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The Middle Manager of the Future: More Coaching, Less
Commanding
by Ben Rand
Skilled middle managers foster collaboration, inspire employees, and link
important functions at companies. An analysis of more than 35 milion job postings
by Letian Zhang paints a counterintuitive picture of today's midlevel manager.
Could these roles provide an innovation edge?
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tiscitine—are espn th rears
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ssa fess of business ainsvaton at HS,
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besten te cet an he mata one eles Zhang expan “The
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oa manage ow nies cxdating an colbert wth utter
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‘rational char, Zhang’ receaeh suet tat mde maogers li ly 3 ey we
‘even in inmotion Meany nes, sch ab saftrare develomet Mey tn ee and
“anen a comec oop wth aeprate sel—the engine, sis, a mak oats
toy paasinspoet
Extensive analysis of job postings
“Zhang bases his conhsons en aunque nguisanis of mare than 34 mition ie
etn for manapeial pening the United Sates betwen 2007 ad 2021 He a0
sere and anajad 1 lin omwepaper jo esting ain manage resus ans >
evens, and 430,00 Indeed.com jp eens.
The ata shove:
+ Managerial jb postings that required cllabrate his and experience increased by ee
times eteen 2007 snd 2021. By cts, postings tat ded spervary
‘opine decreas by 23 perce.
+ The ef colt phrases in penepape job postings ge 1S percent between 1980
4 2000 rr o 1980, ferences a clan were Sere
«+ The amber of manag ess sing supers experence decreased by 8 percent
‘tere 1985 and 2015, whl thse hgh calabro increased by 37 pers.
+ Relonces to sertiory dis in inde. com oes decrease by 2 pacer, while
‘meron felts hile by 28 percent
Challenging conventional wisdom on middle management
During the 1980s and 1990, mide managers tee pine tres fag sale downsizing
atthe behest of shareholder actvste—yt the rar of mile managers neve vay deine
{nar taps expan vy.
anager mace up 13 percent ofthe US labor ec in 2022, up rom 9.2 perce in 1983,
‘according the suy. The sor has entnud to ow in rcent yar, jumping 28 percent
betwen 2005 and 2020. Dring the sane period, wages managers so increase
‘parol compare otha ofr managers.
hang balieves that owt says ere about chang inthe economy thant des about rms
loving theses to retum to days o ate, ineffective manage ranks. Manges oe
tranding amore complex set of tecinoinecaly die tasks that eque substantia sil