22 Apr The Middle Manager as an Innovator

“Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out.” – Ronald Reagan

One might wonder, why even bother discussing middle managers? There is a widespread public notion that middle managers are faceless bureaucrats, forever trapped in purgatory. But the reality is quite different. An organization’s growth strategy is often critically dependent on the middle-management. They are the people who supervise the small operations in the company, communicate with customers, and design products and deliver services.

A study conducted by the Australian Institute of management revealed that 92.7% of top-level managers consider mid-level managers crucial to effectively implement change throughout the organization. Another survey revealed that 75% of change initiatives fail because they lack the support of employees. As such, it is not enough for top leaders to initiate change and wait for it to trickle down the organizational levels. Employees at every level of the organization should be involved in change because that is how a company remains relevant.

Evolution of the Middle Manager

“Fit no stereotypes. Don’t chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team’s mission.”-Colin Powell

To better illustrate how a middle manager evolves, I would like to share a story. John was working as an operations manager, and he had to report to the general manager of a product based team. He had no one working under him, no clear responsibilities, and no individual budget. He was given vague instruction to improve company performance by exploring options.

John started bargaining with sales managers and product managers in order to collect resources. He promised the product managers that he would negotiate with sales on their behalf, thus saving them some time. He even managed to get a budget from the product managers. Now that he had some money, he convinced the sales managers to hire sales personnel for each line of product. John was given the responsibility of hiring these people.

As a result of the improved market share for service and sales, John found it easy to receive the backing of the product managers when he decided to sell a product he had designed by himself. When a top-level manager asked him to explain the reason for his success in front of everyone, he gave credit to everyone working under him, thus turning them all into heroes.

To realize the importance of middle managers as innovators, one needs to take a look at the history of successful companies. These companies succeeded because of their constant innovation in terms of their products and improving their management strategies. Middle managers like John drive the change and innovation in big companies. Top leaders can issue instructions for cost-cutting, improving the quality of products and start a new market, but these instructions hardly carry any weight without mid-level managers carrying them out, designing the systems, and diverting the energy of the workforce.

Initiating change is not enough. The company needs to be somewhat restructured in order to adjust to the change. Furthermore, new products need to be designed, and new equipment needs to be installed for the better quality of products and services. All these depend on the capacity of middle managers for innovation. Middle managers who are given the freedom to innovate emerge as better leaders, swiftly adapting to change, and having a long-term vision.

The qualities of an Innovative Middle Manager

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” –Alan Kay

A study was conducted way back in 1982, to determine the effectiveness of middle managers working for large companies. It aimed to differentiate between managers who supported basic achievements and managers who effectuated innovative accomplishments. Basic achievements are different from innovative achievements not only in impact and reach but also in the cost required to accomplish them. Innovative achievements usually consist of tough scenarios where power, influence, and inventive solutions are necessary.

Thus, middle managers need to be daring, and willing to step out of their comfort zone. They need to gather support for their initiative to make some change that matters to the company. Let us look at the inspiring story of Dorothy, who was once a middle manager. When she became the head of an underdeveloped retail department, she was determined to use this opportunity to improve her career. But soon she realized the bad condition of the establishment, and she hoped to make a difference.

Dorothy interviewed a few of the customers and based on this information, she convinced her supervisor to make some changes to the department. She was the first one in her position to establish contact with the customers. But through her knowledge and determination, Dorothy managed to reorganize her department into a group of people specializing in the needs of the users.

Dorothy wanted to restructure the other retail departments that were in her area. Her own department was already hailed as the best one in the area. But Dorothy’s boss discouraged her, fearing that she was trying to take over his position. But Dorothy had established herself as an innovative middle manager, and she was given the green light by the upper management. She managed to combine all the departments into a single one, and this resulted in savings, efficiency, and enhanced customer satisfaction.

The above story justifies the statement that middle managers can suggest and initiate new ideas that the upper management might not have considered. They are able to do this because they are more familiar with the inner workings of the teams, as well as the operational activities. So does that mean any middle manager can initiate and facilitate change in an organization? No, it is not so. There are certain qualities that every innovative middle manager should possess. Let us look at them in detail.

Innovative middle managers are comfortable with change. They are certain that the confusion will eventually be cleared. They see unfulfilled demands as opportunities to grow. They are clear about what direction they are heading in. They pick their battles with great care. Sometimes setbacks cannot be avoided, and the best middle managers view these setbacks as temporary hindrances. They always have their eye on the prize and are not demotivated by minor failures.

Innovative middle managers are well prepared while presenting their ideas. They have some knowledge about the culture of the organization, and they know who in the company is most likely to back them up. They act less like managers and more like leaders. Like any good leader, they encourage their team to work hard for a common goal. They promise the team that everyone would get an equal share of the reward, and they keep their word.  Lastly, they are persuasive. Persistent persuasion is sometimes required to drive a change.

The Changing World of Business

“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.” –Andrew Carnegie

In today’s fast track digital world, businesses need to launch their services and products in the market in a swift manner, to stay ahead of the competition. For this, a new business body called the matrix organization was created. This was a departure from the conventional structure where information in an organization only moved from the top to the bottom and vice versa. Information never moved across the company, except at the executive level.

With advances made in communication technology, top-level executives could communicate with workers directly. This turned the middle manager position somewhat obsolete. But this new matrix design failed to be the universal cure it was predicted to be. Individual contributors lost their trust in the companies, and many middle managers lost their jobs.

Those who survived were now burdened with the jobs of others. With organizational structures getting flattened, middle managers now have fewer people working under them. The power of their authority has also waned. But this new world of business is witnessing the rise of a new breed of middle managers who are discovering their true potential and driving the change in their respective organizations.

Conclusion

Although their position was once threatened by changes in the organizational structure, mid-level managers are now playing crucial roles in shaping the future of their companies. Mid-level managers are now in a unique position to act as a stimulant for allowing companies to thrive in a changing environment.