While their contributions might be overshadowed by those of upper management, middle managers can provide an immense amount of real value—but only if senior leaders provide the organizational context for their success.
More than 90 percent of U.S. employees report to a middle manager, and the single most important determinant of employees’ performance and satisfaction is their manager. But, pulled in all directions and bogged down by administrative tasks, middle managers spend less than 25 percent of their time actually managing people and nurturing talent, according to new research. It’s no wonder they are frustrated and 43 percent say they are burned out.
During a McKinsey Live webinar, partners Emily Field and Bryan Hancock discussed the importance of the oft-maligned middle layer of management, as explicated in their new book, coauthored with McKinsey alum Bill Schaninger, Power to the Middle: Why Middle Managers Hold the Key to the Future of Work. Their analysis reveals that companies able to tap the potential of middle managers deliver three times greater returns to shareholders. Navigators, coaches, and talent magnets with both granular knowledge and a connection to company strategy, good middle managers know how to get the most out of their people. They do so by providing the context, guidance, tools, and psychological safety that get the work done while making workers’ jobs meaningful.
But no one is born with management abilities, nor do they absorb them through osmosis. It’s up to senior leaders to create an environment that enables middle managers to do their jobs successfully—by investing in coaching and teaching people-leadership skills as well as empowering, trusting, and, above all, valuing their middle managers. Companies need to dispel the assumption that all managers are on a path to senior management and elevate the role of middle manager: treat middle management as a profession, with higher compensation, rewards for good people leadership, and a path to advancement within the role. With more power in the middle, managers can play a vital role in the organizational restructuring these times require.
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For more on this topic, read Power to the Middle and watch an interview with the authors. Also see the middle-manager survey results “Stop wasting your most precious resource: Middle managers,” the blog post “Middle managers hold the key to unlock generative AI,” the article “Investing in middle managers pays off—literally,” and the McKinsey Quarterly article “Middle managers are the heart of your company.”
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