10/5/2018 Invest in hiring right middle mgmt to boost bottom line - The Times Of India - Mumbai, 10/3/2018

Invest in hiring right middle mgmt to boost

bottom line
James Agrawal

Rapid technological progression, massive generational shift and the requirement to create innovative
strategies to meet the ever-shifting market dynamics underline the vital need of a robust middle
management in any organisation. Middle managers enjoy a central position in organisational hierarchies,
and are responsible for effective implementation of senior management’s plans.

Back in the day, middle managers were expected to play the role of only resource allocators, negotiators
and executors. Today, middle managers are also drivers of change, innovators and advocates of talent.
They have a rather complicated relationship with power. With superiors/leadership team on one side and
subordinates on the other, middle managers are expected to play diverse roles within an organisation. They
are simultaneously the “victims and the carriers of change” and often find themselves stuck in between
various stakeholder groups, which can produce “relentless and conflicting demands”.

A few aspects can be taken into account while hiring middle managers and could go a long way in
building a reliable and successful team of leaders.

Translation & implementation of policies: One of the most important facets of a middle manager’s job is
to interpret and implement the strategy and ideas of top-level management in an effective manner. It is
imperative that the middle manager is able to determine optimum ways to appoint staff, develop activities
and timelines, and put the entire project into practice autonomously. While hiring a middle manager, it’s
important to look for someone who not only possesses the knowledge and skills but also confidence and
foresight to come up with novel ideas without hand-holding every step of the way.

Allocation of resources: Allocating tasks to teams/ employees, adequately staffing each team and
overseeing execution are important aspects of a middle manager’s role. Since top management does not
typically look into allocation of tasks to individual teams or employees, middle managers must be able to
identify team members’ strengths and weaknesses, assign tasks to fitting employees and oversee the
processes and adherence to quality and deadlines.

People management: They are the bedrock of employee engagement efforts and a powerful link between
the leadership and employees.

Good middle managers make an active contribution in developing and retaining the workforce. They also
act as catalysts that understand and accelerate the process of individual learning among employees in day-
to-day interactions.

Without the support of a strong middle management, it is not possible to introduce and develop
consequential evolutions that reach the company’s bottom line. Hence, it’s imperative to invest ample
resources and time in finding the right middle management.

The writer is MD, BTI Executive Search/ PERSOL KELLY Views are personal

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