Not a Dinosaur: Re-Inventing the Middle Manager

Far more than previously thought, the success or failure of major organisational change and innovation hinges on the involvement and effectiveness of middle-level managers (MLMs).  Leading from the top and having the brightest and best strategies for change and innovation is not enough to ensure successful outcomes.

A recent research study of 56 companies that had gone through major change initiatives revealed that nearly 68% failed to achieve the anticipated benefits and outcomes.  It is worth pausing and thinking about how much capital, time, human resources and energy were wasted in the 68% of failed change efforts. Of course, the full costs of these failures are never calculated; suffice it to say, they would make the average board director or senior executive feel giddy and go weak at the knees. 

Middle Managers:  Are they the Unsung Heroes of Change Initiatives?

So what did the study reveal as the main differences between the organisations that successfully implemented change and the 68% that failed?  Surprisingly the key difference is the involvement and effectiveness of the middle-level managers who operated as the "levers of change, influencing those above and below them in the corporate hierarchy."  

For large change initiatives to be successful (the other 32% of organisations) senior executives and change managers must involve and empower their MLMs from the earliest stages of the project.  From the study, here are three ways to do so: 

(1) Inform your MLMs how the changes will align with their own personal and professional aspirations.  In this way, they will understand what it means for them and will be personally connected and involved.

(2) Gain their active involvement and contributions in cross-boundary and cross-functional teams.  

(3) Ensure that MLMs are directly involved and become responsible for the changes. Their ownership of the change initiative increases when they are able to decide what is going to happen, how and when. 

A key reason that a large proportion of change initiatives failed over the last two decades is the high number of MLM roles that were stripped out of the organisational structures.  The rationale that middle management could be replaced or replicated by computer technologies is now being called into serious question.  The real worth of having an actual live manager two levels or so down from the CEO to facilitate the success of change is revealed in this study.  

It turns out that middle managers are not the dinosaurs of the 21st century organisation.  We should stop perceiving them as expendable and making these roles redundant.  From this study, it is clear that the organisations that retained and valued their middle managers have been rewarded by the success of their change initiatives over the last two decades.  

Let's acknowledge the high worth and raise the status of the middle manager in our corporate, government and non-profit organisations. I believe the time is overdue to review, reinvent and promote the success-critical role of the MLM.  What are your thoughts?

Lynne Lloyd 
Managing Director 
People Results 
Executive Coaching and Talent Development Programs
1300 167 981 
enquiries@peopleresults.com.au 
www.peopleresults.com.au  (We apologise that our website may be offline.  We are currently designing and constructing a new site, ETD 3rd July 2013.)