The future of middle management: Will it evolve or end?

Technology, AI, and new work practices have shaken things up and sparked a hot debate: Are middle managers still relevant? 

While some argue these roles will vanish, others insist they remain crucial – but that they’re on the brink of complete transformation. You must grasp the shifts in middle management and strategize so you’re not left behind by more adaptive market leaders. 

That’s where we come in. Below, we define what middle management is, dive into eight ways it's changing, and discuss what lies ahead for this tier of the workforce. Plus, we share top tips to navigate these changes nimbly but effectively. 

What is middle management?

Middle management is the layer of the workforce situated between senior leaders and operational or frontline employees. 

Traditionally, middle managers oversee daily operations and manage team performance by monitoring tasks and ensuring quality and compliance with the rules. They also handle administrative tasks like scheduling and budgeting. 

8 ways middle management is changing

Here's how middle management – as we know it – is undergoing a rapid and significant transformation. 

1. Middle managers are shifting from controllers to facilitators     

Middle managers have traditionally been seen as “controllers”: the enforcers of rules charged with approving or vetoing their direct reports’ proposals. 

But perceptions of middle management are being challenged as new technologies emerge.

A controversial podcast by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), an American global management consulting firm, claims that middle management will be obsolete as early as 2030. 

Why? According to the podcast, the rapid evolution of tech and AI will support workers in doing their jobs without the need for middle management. 

Our take? While tech and AI can automate routine tasks and the approval side of things, these tools aren’t equipped to overtake a key role that middle managers still play today: using people management skills to empower and coach team members. 

An article by Forbes put it nicely: 

“They're not just process overseers; they are translators who can interpret the strategic vision from the C-suite into actionable steps for ground-level employees. Moreover, their skills in people management – empathy, communication, conflict resolution – are unparalleled."  

Imagine if middle managers were extinct. Can AI tools understand individual employee concerns or resolve conflict between team members? Maybe. But not effectively. 

One study, for instance, showed that using AI for emotional intelligence is inaccurate and prone to biases because emotional analysis technology assigns more negative emotions to specific ethnicities. 

Technology simply can't – currently – replicate the nuanced understanding of human behaviors and situations that good managers possess. 

So, in our opinion, middle managers aren’t going extinct – they’re taking on more people management responsibilities.  

2. They’re owning strategy and innovation 

Traditionally, middle management has acted primarily as the go-between for upper management and frontline employees, ensuring team members follow top-down directives to hit business targets. In fact, a 2018 study showed middle managers’ ability to implement strategy was limited to the parameters set by upper levels of the organization. 

But things are changing today – at least at some companies.. Here’s what HR and hiring expert Yashna Wahal says about this: 

“In today’s fast-paced digital era, businesses must adapt quickly to new technologies and rapid market shifts, or they risk being left behind by competitors. There’s simply no time to go back and forth with upper management, and that's where the role of middle management has turned on its head.” 

Middle managers are in the thick of it, seeing firsthand what’s happening on the ground. That’s why they’re uniquely positioned to influence business strategy and think up innovative solutions to put the company at a quick competitive advantage. 

Wahal also notes that more companies are “decentralizing decision-making and adapting a ‘start-up culture.'" These companies "give middle managers the freedom to be agile in their approach to new tech and market movements." 

One example is the global technology and investment group, e&, which operates across 32 countries. The World Economic Forum shared a case study about how e& has benefited from empowering regional management to make strategic decisions. 

“By decentralizing certain functions or decision-making processes, companies can empower local teams to respond more effectively to regional needs and market conditions. This can lead to increased innovation and opportunities, improved customer satisfaction, enhanced overall performance, and cross-collaboration.”

3. They’re progressing from messengers to collaborators

Middle managers used to be the messengers, merely relaying information from the top brass to ground-level employees. This is no longer the case.  

According to a recent article published in the Harvard Business Review, today’s companies are looking to support more autonomous and creative workers. So, they’re adopting a more bottom-up approach by tapping into their employees' knowledge, motivation, and creativity across different departments. 

Middle managers don’t just play a key role in inspiring their direct team members – they’re also expected to collaborate cross-functionally to get things done. 

For instance, a middle manager in the software space must work closely with peers in R&D, marketing, and customer success to develop software solutions that are operationally feasible and align with customer needs if they want to succeed in this highly competitive market. 

One study published in the American Journal of Sociology analyzed millions of managerial job postings, manager resumes, job reviews, and other datasets. Results showed that, across all sectors, managerial roles have shifted from supervision to collaboration. 

Additionally, companies that treat managers as collaborators have a higher proportion of middle managers than those who treat them as supervisors. This means while supervisors may be on the decline, the number of middle managers who are collaborating and breaking silos is growing rapidly. 

