Digitalization changes in work dynamics and new styles of leadership are revolutionizing organizations. These changes not only affect organizational processes but also their hierarchies, which are becoming increasingly horizontal. Middle managers are now a crucial part in the effectiveness of the company results.
If the horizontality in the composition of roles aims to minimize hierarchies, why are middle managers so important? What type of profiles are so popular among these leaders? And how can Team Insights help middle managers build more competitive teams?
In this article, we will see the main roles of these key figures in the management of an organization that boost employee productivity and commitment.
Middle manager fundamentals
Middle managers will be responsible for a specific area or section and its respective team, ensuring that they reach their objectives, proposed by higher positions.
These professionals as well act as a bridge or connector that unites employees with the top of the pyramid, and will be the principal actors in communicating how employees are to the top managers.
Other functions that middle management may have include: fostering business culture, optimizing processes and managing the workflow.
They are also responsible for ensuring that group dynamics work well, creating a positive environment that promotes collaboration and teamwork, as well as fostering a sense of belonging among employees.
Given their position, they are in charge of reporting the internal status of the organization and communicating the decisions that the company makes, whenever these affect the workforce directly.
As mentioned before, a middle manager is a person with leadership skills who coordinates an entire area to make it work under the quality standards of the company, ensuring maximum efficiency and productivity.
In addition, they are also those who maintain daily contact with employees, so they have firsthand information on how their teams are and understand what decisions are necessary to boost their motivation and their performance.
Professional profile of the middle manager
Each organization is unique and different, so this means that a middle manager profile will vary depending on the type and needs of the company. Taking this aspect into account, we can still identify certain aspects which middle managers have in common:
- Experts. Middle managers are people who dominate their work area. They have expertise skills and know most of methods and procedures, so they are can take the best decisions, even to unanticipated or unheard problems.
- Facilitators of change. Given their experience, these professionals are capable of driving improvements and incorporating new processes that improve productivity and team performance, benefiting the entire organization.
- Leaders. Middle managers are in charge of the rest of the employees in their department, so they must have leadership skills to positively influence the motivation of their collaborators and thus achieve the objectives.
- Organized. In order to run their department smoothly, middle managers must have organizational planning and control skills. This also requires having both short and long-term vision of work, as well as the ability to delegate tasks to facilitate agility in the processes.
- Brand ambassadors. These professionals have their personal values aligned with those of the mission and vision of the company, so they feel strongly identified with the brand and corporate values, which they apply and transmit inside and outside the organization.
- Committed. Middle managers not only are committed to the organization, but also with their team. They are an important pillar in creating a sense of belonging by employees and portray the necessary soft skills needed to identify the needs of each one of their collaborators.
- They are an added value. The role of a middle manager must add value to the company and to the market in which it carries out its activities. Therefore, efforts must be focused to improve organizational performance and customer satisfaction, without neglecting the team’s well-being.
The most demanded middle managers
According to the Informe Infoempleo Adecco 2020, in Spain 14.26% of the positions offered corresponded to middle managers, while only 3.55% of the vacancies were for high directors.
Among the most demanded middle managers we find:
Project Manager
They are the people in charge of planning, executing and monitoring all the actions necessary to carry out a project.
They set goals and objectives, coordinate tasks among their team members, set the deadlines and provide feedback effectively ensuring that everything works smoothly.
Sales Manager
These middle managers organize and manage commercial teams to maximize sales under specific budgets.
The leadership style is very important, because they must keep their employees motivated at all times. Also, they have essential skills of negotiation, since in many cases they be responsible for closing important agreements which benefit both the company and other employees.
Human Resources Manager
These profiles are in charge of managing the most important asset within organization: people.
They ensure the well-being of workers, establish appropriate procedures for selecting the best talent, and design strategies for employee commitment. To do so, they monitoring KPI’s related to employee engagement, commitment and satisfaction.
Whatever the area of action, middle managers are main contributors towards a proper functioning of an organization because they are the ones who work side by side with the rest of the workforce, being the main support and motivating factor.
For this reason, equipping them with the right tools is critical for them to perform their role satisfactorily.
Team Insights is a software that allows middle managers to know the motivation and commitment of their teams and its evolution in real time.
Thanks to this tool and the data it provides, middle managers can reinforce and correct their strategies to boost motivation and performance of their collaborators, creating more competitive teams which improves productivity and the organization’s business.
Discover everything that Team Insights can offer to you today. It’s free!
