The evolving nature of the business environment has necessitated the downsizing of organizations in the recent past. The rationalization, as well as restructuring, has subsequently eliminated several layers of management within organizations, therefore, influencing the roles of the middle-level managers. Therefore, leadership roles among mid-level managers have greatly changed in the wake of organizational restructuring and downsizing.
Firstly, the role of the managers has changed from one involving the management of subordinates to the management of projects. Since the downsizing and restructuring have eliminated the majority of the subordinate roles, the managers’ role is significantly shifting focus (McCann, Hassard & Morris, 2014). In most new structures, the middle-level managers are in charge of specific projects that need to be completed. As such, they manage project parameters in general rather than focusing on subordinates who would, in turn, manage the projects.
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Moreover, the role of middle-level managers is becoming overloaded with workload and responsibilities because some tasks and duties are being eliminated to suit the new structures of governance. With time, the roles that the subordinates used to play are squarely falling on the middle-level managers (McCann, Hassard & Morris, 2014). Therefore, the scope of the middle-level managers has been greatly expanded to incorporate the roles that were traditionally a preserve of their subordinates and even their seniors.
Lastly, the restructuring has led to the renaming the titles of middle-level managers to team leaders. In essence, they have been given new roles of managing their respective teams and leading such teams towards achieving certain specific project objectives. Therefore, this demonstrates that the role of middle-level managers has greatly changed in the wake of restructuring and downsizing.
Overall, the downsizing of companies has seen organizations changing the roles of mid-level managers to suit their new governance structures. For example, instead of managing subordinates, the new managers focus on managing projects. They have also been given the title of team leaders. With the new arrangement, the managers also find themselves doing jobs that their juniors or seniors would do.
References
McCann, L., Hassard, J., & Morris, J. (2014). Middle Managers, the New Organizational Ideology and Corporate Restructuring: Comparing Japanese and Anglo-American Management Systems. Competition & Change, 8 (1), 27-44.
