In an interview by Lawrence Delevigne and J. Brandon Darin on CNNMoney.com's Fortune, Paul Osterman, professor of human resources and management at M.I.T.'s Sloan School of Management, talks about the plight of middle managers - in keeping with the theme of his latest book, The Truth About Middle Managers (Harvard Business Press).
In the current climate, middle managers are more vulnerable to layoffs and Osterman observes: "Now, virtually all middle managers are nervous, and in that sense it's a new world. You didn't used to have to be worried; now you do."
Osterman has some advice for business leaders in dealing with middle management. He says: "Clearly in this environment, there's going to be layoffs and restructuring, but I think that it's pretty clear that, first off, top management has to be willing to share the pain, that it can't be perceived as top management pushing the cost entirely on other people."
He adds: "And secondly, there should be as much transparency about the process as possible, how it's being done, what criteria are being used."
Osterman underlines the importance of middle managers and advises that top management should be understanding of the difficulties of the middle tier. "I think, if you talk to senior management, they know that they can't function without a strong, effective middle management core," he says. "Middle management plays a central role, not just in making decisions, executing as they do, but they're the information channel in the organization."
In defense of middle managers
Lawrence Delevingne and J. Brandon Darin, Fortune, 09/03/09