4. With more data, they’re becoming even more accountable

Before the digital age, the middle management role was opaque in many respects. Middle managers’ responsibilities were largely centered around ticking boxes, managing day-to-day operations, and hitting key targets, such as sales numbers. 

Today’s middle managers are under the microscope more than ever, thanks to the tech tools at companies’ fingertips. With tech and AI tools tracking everything, managers must keep an eye on many new key performance metrics that weren’t on their radar back in the day. Here are some examples: 

• Budgeting and cost management: Today’s software solutions have comprehensive reporting capabilities that show project costs versus budgets, profitability, and other key metrics. 

• Project management: Good project management software showcases project timelines, task progress, customer satisfaction metrics, and other indices that track how effectively middle managers implement ideas. 

• Employee satisfaction: With readily available survey and feedback tools, real-time data shows how employees feel at work regarding happiness, engagement, and the support they receive from middle managers. 

• Compliance: Today’s software tracks compliance with automated compliance checks, audit trails, and more. 

While access to these different datasets helps middle managers do a better job and fix areas that need improvement, it also puts them in the spotlight. Company leaders have access to the same data, increasing accountability for middle managers. 

5. They need a more flexible and agile management style to thrive 

Conventionally, middle managers needed deep expertise in one area – for instance, manufacturing – and a directive management style to instruct employees. However, According to HR expert Yashna Wahal: 

“Tech and AI are changing how we do things. Consumer sentiments shift frequently.  Social and digital media have increased competition across all sectors. Let’s not forget we’ve also just witnessed a global pandemic with its own changes and challenges. 

The only thing middle managers need to be experts in today is managing change swiftly and effectively.” 

Jobs are also constantly evolving. According to the World Economic Forum’s latest Future of Jobs report, 23% of jobs will change, and 44% of employees’ skills will be disrupted in the next five years. 

The report also predicts that soft and cognitive skills like creative thinking, analytical thinking, problem-solving, dependability, and willingness to learn will be among the most coveted skills over the next few years. 

What does all this mean for middle management?

They must:

• Develop strong cognitive and soft skills and work on resilience and the ability to handle pressure 

• Build adaptable teams with transferable skills, track each team member’s skill sets – for instance, with skills ontologies or taxonomies – and deploy the right resources in the right places at the right times

• Adopt agile working practices with a flexible and iterative approach to project management, focus on continuous improvement, and adapt quickly to anything that crops up, whether it’s a tech, customer, or economy-related change 

6. They must contend with the rise of remote management 

The pandemic may be over, but it brought remote and hybrid working, which seem to be permanent changes to the working world. According to the Harvard Business Review, as this shift takes over and the distance between employees increases, middle managers will play an undeniably significant role by connecting remote workers to each other and to the organization's mission. 

Without them, senior leaders would need to engage workers, monitor performance, and bridge communication gaps – leaving them little time to focus on their own jobs. 

So, how will remote work impact middle management?

Middle management will be instrumental in keeping everyone on the same page. This isn’t easy when employees are dispersed across locations. 

Managers must get comfortable with remote communication and work management tools, adjust to time zone differences, get creative with building a rapport with their employees, and make sure everyone feels heard and valued regardless of their physical location. 

And without the ability to physically observe work, middle managers must work out effective ways to monitor performance without diminishing trust through aggressive employee monitoring tools. They must set clear goals and expectations from the start and conduct regular virtual check-ins to support team members. 

Despite its challenges, this landscape provides middle management with some upsides. They can handle their own responsibilities in a flexible setting. Additionally, they can access global talent who could boost productivity and team performance. 

That said, don’t underestimate the impact this big change can have on middle managers. One study showed that remote job demands increased work stress and reduced well-being in remote managers. 

7. They’re becoming core culture carriers

Middle managers have historically been criticized for being bureaucratic, controlling, and hierarchical. A 1998 postal survey of 155 companies found that middle managers often viewed their employees as threats and hesitated to involve them in key work decisions. 

Another study in 2003 showed similar results, especially when middle managers felt pressured by senior leaders’ demands. In fact, they not only ignored employees’ interests but also deliberately hid employee dissatisfaction from senior management. 

Today, things are different. Middle managers are now viewed as the culture carriers of their companies. A very recent 2025 survey of 198 MBA students and alumni found that workers perceive middle managers, rather than high-profile CEOs, as the real moral compass in business.

In particular, they associated the below middle-manager attributes with the overall values and cultures of their organizations. 

• Dedication to the team, including acts of care and support during personal crises and advocating for employees’ advancement. 

• Upholding high ethical standards, including challenging the status quo, staying transparent, and prioritizing honesty even in high-pressure situations.

