Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work

by Bill Schaninger, Bryan Hancock, Emily Field

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Not only does this outdated perspective need to change, but the future demands it.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

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.

Genres: Business, Management, Leadership, Nonfiction, Professional Development

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 18, 2023

Reviews

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book and easy read. What I am afraid is that:

- it is missing clear action items
- does not talk enough about financial impact
- will be read by middle managers but actually should be read by top managers (so they implement the ideas in the book)

[D K Berchelmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a huge interest in mid-management right now, and wanted to see what the book contributed to that end in today’s org.

It’s an ok read. Basically, execs need to share more power, clear the deck and remove superfluous tasks and responsibilities from mid-managers. Nothing too new there, though authors seem quite enthusiastic about it.

The irony of a bunch of McKinsey consultants now extolling the benefits of mid-managers (their usual target for cost reductions) is not lost. The authors try several times to explain why “it’s different now,'" though it does seem a bit opportunistic and disingenuous.

Full disclosure, I was a corp exec when a tribe of McKensey-ites recommended wholesale cuts across our "middle," and my arguments almost cost me my job.

Ok.

Most of the book speaks to the reason we need mid-managers is to help employees with their personal “purpose.” Though I agree that’s significant, I don’t know if it’s the do-all, end-all that the book describes. A bit disappointed to see a clear bias for some issues during the apocalypse. Not surprised, just...

The book has some decent stories and story-telling; sort of “behold the middle managers, the unsung pillars, relegated to a numerical pursuit under the guise of "cost-cutting."

Apparently, trimming costs and curbing middle managers' roles yielded some transient profit but begat enduring challenges.

The authors now realize that middle managers are the key for cultivating and fortifying a positive culture -- any culture -- today.

Clearly, after examining so many recent research studies (many offered herein), most employees ranked feeling appreciated or supported as either first or second priority. Middle managers are -- or can be -- best qualified and best situated to respond effectively to that need.

Decent read, a bit lengthy, little action-oriented. Written primarily for execs who lead mid-managers.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Outline: Power to the Middle by Bill Schaninger
Introduction

Setting the stage for the pivotal role of middle managers in modern organizations.
Part 1: Wasting Our Most Valuable Players

Chapter 1: The Disruption of Middle Management
Examining historical and contemporary factors that have marginalized middle managers.
Chapter 2: A Look at the Forces That Got Us Here
Analyzing the external and internal forces within organizations that have diminished the role and effectiveness of middle managers.
Part 2: Putting Middle Managers at the Center

Chapter 3: Rediscovering the Potential of Middle Managers

Highlighting the untapped potential and critical capabilities that middle managers possess.
Chapter 4: The Great Re-bundling

Discussing strategies for redefining the role of middle managers to enhance organizational effectiveness and agility.
Chapter 5: Winning the Twenty-First Century

Exploring how middle managers can drive innovation, adaptability, and sustainable growth in a rapidly changing business landscape.
Chapter 6: Melding Performance and Purpose

Integrating organizational goals with individual and team motivations under the guidance of middle management.
Chapter 7: At the Center of Problem Solving

Illustrating how middle managers are uniquely positioned to tackle complex challenges and drive solutions within their teams and across the organization.
Chapter 8: Taking the Lead on Talent Management

Detailing the role of middle managers in nurturing and developing talent within their teams, contributing to the overall success of the organization.
Chapter 9: Connecting the Work to the People

Emphasizing the importance of middle managers in fostering meaningful connections between organizational objectives and employee engagement.
Conclusion

Summarizing the key insights and actionable strategies discussed throughout the book.
Looking forward to the role of middle managers in shaping the future of work.
Acknowledgments

Recognizing individuals and organizations that have contributed to the creation and realization of the book.

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first two chapters have some interesting data and essentially are the thrust of the books point. The rest is a painful journey through the most basic leadership and HR concepts imaginable, with made up stories, all with “easy steps” and happy endings.

A few specific issues:
-The authors are not clear on audience. The book is a concept aimed at executives, with content for entry level managers.
-The stories are painful and not helpful. “Don’t hire people like you” followed by a story about an overly chatty cashier. Painfully obvious concepts and stories.
-A lot of data and conclusions have far too little time horizon, leveraging the pandemic learnings as “new gospel” for leaders. They reach conclusions that seemed relevant 6 months ago, but now don’t hold true in our current environment.

So much better content out there. I appreciate the authors putting themselves out there, but this misses the mark for me.

[CKG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every CEO, COO, board chair, and board talent/comp committee chair needs to read this book and ensure their orgs are set up to enact these practices. (The good CHROs are already up to speed on this. The middling and poor ones need a copy.) Everything in here feels so obvious and yet so rarely executed, so transformative, and so urgent. If your organization employs humans and is expected to deliver some kind of results or services in the next 3-5 years, you probably need the insights in this book.

Bias acknowledgement: We all know I have a nearly zero-tolerance policy for “business” books and concept-driven nonfiction. I make exceptions for books written by very sharp people, particularly those that I know and like. One of these authors is one of the best managers I have encountered in decades of observing managers. All 3 of them are sharp, kind people whom I respect.

[Jonathan Franco · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a pleasant reading. Many of the examples in the book are real live day to day cases. What caused me a little incongruity is that a lot of the recommendations in the book are 180 degrees opposites of McKinsey consultancies in many cases (e.g. It is pretty normal that a company receive from the consultans the task to cut HC, then impacting the middle managers, in the book the authors talks all the time about caring for the middle managers)

I liked the book and many of the subjects treaty in the book will help me a lot in the job.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book redefines the significance of middle managers in driving organizational success. More than just the meat in a sandwich between frontline workers and senior executives, middle managers need to be empowered to embrace their true calling as coaches, connectors, navigators, and talent managers. The book champions their value as empathetic leaders, and emphasizes the need for empowerment and purpose-driven management to unlock their full potential.

[Frank Lindt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most positive part of this book is that it understands the zeitgeist of contemporary management and the challenges it brings with it. Little ‘ah ha’ moments but plenty of good take-aways. The irony of McKinsey consultants arguing for empowering middle managers is not lost on the authors either which adds to it authenticity.

[Ivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

McKinsey advocates for reframing middle management in this book, which is easier said than done. It was not an easy read, though I hope that ideas in this book get adopted into management practice in the next few centuries.

[Alixanderia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best management book I've read this year. For federal workers, this is super relevant for EX-feeder groups up to EX-03, and really for anyone responsible for the management of people and work (or those who aspire to).

[Arun Narayanaswamy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Covers the importance of middle management in any industry. Though some examples are very generic, it does help explain the need of middle management and the value you need to give them so that it in turn helps the entire organisation become stronger and adaptive to change.

[Subhash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful observations but some of the impressions on the pandemic related events and their consequences are slightly biased

[Mickey Fitch-Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book!

[Subramaniam Pg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. Good insights on people management and leadership in future organization.

[Fukky Tantang · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would just read the first chapter and the last chapter. The middle just repeats the same thing again and again.

[Bert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit basic for people with management consulting experience. I expected more from McKinsey.