Middle managers may feel apathetic and undermotivated
Middle managers perform a critically important role within organizations. They are the vital link between the senior leadership team and the front-line workers who make things happen on a day-to-day basis. Yet while middle managers have a huge amount to contribute to organizational success, they can sometimes be accused of being unimaginative, inflexible blockers to progress. It is this perception that has resulted in them gaining the moniker ‘The Frozen Middle’.
To succeed, organizations need their middle managers to be dynamic individuals, with an appetite for constant learning, who continually strive to inspire others. So, how can they thaw their ‘frozen middle’ if they have one?
1. Change the context
“The key to thawing a frozen middle – middle managers stuck in ways of doing things – is to change the context they work in,” says Nik Kinley, co-author of Changing Employee Behavior with Schlomo Ben-Hur, professor of leadership and organizational behaviour at IMD business school in Switzerland. “This is because the single biggest determinant of sustained behavior change is whether the everyday context that people work within supports the new behavior desired.”
And as the biggest contributor to this context is a manager’s leader, that means focusing less on how to change the frozen middle, and more on changing the layer above them.
“The traditional approach to driving change in middle managers is to send them on training courses to teach them new ways of doing things,” Kinley explains. “But this kind of approach is unlikely to yield substantial sustained change unless the context of these managers changes as well. Better results can be achieved by teaching the bosses of these managers how to create a working environment that encourages, enables and evokes the change required in their teams.”
2. Nurture growth mindsets
“Leaders can thaw the frozen middle by modeling growth mindsets, rewarding openness, flexibility and equity, and acting as coaches to challenge and change restrictive mindsets,” says Paul Anderson-Walsh, chief executive and co-founder of The Centre for Inclusive Leadership and the co-host of the Inclusion Podcast.
Anderson-Walsh says that managers may stagnate for several reasons, including skill obsolescence, limited advancement, being in a comfort zone, shifting priorities, fear of change, burnout, or a lack of vision. “Once frozen, managers rarely auto defrost without external influence,” he notes. “A key problem is the limiting beliefs that constrain their self-view and potential.”
Inclusive leadership is the regenerating nutrient capable of transforming how managers perceive themselves and develop their teams, according to Anderson-Walsh. “Inclusive leadership exemplifies, promotes and rewards a growth mindset,” he explains. “Crucially, inclusive leaders don’t view humans as resources. Instead, they are constantly asking how they can best resource humans.” Inclusive leaders therefore prioritize coaching and mentoring and aim to build trust rather than take control.
By taking this inclusive approach, leaders can empower their managers to think and act more equitably and effectively, says Anderson-Walsh, unlocking both their own and their teams’ potential.
3. Provide a clear sense of direction
“Senior leaders can be rather quick to point fingers at their middle managers, identifying them as cynical, overly technical, or unambitious,” says Darren Ashby, co-founder of purpose, strategy and culture consultancy businessfourzero and co-author of Every Team Actually Doing Business Better. But they don’t always ask themselves whether they have done what is required of them first.
In the absence of a clear compelling direction from senior leadership, middle managers are often left to pick up the pieces, Ashby explains. This may mean trying to make sense of complex ‘strategy’ slide decks and second-guessing misaligned decision-makers. They are then asked to deliver more and more short-term ‘priorities’ alongside the so-called strategic priorities that are always changing. “What is called ‘being frozen’ is actually a loss of agency, a deep-rooted sense of futility,” says Ashby. “Why would I take any personal risk to change, when my leaders can’t get their act together?
4. Create dissatisfaction with the status quo
“Too many CEOs launch into change projects by describing their vision without grasping that people must want change before they’re interested in any new endgame,” says James Scouller, author of How to Build Winning Teams Again and Again. “Remember, most of us don’t like change. It’s hard work. It forces us to learn new things. It feels uncomfortable and it threatens our feeling of security, which can make us doubt our importance or ability.”
Scouller believes that leaders must find a way of bringing dissatisfaction with the status quo to the surface at all levels, especially the frozen middle. How? “Well, if you’ve sensed a major issue, but your metrics haven’t picked it up, why not change them to make the problem visible?” he suggests. “Or you can encourage candor with the way things are by speaking plainly, admitting your mistakes or omissions in public, especially with those in the middle layer, and not shooting the messenger, which will encourage others to give you the unvarnished facts. Do that and they’re more likely to engage with you.”
It’s also essential to practice what you preach. “You must embody the change you want in your mindset and behavior,” Scouller argues. “If you, as a senior leader, think others will change based on what you say, not what you do, you’re kidding yourself. People in organizations – especially the middle layer – take their cue from what you do and where you place your attention.”
5. Prioritize wellbeing
“Organizations need to reflect on their wellbeing strategy, and employee engagement with it,” says Dr Audrey Tang, a chartered psychologist, mental health broadcaster and author of The Leader’s Guide to Wellbeing. “Where there are mental health concerns, rather than just offer lunchtime yoga, the cause of the concern needs addressing.”
Tang argues that organizations need to support the wellbeing of middle management to ensure they get the best out of these critical workers and encourage progression. “Perhaps employees are feeling apathetic and undermotivated?” she suggests. “Leaders should reflect on their organization’s wellbeing strategy to ensure they are engaging and inspiring this cohort effectively.”
Tang says that leaders should consider taking a psychological approach to health and safety. “Don’t just teach teams to avoid stress,” she says. “Try to minimize the cause in the first instance.”
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