Article of Interest: The Days of Middle Managers Are Over

Call it what you like -- extinction, thing of the past or obsolescence -- but the potential death of mid managers is something we should all look at within our own organizations. For example, do you have a General Manager? How many middle managers is he or she managing? The following article warrants a rethink on your organizational chart.

Quick snippet:

“The days of general managers who know a little about a lot of things are completely over,” says Ms Gratton. As the developed world moves towards knowledge-based industries, she says, there is no longer a workforce that can be “managed by looking at it”. It is not enough simply to monitor how many hours workers spend at their station. Teams are now often comprised of peers focusing on a particular project who, aided by technology, now also monitor output and give each other feedback—two classic roles of the middle manager. Rather than general management, Ms Gratton argues that corporate types should develop mastery of one or two areas—"such as leading complex teams or understanding how virtual communities work"—and be prepared to bone up on new specializations quickly, as the needs of business change.

Read the entire article here.

Illustration credit (related to above) here.