Do I need a middle management layer to grow?

Aunty B is currently on holidays. This article first appeared on May 27, 2010

Dear Aunty B,

I have recently been on a hiring binge after staying very lean throughout the GFC. My problem is that we took on people who are waiting to be told what to do. We have five people at the top and about 15 juniors dependent on the top team directing them. I hate hierarchies so have deliberately not built in a middle management structure.

Do I need one though, as the top people are so busy they don’t always get around to ordering the juniors around.

LoveFlatManagement,
Vic

Dear LoveFlatManagement,

No, you do not. What you have done is provided a nice job for these staff but you have not provided them with a “cause”. Jim Collins puts it very well in his book How the Mighty Fall. He points out that the wrong people see themselves having a job and the right people see themselves as having responsibilities.

Every person in a key seat should be able to respond to the question: “What do you do?” And they should be able to answer like this: “I am the person ultimately responsible for X and Y. I look to the left of me and to the right of me and in front and behind and there is no one ultimately responsible but me. And I accept (and love) that responsibility.”

And that is the point. A company can only grow when the key people are leading from the top, not spending their day micromanaging staff. You need to talk about delegation, job descriptions, responsibilities and targets with the team.

That is the way you build a culture of discipline, responsibility and respect.

So try this little exercise. Ask the staff to tell you what they are responsible for – not their title. That is a good place to start.

Good luck!
Your Aunty B

To read more Aunty B advice, click here.

Email your questions, problems and issues to auntyb@smartcompany.com.au right now!