Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work
Bill Schaninger, Bryan Hancock, and Emily Field
Harvard Business Review Press (July 2023)

“Vision without execution is hallucination” Thomas Edison

At the outset of this brief commentary, it is important to note that Bill Schaninger, Bryan Hancock, and Emily Field have co-authored a work of non-fiction in which they make brilliant use of narrative devices that are basic to works of fiction such as setting, background, characters, plot development, conflicts, etc.

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 nvestment.

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 explain, “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.