In Defense of Middle Management

Middle managers are meant to serve as a go-between for leadership
teams and individual contributors. But in large organizations, with
many layers of hierarchy, some of these roles feel like
bureaucratic bloat, which, in tighter economic times, makes them a
target for elimination. Emily Field, a partner at McKinsey &
Company, thinks in many cases that's a mistake. She argues that
most middle managers are critical to corporate performance and
productivity, executive team insight, and employee well-being. The
key is making sure their roles adapt to the times. Field is the
coauthor, along with Bryan Hancock and Bill Schaninger, of the HBR
article "Don’t Eliminate Your Middle Managers," as well as the book
Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of
Work.