• Addressing problematic behaviors within the team and promoting a safe and ethical work environment. 

8. Middle management is becoming more toxic 

In a recent Business Insider article, Kyle, a middle manager at a staffing company, expresses burnout from feeling stuck between the demands of upper management and employees wanting more flexibility, particularly in light of return-to-work mandates. In fact, the stress pushed him to take a non-managerial role, which he was happier with despite a pay cut. 

The article also quoted Layne Tisdel Martin, a middle manager at a tech firm, who said:  

"Sometimes I feel like the workers see me as an agent of the 'evil overlords' and the C-suite sees me as a union rep." 

Kyle and Layne are not the only ones who feel like this. 

Business Insider spoke with several middle managers for the aforementioned article. They  said their burnout was mainly caused by not having enough time or power. A chief workplace psychologist Business Insider spoke with said, “In many cases, [middle managers] don't have full autonomy to make decisions, but they're held accountable as if they do." 

That’s not all: Using its research into the state of the workplace, meQuilibrium, an organization with expertise in workplace resilience, predicts a “middle manager crash” as a result of years of unaddressed burnout, overworking, and poor support systems. 

Additionally, a 2024 report found that nearly 50% of middle managers surveyed wanted to quit due to the stress of the role. 

3 tips to prepare for the future of middle management 

Here are some easy ways to navigate these middle management changes effectively. 

1. Use multi-measure testing to hire right

In addition to hiring middle managers with technical expertise in their space, post job descriptions that highlight transferable skills and traits that can carry middle managers through the constantly changing landscapes of work. 

Additionally, put candidates through multi-measure testing – where you assess them on multiple “measures,” including soft and hard skills, personality traits, and cognitive abilities. 

Platforms like TestGorilla, for instance, let you assess middle managers on job-specific skills like software proficiency, change management, remote team management, and data analysis, as well as people management and leadership, communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking. 

You can also use personality and culture tests and behavioral interviews for deeper insights into attributes like interpersonal skills, adaptability, and resilience. This way, you can hire middle managers who can contribute to your company's success now and in the future.

2. Provide sufficient training and growth opportunities 

While it's important to hire strong middle managers, you must also provide your existing middle management with training and coaching to help them develop the qualities needed for this changing manager role. 

Here are some examples of programs for middle management. 

• Leadership development programs to help them develop and refine skills such as decision-making, conflict resolution, agile leadership, and strategic thinking. Make sure the contents of these programs align with your company's preferred management and leadership style, and include tips for remote management if your company has hybrid or remote work arrangements. 

• Change management workshops equip managers with the right strategies and tools to successfully lead themselves and their teams through periods of transformation, including the shift to remote and hybrid working. 

• Emotional intelligence coaching can help middle managers with active listening, self-regulation, social skills, and empathy so they can better support their teams. 

• Unconscious bias training helps middle managers become more self-aware about the biases they might display at work and supports them in ethical and conscientious management practices. 

3. Give middle managers the support they need

With burnout and stress threatening your middle managers' health and well-being, consider supporting them in the following ways. 

• Regular check-ins: Ensure you frequently connect with middle managers – at least once a quarter – to gather feedback and learn more about how to best support them. 

• Coaching and mentorship: Provide middle managers with access to executive coaches and mentors who can help them navigate the pressures of their role, especially in balancing the needs and expectations of upper management and frontline employees. 

• Mental health support: Offer resources like counseling, stress management workshops, or employee assistance programs to support your middle managers’ mental well-being and help them better manage workplace pressure and work-life separation.

• Tools for remote management: Invest in great, easy-to-use remote work management software, like good communication platforms, time tracking and scheduling software, and project management tools. These can make it much easier for middle managers to monitor their remote teams from anywhere. 

• Growth opportunities: Provide middle managers with work that excites them and makes the most of their strengths – for instance, internal mobility, subsidized certifications or courses, etc. 

• Realistic expectations: Remind company leaders of the pressures middle managers go through and ensure you’re realistic in what you’re asking them to achieve. Avoid overworking them and provide plenty of support and resources to help set them up for success. 

Hire and retain the best middle managers for the future

The future of middle management is facing uncertainty. While some say tech and AI will eventually eliminate the need for middle managers, others – including us – believe the middle management role is more important than ever, even if it’s transforming. 

As tech and AI take care of approvals, workflows, and quality control, middle management must now shift their focus to strategizing, innovating, coaching, and collaborating. Moreover, middle managers play a critical role in ensuring success with remote and hybrid work models, and they're now seen as the moral compass of their organizations. 

So, use multi-measure testing to hire those who have the qualities to succeed as modern middle managers. Additionally, train your existing middle managers and provide them with plenty of support and growth opportunities to ensure you retain the cream of the crop for your company.