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Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work Hardcover – July 18, 2023
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If you're thinking of cutting your midlevel managers in the new world of work, think again.
"Middle manager." The term evokes a bygone industrial era in which managers functioned like cogs in a vast bureaucratic machine. In recent decades, midlevel managers became a favorite target for the chopping block—underappreciated, often considered a superfluous layer of the organization.
Not only does this outdated perspective need to change, but the future demands it. In Power to the Middle, McKinsey thought leaders Bill Schaninger, Bryan Hancock, and Emily Field call for a profound reimagining of managers and their roles. They explain how middle managers are uniquely positioned close to the ground but with a crucial connection to company strategy, enabling them to guide their organizations through periods of rapid and complex change, as well as to help shape the new world of work.
The authors compellingly illustrate this deep shift in the workplace, showing how:
- Managers are the key to winning the war for talent, which requires strong people skills to attract and retain the best talent.
- Managers must shift from merely enforcing rules to challenging them, serving as critical stopgaps for rules that are ineffective or obsolete.
- Crucially, good managers must not be promoted out of their jobs. Instead, their title and compensation should reflect their high value and allow them to advance within their roles.
With rich stories and cutting-edge research, Power to the Middle offers a new model for companies to radically alter the way they hire, train, and reward their midlevel managers—their most valuable asset.
- Print length256 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarvard Business Review Press
- Publication dateJuly 18, 2023
- Dimensions6.5 x 1 x 9.5 inches
- ISBN-101647824850
- ISBN-13978-1647824853
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"In this timely book, the authors describe the value that middle managers provide in organizations that are complex and adaptive to disruptions. This book integrates best practices in management for the new workplace." — TD magazine (Association for Talent Development)
Named one of the Ten Best Business Books of 2023 by Forbes
Named one of the Top 23 Leadership Books of 2023 by The Next Big Idea Club
"This is a surprisingly sprightly book, full of personal insights, experiences and regrets." — the Financial Times
Advance Praise for Power to the Middle:
"Now more than ever, we at Walmart are underscoring the critical role our managers play in communities around the world, and we continue to invest in their growth and development. This welcome research from McKinsey reinforces how critical these investments are." — Donna Morris, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, Walmart
"Delta's success is driven by our ninety thousand people worldwide, and our leaders and managers play a critical role in maintaining that momentum. This book provides practical ideas on how to support midlevel managers and celebrate their important impact." — Ed Bastian, CEO, Delta Air Lines
"A playbook to unleash the power of your talent, drive strategy execution, and elevate your business performance." — Mona Malone, Chief Human Resources Officer and Head of People & Culture, BMO Financial Group
"An illuminating and inspiring read on why investing in your people managers matters now more than ever, with actionable insights for leaders navigating the evolution of the workplace and workforce." — Michael Fraccaro, Chief People Officer, Mastercard
"Middle managers are the key to driving sustained value creation in organizations. Power to the Middle demonstrates why and provides business leaders with the tools they need to optimize the performance of these mission-critical people." — Eric Kutsenda, cofounder and Managing Partner, Seidler Equity Partners
"Our talent strategy helps us to reach more patients more quickly with life-changing thera-pies. Middle managers are at the center of this process, and this book helps CEOs understand why and how they should reimagine the role of managers in their organizations." — Tim Walbert, Chairman, President, and CEO, Horizon Therapeutics
"It's inspiring to read this recognition and celebration of middle managers and to have a guide to their engagement. They are the leaders who hold the keys to deep customer and front-line employee relationships." — David Baiada, CEO, BAYADA Home Health Care
About the Author
Bill Schaninger is a senior partner emeritus in McKinsey's Philadelphia office. He is an international speaker, author, and adviser to senior leaders and government officials on the topics of talent, culture, values, and the broad impact of "how you run the place" on performance.
Bryan Hancock is a partner in McKinsey's Washington, DC, office and one of the global leaders of McKinsey's talent work. Through his research and client service, he has focused on connecting workers to opportunities, building their skills, and improving their day-to-day experience on the job.
Emily Field is a partner in McKinsey's Seattle office. She advises organizations globally across industries to deliver on their performance goals and people aspirations, with the role of the middle manager front and center.
Connect with the authors at mckinsey.com.
Product details
- Publisher : Harvard Business Review Press (July 18, 2023)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 256 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1647824850
- ISBN-13 : 978-1647824853
- Item Weight : 1.22 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.5 x 1 x 9.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #61,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #139 in Workplace Culture (Books)
- #640 in Business Management (Books)
- #948 in Leadership & Motivation
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Bryan is a leader of McKinsey's client service on talent, and he is committed to connecting people to opportunity in the future of work. He serves a wide-range of talent-intensive businesses on people-related topics, as well as institutions in the public and social sector.
