Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 5th Edition by Raymond Noe, John Hollenbeck, Barry Gerhart, Patrick Wright

Exercise 4

Ignoring Middle Management
Research by Development Dimensions International (DDI) finds that many of today's middle managers feel unprepared to handle their responsibilities. Middle managers are the layer of an organization's hierarchy that translates the top executives' vision into the projects and plans carried out by departments and teams. The middle managers oversee the supervisors and first-line managers who oversee those departments and teams. That means they have to be able to put a vision into practice, understand the financial impact of their performance, lead and motivate the people who report to them, and cultivate relationships throughout the organization with the people who can advance or interfere with their group's performance.
The middle managers surveyed by DDI said their most important challenges are leading change, executing strategic priorities, and making complex decisions. Asked about their preparation for handling those challenges, however, only 11% rated themselves well prepared.
Tacy M. Byham, DDI's vice president of executive development, says the problem is that many organizations focus on preparing employees to be first-line supervisors and developing successful managers to move into top-level positions. That dual focus ignores the organization's needs for well-developed managers in the middle. Byham notes an additional consequence of ignoring development of middle managers: loss of talent. Managers tend to be more engaged in their work when they feel competent and valued. Lack of preparation translates into lack of trust in middle managers to make good decision. Midlevel managers stuck in that situation indicate that they expect to move on to another employer before long.
Why do you think many organizations focus their development efforts primarily on top management and new (first-line) managers?