Middle Managers – Feeling Stuck With No Place To Go

Why do many middle managers feel so disconnected and unhappy?  This is an important question for companies to address because middle managers, who may already suffer some prejudice regarding the importance of their role, play an essential part in the success of any organization.

A short time ago, the Harvard Business Review collected information from the most unengaged employees within a sample of over 320,000 employees in various American organizations.[1]  Despite their scores for engagement and commitment being in the bottom 5%, these employees, who numbered almost 16,000, were not as a group the worst performers.

In fact, some of the characteristics which many shared included a mid-level manager role, college degree, five to ten years in the job, and a “good” performance rating.  Here, we look at some of the factors which the study suggests can lead to dissatisfaction among this group of workers.

Ineffective Leadership

Middle managers who feel that more senior leaders in the organization offer them little or no support will obviously be less happy and committed.  If the leadership team makes an effort to fully recognize the importance of middle managers by nurturing and supporting them in their day-to-day roles and future development, they will not only motivate managers to be more engaged, they will also model the behaviour which managers can themselves apply to properly support their direct reports.  Contentment and commitment can be spread from the top to the bottom.

No Sign of Career Progression

Mid-level managers are less likely to contribute in an inspired manner to achieving organizational goals where they see no opportunities for career development or promotion.  The problem is exacerbated if an organization fails to delineate a clear path to such opportunities.  Once managers believe that they are permanently stalled on the middle rung of an organization, their response may not be to simply get out but instead may be to disengage and perform their duties in a perfunctory manner which contributes very little to the organization’s growth.

Senior leaders must interact with middle managers regularly in order to gauge where they see themselves in coming years and to offer them the necessary feedback and guidance on how they may succeed in reaching personal as well as organizational objectives.

Lack of Meaningfulness

A manager who sees little meaning or purpose in their role, possibly even believing that it makes no difference to the organization, will have little pride and commitment.  If they are shown the importance of their role, they will feel that what they do is worthwhile and requires their full engagement.

Other Factors

There are various other reasons which can lead middle managers to lack the motivation to contribute energetically to an organization’s mission.  While these factors, like the ones discussed above, can apply to employees at all levels, they may sometimes be seen as ones which a manager should be able to “rise above”.

These other factors include feeling that one is: treated inequitably compared with others; carrying a greater share of the workload; being taken advantage of while not being appreciated; and seeing the organization as inefficient, ineffective and closed to the ideas of its managers.  No one at any level of an organization is immune to such emotions.  And sometimes these emotions accurately reflect the environment in which people work.

Impact on the Bottom Line

Even if the number of middle managers who are unhappy and unmotivated constitutes a small percentage of all the employees in a particular organization, they can still have a substantial negative impact on other employees and on the achievement of overall organizational goals, including profit targets.

No matter how well senior leaders design organizational strategies “on paper”, committed mid-level managers are necessary to implement them effectively.  Industries that thrive on innovative and creative ideas have a particular need for managers who can develop realistic ways to execute those ideas in keeping with the organization’s priorities and resources.

Middle managers can be as important or more important than other employees to organizational success.  “[T]he often overlooked and sometimes-maligned middle managers matter.  They are not interchangeable parts in an organization.”[2]

The leadership team must communicate frequently with middle managers in order to give and receive feedback.  Managers should be invited to share their feelings about any concerns they have with their present role and about their career aspirations.  Assurances should be provided that serious efforts will be made to resolve these concerns where appropriate.

Managers should also be asked directly whether they see any issues with business processes and how they think these issues should be addressed to best meet the organization’s goals and targets.  These ongoing communications will provide senior leaders with an opportunity to coach managers where improvements in their people management and technical skills are necessary.  But leaders should acknowledge and recognize the accomplishments of middle managers openly and frequently.

[1] “Why Middle Managers Are So Unhappy”, by Zenger and Folkman (Harvard Business Review, November 24, 2014):  http://bit.ly/1xTSYj7.

[2] “Why Middle Managers May Be the Most Important People in Your Company”, quoting Wharton School management professor Ethan Mollick (Knowledge@Wharton, May 25, 2011): http://whr.tn/1Dd6q5r.