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I swear I haven't read an informative AI article in months, and in fact most of them could be written by drivel-driven AI's. But: > People speak derisively abo
by kerblang 3y ago
I swear I haven't read an informative AI article in months, and in fact most of them could be written by drivel-driven AI's. But:
> People speak derisively about middle managers because their outputs are hard to define and monitor—they are viewed, sometimes unfairly, as a mere link in the chain
I speak derisively about middle managers for being short-sighted, petty, political, outright crooked and lacking any interest in the success of the business. In the software development world they're at best useless and often so full of spite and contempt for employees as to be net negative. I've had a few first-level managers that I really appreciated - genuinely good people - but the middle is just about all garbage. I think a lot gets blamed on executives when the middle managers are where the actual toxicity is coming from. However little or much your employees might care about your business, your middle mgmt almost always cares less.
- rqtwteye 3y ago" I think a lot gets blamed on executives when the middle managers are where the actual toxicity is coming from. " Executives are hiring these middle managers and they don't do anything about the dysfunction although they have the power to do something. "The fish rots from the head".
- jaredhallen 3y agoThat's not been my experience at all. What I've seen is that top management far too often prioritizes short term (i.e. quarterly) profitability above all else. And poo flows down hill. Middle management is stuck in the "middle," as it were - unable to meaningfully impact decisions but being held responsible for carrying them out and taking all the heat for them.
- adventured 3y agoThat's a fairly accurate take imo, as systems like middle management ultimately operate based on what incentives you feed them over time. Middle management is hired by and incentivized by the structures the top management installs (from HR to pay to morality & culture). If your middle management sucks, it's because your top management are setting priorities that drive that outcome.
- simonh 3y agoI'm bottom tier management so I work with middle management directly a bit. All of this is just the organisations Ive been in, I'm sure there are every possible kind. Top level management is often driven by short term incentives, they want dramatic big bang 'transformative change', while middle management is largely in it for their career. So they're pressurised for short term goals, but their actual career stability and advancement depends on middle to long term success. What's really important is making sure the signal from the ground level gets to middle management. A lot of reporting process and bullshit is because middle management want to understand what the heck is going on and that's the only reliable way they have to get information. So politely and as constructively as possible go to them and tell them what you think they need to know. I'm not guaranteeing they will listen to you, but if you don't try then all they will have is reporting spreadsheets.
- varelse 3y ago[dead]
- jurgenaut23 3y agoYou know you’re wrong when you’re so entrenched and extreme on any topic, let alone one that is highly emotional. That there are plenty of toxic and useless middle managers, I don’t dispute that. But middle management is what makes or breaks any large organization.
- pg_1234 3y agoIt is the rent seeking layer of human capital, ultimately siphoning off credit for all surplus productivity.