深陷中层：为什么发展和保留中层管理者如此具有挑战性？.docx

深陷中层：为什么发展和保留中层管理者如此具有挑战性？他们分布在每家公司，也许只有6人,也许是6，000人.但不管数量多少，他们都拥有同样的名称：中层管理者。他们通常被人称为”粘合剂”，起着承上启下的作用,是高管和基层员工之间的桥梁.不管是处于经济的繁荣还是衰退期，他们都负责执行公司战略，推行组织变革,并且推动基层员工积极参与公司建设.但中层管理者也是一个难以发展和保留的员工群体.根据埃森哲公司（Accenture)2007年对全球中层管理者的调查，20的中层管理者对其目前所服务的企业不满，并且有同等比例的中层管理员表示正在寻找新的工作。其中所提到的主要原因之一就是缺乏发展前景。”众多公司中层管理一级的人员流失率非常高,并因此无法有力地执行公司战略，”沃顿商学院负责高层管理教育(Wharton Executive Education）的副院长托马斯科里根(Thomas Colligan）说。”高管可以将所有的时间花在战略制定上,但如果没有人来执行，那又有什么意义呢？除了战略执行的问题以外，对公司而言，中层经理流失的成本也非常高。科里根指出一家面临20流失率的合伙制公司曾进行过计算,发现流失率每降低一个百分点，公司合伙人的收益就可以增加8万美元。如何吸引、发展并保留中层管理者是非常重要的工作，一些公司在经历了惨痛的教训后才逐渐意识到这个问题。当经济出现下滑，石油和食品价格上涨，居民消费下降，消费规模减小，以及所有行业均存在某些不确定因素时,以上的观察显得更加真实。激情员工：通过满足员工关键需求而获利（The Enthusiastic Employee: How Companies Profit by Giving Workers What They Want)一书的合著者戴维西洛塔（David Sirota）预测中层经理将再次承受相当大一部分目前经济状况所带来的痛苦。20世纪80年代和90年代曾出现生产规模缩小的情况，并导致中层管理者职位缩减.在经历这段时期之后，中层管理者的职位得以重新增加。他认为，这种情况现在有可能再次发生。在沃顿商学院高管教育中心执教的乔瑞恩（Joe Ryan）对此表示赞同.当公司经历类似目前这种经济状况时,中层经理将可能受到奖励和激励措施被取消的冲击，甚至在某些情况下可能被解雇。这一情况目前正在金融服务业发生,他说。在缩减成本的时期内就会出现膝跳反射.这是一个矛盾。中层管理者在公司运营中至关重要，但当公司重组时又可能会被解雇。这是一种很粗暴的做法，而且公司需要这些人来运作最重要的项目。如果公司不能很好地对变革进行管理，他们将会面对一批”冷漠的中层管理者，以及低士气和低敬业度的恶性循环”，瑞恩如是说。不管经济环境如何，公司需要打造一支有活力的工作团队,并且推动中层管理者往前发展，因为他们正是执行变革的人。缺乏发展机会中层管理者在组织中发挥至关重要的作用，某种程度上是因为他们将高管人员和公司其它员工密切联系在一起.西洛塔将中层管理者称为将不同级别和不同部门的人员聚集在一起的粘合剂.沃顿商学院高管教育学院的高级研究员、C4咨询公司的执行合伙人简法伦（Jane Farran）称，在目前经济紧缩的情况下,出现了很多勒紧腰带的事情。众多公司进行重组以缩减人员”。但她指出那并不是一条正确的战略。事实上,过去，当公司企图使组织结构扁平化,因为他们认为部分中层管理级别可以被取消时，最终结果却并不如人意.这些中间级别的人员扮演着非常重要的角色,”她说。中层经理对战略和全局进行诠释和传达，使这些战略对基层员工来说更易理解和更适用。”与此同时，中层经理会注意到基层员工的需求，对客户交流和基层活动进行观察了解,并且将这些信息反馈给高管.除此之外，他们也是高层管理人员”和基层员工之间的缓冲带。既然中层管理者如此重要，那为什么他们会觉得不满意并且想离开公司呢?一个主要的原因就是缺乏发展机会，西洛塔说。”当公司缩减规模，他们通常会对中层管理者开刀。但即使公司只是发展停滞不前，中层管理者的发展机会也很有限。这对他们打击很大，尤其是那些处于30-40多岁的人。从外部引进新人而不是从公司内部提升老员工也让中层经理感到非常失落，西洛塔说。外部人员的过往工作经验通常并不比内部人员优秀，而且内部员工还对公司有更深入的了解。并且当有新的管理者加入公司时，他或她经常会对现有的中层管理者持某种看法，(比如说）既然你早就在这工作了，那么你就不可能很聪明，我们必须清理门户。这会给工作场所带来非常有害的影响。”另外，如果使用猎头公司从公司外找人填补高层职位就会向人们传达一种信息，即也许中层经理不应该继续待下去”，科里根说。他介绍说有家公司过去一直从外部引入高管，这导致了比那些职务低一级的经理的离职，而离职的人中大部分都是到了其他公司担任首席执行官或首席财务官。那家公司拥有优秀的员工,他们清楚自己即使继续留在公司也永远没有机会担任首席执行官。我并不是说永远不要使用猎头公司，但是对于有些公司而言,猎头简直就象是他们的人力资源部门。不管他们是否立志成为首席执行官，中层经理会需要一个发展计划，能让他们进入另一个更高的级别，科里根补充说。”如果中层经理认识到自己有成长发展的机会，那么相比于那些将员工固定在某个职位,没有关于提升的发展计划或者相关讨论的公司,他们会更愿意留任.有时,即使是平级调动也好，因为那样可以增加工作经验。现在，有众多的小型猎头公司致电中层管理者,企图诱使他们接受其他公司的职位。如果人们并没有处在一个快速发展的职业路径上，或者他不确定自己未来几年内是否还会留在这家公司，他们一般更容易被竞争对手所吸引。”人们很容易被这些电话所诱惑，科里根说.”你不需要对工作非常不满意。也许工作就是普普通通，但当看到有新的职业机会可以为生活带来更好的平台,或者可以拥有更好的薪酬时，你也许就会动心。人们现在能更快速地对工作进行对比，并且进行变化的意愿也更加强烈。中层经理对工作不满意的其他主要原因还包括高管人员的事必躬亲,以及缺乏尊重等，西洛塔指出。”有时一个企业的领导人效率非常低下，中层经理不愿意待在由这种人管理的公司内。还有一种典型的情况就是中层管理者没有任何权限，但却要承担所有的责任，沃顿商学院管理学教授珍妮佛穆勒(Jennifer Mueller）指出。这些经理人必须”在与上层领导打交道上”游刃有余，并且还要”能有效地对下属施加影响,她说。”这项任务非常复杂，也容易让人遇到挫折,因为要实现这个目标通常并不是仅靠彼此之间的关系就能达到。要在和上级、下级和平级相处之间做到游刃有余是一种情感管理上的挑战，沃顿商学院管理学教授西格尔巴萨德（Sigal Barsade）补充说。”当出现组织变革时,这点尤为值得注意。如果你是中层管理者，也许有些变革你无能为力,但你必须将这些变革传达给自己的下属，并且让他们感到自己受到保护和尊重.可是你本人也会受到变革的影响。因为并未参与到变革的设计之中,你也许会感觉到无所适从，但你仍然需要安慰、保护和鼓励自己的员工。实际上，中层管理者的身份通常被一分为二,因为他们需要担任传递的工作-倾听高层的话语，并且对基层人员做出回应，法伦说。”当你和他们交谈时,你会发现战略思考是他们最没有时间进行的工作,他们也通常感到不受赏识,并且被人误解。60/20/20原则当人们进入公司大门后，不管你做什么，20的人会成为你的合作伙伴而20的不会。还有60只有在你所做事情正确的时候才会成为合作伙伴。科里根说.他所借用的例子是指律师事务所和投资银行。换而言之，业绩高的人会取得成功,而业绩差的人不会取得成功。但是对于这中间的60， ”正确的事情”会带来很大的区别.鉴于员工流失率所带来的高成本，以及中层经理在执行战略和变革中所发挥的重要作用，怎么来做正确的事情”以帮助他们发展呢？将个人发展计划与公司目标联系在一起，并且提供教育机会，这将在提高员工保持率上发挥重要作用，科里根说。”虽然众多公司并没有强大的教育体系，但他们可以送员工参加高管培训课程，提供市场、战略或财务方面的培训，从而增强他们作为中层管理者的技能。这也能让他们感觉到公司对他们的重视和关心。能定期提供这些机会的公司会发现他们的员工流失率在降低。”但大部分组织并不愿意承认自己忽视了中层管理者。这通常是因为高管人员花费过多的时间在战略上，尤其是在面对一个快速变化的市场时,科里根表示.高管将重点放在战略性行动上，这点我能理解。但他们需要注意不要将所有的时间都花费在那些工作上面.他们必须在中层管理者的发展和保留上花一些时间。”目前逐渐流行的另一个解决方法就是指导（coaching）,科里根补充说。”指导”并不再仅仅是为了做一些补救性工作，现在的情况更像是需要一个私人导师。”你认为你不需要教练吗？泰格伍兹都有三个教练(Tiger Woods）”.大部分情况是高管在使用教练，但现在你会发现中层经理也会有教练。