Strong management capability can turbo-charge an organisation’s performance, but many middle managers report feeling demoralised at work. Here, an expert identifies three factors holding managers back – and explains what can be done to free them.

At a time when Australia’s productivity growth remains stubbornly flat, strong management capability is increasingly being discussed as a powerful tool that organisations can use to lift performance.

Yet many middle managers report feeling under-appreciated. Research [gated] from BoldHR, which surveyed more than 1,000 Australian managers, found that 82 per cent of middle managers felt invisible or frustrated. 

“Research shows that middle managers are the root cause of engagement or disengagement within organisations,” says Rebecca Houghton, founder of BoldHR. “If middle managers themselves feel disempowered, entire workforces can disengage.”

Right now, says Houghton, four in five middle managers are stuck ‘below the line’, managing often-tedious processes rather than helping to shape strategy. 

Above the line managers are Australia’s top performers: those who set direction, make decisions and drive productivity, collaboration and engagement.

In her upcoming AHRI webinar on 18 February, which looks into unlocking managers’ potential, Houghton will explain how to close the gap between a manager’s current impact and their ultimate potential, boosting an organisation’s performance in the process.

Here, she identifies three reasons the gap exists in so many organisations and how it can be bridged.

Challenge #1: Managers are suffering burnout

Houghton’s research found that one in three middle managers consider burnout their biggest challenge at work, and that middle managers are three times more likely to be burned out than any other worker within an organisation.

“One of the main complaints I get from executive committees and boards is that their middle managers aren’t thinking strategically enough,” she says.

“And yet the main complaint I get from middle managers is: ‘90 per cent of my life is admin. I’m exhausted. Where am I going to find the time to be strategic?’

“They are spread too thin. They are moving from the board to the basement constantly. No one else is asked to operate across the entire organisation.”

HR’s action points:

• Houghton believes AI can help middle managers thrive and says HR should become evangelists for the technology.
  
  “A lot of people are looking at AI as an existential crisis for middle managers, but I don’t agree. Those middle managers who want to be more strategic are desperate for an AI companion to take away the busy work.”
• Concurrently, HR can support burnt-out middle managers and set realistic expectations by re-fashioning their position descriptions to better align with today’s reality.
  
  “Because the nature of work has evolved so rapidly, many middle-manager position descriptions have just evolved organically, and they’re a mess
  
  Houghton says it’s time to re-design them. This could look like getting clear on boundaries between their role and their executive, and the role of their team to reduce scope creep, which is a prevalent source of stress for managers.

“Where expectations are [legally required], list and review these, and consider what other expectations may need to be adjusted to accommodate those,” says Houghton.  “Then coach [managers] to more easily identify what work they should be doing versus what they should be delegating, negotiating or eliminating.”

Hear more from Rebecca Houghton in AHRI’s webinar on 18 February: Unlocking Manager Potential: Closing the Gap that Holds Organisations Back.

Challenge #2: Managers’ motivations are misunderstood 

“A common characterisation is that middle management is just a waiting room to go up to the executive,” says Houghton.

As a result, organisations often treat promotions as carrots for middle managers.

“But our research shows that over 80 per cent of middle managers do not want a promotion,” says Houghton. “They want to excel in their current role. They love being a middle manager, but they want to do it better.”

That means a well-intentioned request for a middle manager to ‘step up’ and perform an executive-level task or role can create anxiety instead of motivation.

“They are spread too thin. They are moving from the board to the basement constantly. No one else is asked to operate across the entire organisation.” – Rebecca Houghton

HR’s action points:

• Houghton encourages HR to re-think the use of talent reviews as tools to assess middle managers’ performance.
  
  “Talent reviews can be really subjective. [Often], they’re a subjective, rather than scientific view of an individual’s performance. AI  is now able to scrape and collate productivity, engagement, promotion and retention rates associated with each individual manager. We have that data now, so we should be using it.”
• Think deliberately about ways to develop the vast majority of middle managers who do want to have more impact, but do not want to proceed to an executive role, says Houghton.
  
  “These people have the desire to have more influence, and add more value but often feel they lack permission or the know-how to do so.” 

Challenge #3: Managers doubt their worth

Middle managers have been associated with damaging stereotypes for some time now. Popular media and shows like The Office have reinforced an idea that first gained traction in 1977, when Abraham Zaleznik wrote Managers and Leaders: Are They Different? for the Harvard Business Review. 

Zaleznik contended that leaders were visionary risk-takers, whereas managers were motivated by the desire to control situations and maintain order. 

Since the article’s publication, the premise that managers and leaders are fundamentally different has been absorbed into mainstream thinking. 

It has fuelled the stereotype of the middle manager as being stuck in regressive ways of thinking, says Houghton. CEOs and graduate-level employees alike can reinforce the stereotype, often unconsciously. 

“Middle managers carry that brand damage around with them,” says Houghton. “It really does impact their ability to close the capability gap.”

HR’s action points:

• Houghton advocates for diplomatic yet frank conversations with the C-suite about how “unconscious bias” from above and below can make it harder for middle managers to perform.
  
  “Highlight the role out-dated thinking plays in how your managers are perceived and ask the question: ‘How can we change this?’”
• Think about the ways middle managers are asked to interact with executives and provide appropriate coaching and support.
  
  “One challenge middle managers face is the need to influence beyond their authority,” she says. “They’ve got to punch above their weight, and that can be very challenging because they don’t always feel they have the permission or the empowerment they need to do the job they’ve been tasked to do.” 

Houghton says it’s time for organisations of all shapes and sizes to interrogate their assumptions about middle managers.

“They are an often-neglected cohort,” she says, “But they are pivotal to an organisation’s success.”

Ultimately, elevating middle managers isn’t just about morale. It’s a commercial imperative. By addressing the burnout trap, honoring their desire for role mastery over vertical promotion and helping to dismantle outdated stereotypes, HR can shift the needle on national productivity. When middle managers are empowered to move “above the line,” they stop being stuck in a bottleneck and start being the strategic engine that drives an entire workforce forward.

AHRI’s webinar, Unlocking Manager Potential: Closing the Gap that Holds Organisations Back, features more useful insights from Rebecca Houghton. Watch on demand now.