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Goddamn, you would hope. This research from UPenn seems to argue that the decline of middle management is arriving sooner than we think, but I’ve also brought up this stuff a few times before: the death of middle management, how middle managers cripple the economy, how bad many of them are at their job, etc. I think sometimes people keep middle managers around, even though they know said managers are doing nothing, because, well, that’s the way we’ve always done things. That’s work, right?
Looking at this UPenn stuff, I want you to consider two paragraphs:
Certain kinds of managers become superfluous as businesses increase automation, according to the study. The drop is simply an effect of modern technology, Wu said. As different tasks and processes are automated, human error is drastically reduced. So, too, is the need for close monitoring of that work by managers.
Now try this one:
“Highly-skilled professionals are very good at what they do, better than their managers. They don’t need managers to tell them how to do their jobs or make sure they arrive to work on time,” Wu said. “Managing high-skilled workers is much more like coaching or advising. Managers advise them to help them to achieve the best they can at work, and that kind of skill is very different from…
