles such as CEO or CFO. Middle managers are typically in charge of a specific office, branch or group of workers. What positions are considered middle management?Positions generally considered middle management include:
Common duties and responsibilities of middle managersMiddle managers handle everyday issues that come up at a specific business site or in a specific department within the organization. While top management focuses on overall strategy and long-term planning for the company, middle management concentrates on interactions with workers and the day-to-day functioning of a specific site, office or department within the company. Some common duties and responsibilities of middle level managers include:
Benefits of hiring middle managersThe main reason to hire middle level managers is to take the burden of employee management and everyday operations off top-level managers. For smaller organizations with a single location and a small staff, the person or team running the company can handle most management tasks. As your organization grows, separating out management duties into senior management and middle management can help keep everything running smoothly and ensure adequate supervision of multiple physical job sites. Middle managers also put the big-picture plans of upper management into action. They are responsible for getting employees to buy into the overall company strategy and monitor whether things are working on a practical level. How to hire middle managersWhether you’re expanding into an organizational structure that requires middle management positions or replacing the manager of a branch or division, you need to find the right managers for each open position. Some steps to take when hiring a mid-level manager include: 1. Determine the management structure of your organizationBefore you can effectively place people in management positions, you need to assess your organizational structure. This might mean creating new departments within your company, such as HR, sales or facilities maintenance, that were previously overseen by a single individual. It could also mean planning for future expansion by setting up a structure for regional or divisional managers once you have opened multiple physical locations. 2. Outline the specific responsibilities of management and employeesMiddle managers coming into your organization need to know the responsibilities and requirements of each position in your organization. 3. Consider internal candidatesEmployees who have been part of your business for a while might be good candidates for a middle management position. If you plan to go this route, prepare potential management candidates with increasing responsibilities before you create the new management role. This may mean starting out by hiring externally and creating assistant manager positions that give promising employees management experience before moving up. Establishing a clear path for moving up within your company keeps lower-level employees happy. 4. Ask the right interview questionsPrior to the interview, develop a short list of the most important things you require in terms of a manager’s outlook and experience. Not every great mid-level manager is right for every organization, so you should include questions to determine whether each candidate fits into your company culture. Ask about previous successes and failures to determine how a particular management candidate might deal with unexpected emergencies or challenging situations. FAQsWhat makes a good middle manager?Leadership, interpersonal skills, communication skills and the ability to delegate tasks are all essential skills for a good middle manager. Flexibility is also important since middle managers are the ones who have to deal with immediate events and unexpected emergencies. Facilitating skills, such as conflict resolution and employee motivation, help a middle manager deal effectively with employees on a one-to-one basis. How do you manage a middle manager?Managing a middle manager effectively requires an understanding of the power dynamics within your company and a willingness to delegate. The job of a middle manager is to handle daily tasks and issues so senior management can focus on the bigger picture, so you need to choose middle managers who can handle this level of responsibility without direct interference. Scheduling regular skip level meetings or updates lets you track a mid-level manager’s performance without getting directly involved on a day to day basis. What skills do middle managers need?Middle managers need solid decision-making skills and the ability to communicate with and motivate employees. The most successful middle managers are adaptable. They can identify areas that need improvement and implement the necessary changes quickly. Organization is another important management skill at the branch or regional level since middle management needs to set goals and develop ways to measure and record progress at the employee or branch level. Middle management is the intermediate management level of a hierarchical organization that is subordinate to the executive management and responsible for ‘team leading’ line managers and/or ‘specialist’ line managers. Middle management is indirectly (through line management) responsible for junior staff performance and productivity.[1] Unlike line management, middle management is considered to be a senior (or semi-executive) position as middle managers are authorised to speak and act on behalf of the organisation to line managers, junior staff and customers.
A middle manager is a link between the senior management and the lower (junior) levels of the organization. Due to involvement into day-to-day running of a business, middle managers have the opportunity to report valuable information and suggestions from the inside of an organization.[2] Moreover, the middle manager is a channel of communication within the organization, as they pass on major decisions of executives and the main goals of an organization to lower levels of employees. This contributes to better coordination between workers and makes a company more united.[3] Primary responsibility of a middle manager is to implement a strategy, created by the executive level, in the most efficient way possible. In order to reach the target goals, a manager may adjust and interpret the initial plan.[4] Other functions can be divided into three main categories:[5] Middle managers are in charge of facilitating any changes needed in an organization and creating an effective working environment. They administer day-to-day routines, monitors performance and make sure everything is done in compliance with organization's needs.[6] One of the most important functions of a middle manager is motivating, leading and inspiring their subordinates. This also includes building a team and supporting any team member when necessary.
Strategic functions involve analyzing a subordinate group in terms of productivity and financial effectiveness, creating a strategy of improving the current situation and reporting to the executive management in the form of attending a boardroom meeting or a discussion. CompetenciesA number of competencies critical to become an effective middle manager.
Middle manager vs. line managerA middle management position is often mistakenly described as a similar to the line management one. However, there are some differences:[5]
The role of middle management is subjected to a number of criticisms. This position is often seen as unnecessary and middle managers are blamed for holding back the organization from achieving its full potential and using the influence for their own purposes. InfluenceMiddle management is often accused of possessing too much influence. Their centric position in an organization allows to influence strategy and actions in "both upward and downward direction".[4] When supplying information to the executive level, middle managers interpret it subjectively and may insinuate it with their own opinion and evaluation.[8] Further, proximity to the boardroom makes it easy for the manager to promote their own interests, by "synthesizing" the information and presenting data from a certain strategic perspective.[9] The same level of influence can be exploited by a middle manager towards the lower staff. Driven by the reasons of maintaining a reputation, strengthening the power and influence, middle manager may introduce company's major strategic decisions in a light, beneficial way for their designs.[10] ResistanceMiddle managers' reluctance to lose control in their teams and satisfaction with a settled situation could lead to their resistance in any changes in the strategy or direction of an organization. Usually, the resistance does not take an aggressive form such as refusal to carry out tasks or unconcealed confrontation, but result in a lack of support and eagerness to convey only those tasks, impact of which is clearly visible to the top management.[11] This creates barriers to a growth of a company and lags the overall working process. NecessityThe overall necessity of middle managers in an organization is questioned. They are said to be too costly, non-effective and constantly underperforming employees. It has been stated[by whom?] that middle managers do not carry out their main duties of linking the organization and reporting effectively, which leads to a block of communication between different levels of staff.[12] Thus, as rapid growth of globalization put pressures on businesses in terms of cost effectiveness and speed of information flow within the organization, middle management make companies less flexible and competitive.[13] Development of information technology enabled an increase in the span of control and reduced the need for middle management. Moreover, an increasingly big number of modern organizations become flatter and downsized in the pursuit of flexibility, higher competitiveness and innovation. According to David Williams, flat organizations promote greater intercommunication and efficiency of the workers.[14] As a result, many organizations are being restructured, middle management is being reduced and their roles are thought to be out-dated and unnecessary. At the same time, there is still a need in a middle manager as an employee and they continue playing a significant role in organizations, specifically in setting an overall strategy and targets.[15] Changes in the global market forced them to become more flexible, stress-resistant, acquire new skills.
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What is the importance of middle managers?
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