这些员工会集体得到训练，或者会对他们进行360度评估，并且通过MBTI性格测试（MyersBriggs）这类方式进行自我评估,以了解自己的领导力风格。大部分能提升到高层职位的中层经理都经过这些步骤，随着他们的逐步提升,他们也会接受更多的个人指导。这种集体训练中，也可能包括学习如何做好一个中层管理者，法伦说，”我们经常建议中层经理首先认识到作为中层管理者的动力和处境,然后不要过度企图自己能解决来自高层和基层的所有问题。当中层经理感觉到他们的感受并不唯一时，这会给他们很大的帮助。我们建议他们与公司内同级别的同事碰面，相互交流来自高层和基层的信息，以更好地解决问题并且获得更全面的观点。巴萨德强调说参与也可以是降低流失率的一个关键方法。更多地让中层管理者参与进来,允许他们参与变革的决策、设计和执行，这将加强他们的认同感和主人翁意识。当他们有更多的责任感时,他们也会全力以赴。”瑞恩强调说沟通是让中层管理者了解公司新战略行动的关键因素。”这将让中层管理者更切实地了解到他们需要做什么,包括更具体的目标、示例和信息，以让那些直接与顾客打交道或执行流程的员工能了解公司的发展现状，以及公司取得突破性发展所需要进行的工作。 关于保留中层管理者的工具，穆勒提出奖金和激励手段并不一定那么凑效。”奖金和激励手段一般是一年一次，或者金额相对不大。相反，更重要的是能公平对待员工,并且认可他们的贡献。”当人们认为在所处的环境中未能得到公平对待，比如自己的付出超过回报，或者其他人付出更少却得到更多的话，就会产生一种不满意的情绪，她说.”同时，中层管理者承担了多种不同的工作，但并没有得到必要的认可，因为他们的工作要与组织内众多的人打交道，而这些人彼此之间不一定会进行沟通。对于中层管理者这个群体而言，对其价值的认可就是公平的一种表现。”发布日期 ： 2008。06。04Caught in the Middle： Why Developing and Retaining Middle Managers Can Be So ChallengingAlmost every company has them。 They may number six or 6,000 and they all share the same job category - middle managers。 They are often referred to as the ”glue that holds companies together, bridging the gap between the top management team and lower level workers. They implement strategy and organizational changes, keeping workers engaged during both good and bad economic cycles。 However， middle managers also can be a challenging group of employees to develop and retain。 According to a 2007 Accenture survey of middle managers around the world, 20 reported dissatisfaction with their current organization and that same percentage reported that they were looking for another job. One of the top reasons cited was lack of prospects for advancement。”Many companies are seeing significant turnover in middle management ranks， and with significant turnover, they dont have the ability to execute strategy，” says vice dean of Wharton Executive Education Thomas Colligan。 Top management can spend all their time creating strategy， but without someone there to implement it， where are you at the end of the day？”In addition to strategy implementation issues， the cost of turnover is extremely high for companies. Colligan noted that one large partnership facing a 20% turnover rate did a calculation in which it concluded that for each 1% it could reduce turnover， it would increase partner earnings by 80，000. ”Middle managers are very important to attract, develop and retain, and some companies are becoming painfully aware of that。”These observations are even truer in a down economy that is struggling with higher gas and food prices， reduced consumer spending， downsizing and a degree of uncertainty that is affecting industries across the board。David Sirota, coauthor of The Enthusiastic Employee： How Companies Profit by Giving Workers What They Want， predicts that middle managers will ”again bear a significant part of the pain that the current economic conditions will bring.” After the last downsizings in the 1980s and 1990s， many of the middle management positions that were eliminated have reappeared. These could be likely targets again， he notes.Joe Ryan, adjunct professor at Wharton Executive Education, agrees. As companies go through economic cycles like the current one， middle managers get hit with the elimination of rewards and incentives and， in some cases, layoffs。 This is particularly true now in the financial services industry, he says。 ”In cost-cutting times， knee-jerk reactions happen。 There is a paradox where middle managers are essential， but end up sacked when restructuring occurs。 Its a rough situation because the people needed to run the most important projects are in the middle.If companies dont manage change well， they will confront a ”frozen” middle management and vicious cycles of low morale and low engagement, Ryan says。 ”Regardless of the economic climate， companies need to build a resilient workforce and engage the middle to go forward, because this is where change occurs。Lack of AdvancementMiddle managers are essential in organizations， in part because they link senior management and the rest of the company. Sirota describes them as the glue across upper and lower levels as well as horizontally with other departments。According to Jane Farran， a senior fellow in Wharton Executive Education and managing partner of the consulting firm C4， with the economy under siege these days, ”a lot of belt tightening is occurring. Many companies are nipping and tucking to make their numbers。 Thats not a good strategy， she suggests。 Indeed， when companies have tried flattening their hierarchies in the past - thinking that middle managers are extraneous and a few layers of them could be eliminated - the result was not what they expected。 These intermediaries have a very important role，” she says。 The middle managers translate strategy and the big picture so that it makes sense and is applicable for the day-today workers。” At the same time， middle managers are taking note of workers needs, making their own observations of client interfaces and shop floor activity, and relaying that information up to the senior managers。 In addition， ”they are a buffer between the top managers and lowerlevel employees. If middle managers are so valuable， why would they report dissatisfaction and leave their companies？ A primary reason is lack of advancement opportunity, says Sirota。 ”When companies downsize, they will often cut middle management ranks。 But even if companies just stagnate， advancement opportunities are limited。 This hits people very hard, particularly people in their late 30s and 40s。”Bringing in new people - as opposed to promoting from within the company - can also present a ”tremendous frustration to middle managers, says Sirota. The track records of external people are typically not as good as internal employees who have a deeper knowledge of the company. And when someone new comes in， he or she often has a view of existing middle managers, one that says， If you were already working here, then you cant be too smart and we need to clean house。 This has a detrimental effect on a workplace.”In addition， using search firms to fill top positions from outside can send a message that maybe middle managers shouldnt stay at that company any longer，” says Colligan. He describes one company which historically brought in toplevel leaders from the outside, resulting in the departure of managers one level below, many of whom went on to become CEOs and CFOs at other companies。 The company had great people who knew they would never become CEO if they stayed。 Im not suggesting that there is never a time to use search firms， but for some companies, the search firms are almost their human resources department。Whether they aspire to be a CEO or not, middle managers need a plan that will take them to the next level， Colligan adds. If a middle manager sees that .。. there are opportunities to grow， then retention is increased versus a company that sticks someone in a slot with no development or discussion about moving him into another position， even if its a lateral move to expand experiences.Thousands of boutique search firms are calling middle managers these days to entice them to take a job at another company。 If people are not on a track, or are unsure of where they are going in the next couple of years within a company, they are more vulnerable to being picked off by a competitor. ”People tend to be tweaked by these calls, Colligan says。 ”You dont have to be totally dissatisfied。 You might be doing okay, but see that this new opportunity could improve your station in life and offer more compensation. People compare jobs more quickly today than ever before and there is more of a willingness to change.”Other top reasons for dissatisfaction among middle managers include micromanagement by senior managers and lack of respect, says Sirota。 ”And sometimes the senior leader is just really ineffective; middle managers dont want to be in a company that is run by that type of person。”Then there is the stereotypical situation in which middle managers have no authority but all of the accountability, according to Wharton management professor Jennifer Mueller. These managers must navigate ”the upward hierarchy extremely well and also influence people beneath them，” she says. This can be complicated and frustrating because the ways in which these things happen are often not codified in terms of the relationships people have.” Navigating the various relationships upward， downward and horizontally can be an emotional management challenge, adds Wharton management professor Sigal Barsade。 ”This is particularly noticeable with organizational change. If you are a middle manager, there may be a change that you didnt have much to do with, but you need to translate it to your people and make them feel protected and valued。 However， you are also someone being impacted by the change。 Because you didnt design the change， you might be left feeling like you dont know what to do yourself, but you still need to comfort, protect and inspire your people.”Indeed, middle managers are often torn in two because of the need to play a translation role - listening to the top and being responsive to the bottom, says Farran. ”When you talk to them, they feel that strategic thinking is the last thing they have time for, and they almost always feel unappreciated and misunderstood.”The 60/20/20 RuleWhen people come in the door， 20 will make partner no matter what you do; 20% will not make partner no matter what you do， and 60 will make partner if you do the right things， says Colligan， referring, for example, to law firms and investment banks。 In other words, the highest performers will succeed and the lowest performers will not succeed。 However, for those 60% in the middle， the right things can make a big difference.Given the high cost of turnover and the importance of middle managers in implementing strategy and change, how do you ”do the right things” to help those people move up？ Individual development plans that are connected to corporate goals, and access to educational opportunities can play a big role in increasing retention rates， Colligan states. ”While many companies dont have robust education programs， they can send employees for an executive education program on marketing， strategy or finance something that enhances their skills as a middle manager. It tells the manager that the company cares about him or her. Companies that do this on a regular basis tend to find turnover lower。While most organizations dont readily admit to neglecting middle managers， it can happen because senior managers tend to be so consumed with strategy， particularly in todays rapidly changing markets， Colligan says. ”I can understand top management focusing on strategic initiatives, but they need to be careful not to spend all of their time doing that. Some time should be spent on the development and retention of middle managers. Another solution gaining popularity today is coaching， Colligan adds. Coaches are no longer brought in only for remedial reasons。 Today its more like having a personal traine