Is your organisation neglecting middle management?

The success of any organisation often hinges on the quality of its middle management. While C-level executives make important decisions, and ground floor employees keep the wheels of progress turning, it is middle management that facilitates the two and ensures key strategic goals are being met.

However, an alarming new study has revealed that the majority of Australian businesses are being held back by inefficient, under skilled and unengaged middle managers.

According to a survey conducted by the Australian Institute of Management (AIM) in collaboration with Monash University, 52 per cent of Australian middle managers have been rated by their non-middle management colleagues as having average or below average skills in people management.

That means more than half of the estimated 500,000 middle managers currently operating in Australia are lacking the critical skills needed to be effective leaders of their immediate subordinates.

“Middle managers make or break an organisation. They are the ‘bridge’ in organisations that connect the goals and strategies of top level management with the ambitions and work practices of lower level staff. Therefore, middle managers are crucial to the success of any productivity or change management programs,” explained AIM Executive General Manager Tony Gleeson.

“Organisations need to ensure their middle managers are appropriately skilled and they must also give their middle managers the opportunity to show what they can do and measure them on their performance.”

So what can your organisation do to improve the quality of middle management and ensure employees are getting the leadership and guidance they need to succeed every day?

The answer may lie in HR management software, which can be used to streamline talent management, training and performance assessments, ensuring that your middle management staff are being equipped with the skills and motivation they need to excel.

For more information and guidance in utilising an HR management system, consider getting in touch with an HR consulting service today.