Throughout his McKinsey career, Bryan has followed his passion for improving the "human" capital of the United States through his research and client service: from boosting outcomes in K-12 public education --- to creating new job opportunities --- to improving skills and the day-to-day experience on the job. And, across his work, he has recognized the power and potential of great mid-level leaders.
Bryan is an author of Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work, and he is a co-host of the podcast McKinsey Talks Talent.
Emily Field partners with C-Suite teams to make talent a competitive advantage that enables business strategies. She is driven by the core belief that diverse and inclusive organizations that take a data-driven approach to building a high-performance culture outperform their peers. Emily helps organizations to elevate the HR function as a true driver of business value. Her work spans North America and Europe, advising leading global companies to build the people strategies needed to win.
Emily is an author of Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work, published by Harvard Business Review Press. This book addresses misconceptions about middle managers and shows that, when supported, they can play a pivotal role in guiding organizations through periods of rapid and complex change. Power to the Middle also offers a new model for senior leaders to empower managers and unleash organizational success.
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
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In the Introduction, they explain: "A word about the stories here. We take the confidentiality of our clients very seriously. At the same time, we wanted to take you deep inside what it's like to be a middle manager in this pivotal era The best way to do that was to use composite stores, which realistically represent our combined experiences with our clients while still protecting their anonymity." Their storytelling skills are comparable with those of Eliyahu Goldratt and Patrick Lencioni as they illustrate real-world issues anchored within real-world circumstances.
Their thesis is that for more than thirty years, with rare exceptions, middle managers are "mishandled" in order to pursue "a cost-cutting opportunity" by using mathematically focused measures. Reducing the cost and limiting the duties of middle managers have produced short-term savings but created long-term results at far greater costs. That is, 'the very management layer that has been so severely beaten down is now absolutely vital to achieving organizational success. And most senior leaders still don't realize that." Compensation for talent is not a cost...it is an INVESTMENT.
Why do so many organizations fail to see middle managers as their "most valuable" players?
Schaninger, Hancock, and Field are convinced -- and I agree -- that middle managers are the key to creating and then strengthening a workplace culture within which personal growth and professional development are most likely to thrive. As they exlain, "Management trends over the last several decades have created a perception of middle managers that doesn't match with reality in regard to the importance of the role they play and the value they create. Many senior leaders put middle managers to the wrong use, requiring them to do too many catch-all tasks. This has left middle managers feeling stretched beyond their limits, undervalued, and sometimes responsible for situations and issues outside their purview. By asking middle managers to do more, they're able to accomplish less., obscuring their real [potential] value to the organization."
They focus on six areas where middle managers can take the lead:
1. Rebundle jobs rather than eliminate them.
2. Actively recruit and retain workers.
3. Continuously coach and develop employees.
4. Use data to solve problems in a thoughtful way.
5. Work productively with human resources
6. Strive to connect the work to the people instead of people to the work.
Companies annually ranked among those most highly admired and best to work for are also annually ranked among those most profitable, who have the greatest cap value in their industry segment. This is not a coincidence. However different they may be in most respects, all of these companies have strong middle managers. After examining the results of recent research studies, I noticed that when asked what is most important to them, most employees and customers ranked feeling appreciated either first or second. Middle managers are -- or can be -- best qualified and best situated to respond effectively to that need.
The material in Power to the Middle explains HOW.
Obviously, no brief commentary such as mine could possibly do full justice to the wealth of information, insights, and counsel that Bill Schaninger, Bryan Hancock, and Emily Field provide. However, I hope I have at least indicated why I think so highly of them and of their brilliant contribution to knowledge leadership, especially now when the business world is more volatile, more uncertain, more complex, and more ambiguous than at any prior time that I can recall.
Here are two concluding suggestions: Highlight key passages, and, keep a lined notebook near at hand while reading Power to the Middle in which you record your comments, questions, action steps (preferably with deadlines), and page references as well as your responses to the questions posed in the text and to lessons you have learned. (Pay close attention to the "Key Points" at the end of chapters.) These two simple tactics will facilitate, indeed expedite frequent reviews of key material later.
Technological innovation was a primary force during the '90s leading to new products and services like Amazon, Microsoft and many others. There was a huge '08 market crash brought on by over-leveraging and too little regulation of the financial sector. Ultimately, middle management streamlined operations and learned how to do more with less! Strategic thinking supplanted excess organizational hierarchy in favor of right sizing the manufactured product.
Organizations produced products and services based upon customer need over historical items no longer in great demand by today's customers and current market demand. , "Power To The Middle..." recognizes that middle management is the front line for testing applying new ideas and processes with a view toward practicality and workability in the real world. The authors should give due credit to the workers who move the product line forward on a continuous basis.
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Best parts: practical examples of middle manager working life challenges and solutions
Even Better If: Contained more emphasis on middle manager role in strategy execution