03/28/2025

Middle Managers in Today's Association Landscape

Leaders have an opportunity to support an often-beleaguered group of employees

The middle isn't so middle-of-the-road anymore.

Since the pandemic, there's been a lot of conversation about the changing roles of middle managers—specifically, how put-upon they’ve been. Since COVID-19, they have had to referee back-to-office policies, implement new HR initiatives, and, often, be the Bad Cop around decisions from the top. That stress has led to a lot of talk about how middle managers were among the first to bolt during the Great Resignation. But as the dust settles in the post-pandemic era, some research suggests that middle managers are settling into their roles in new ways. For association professionals, that represents both a leadership opportunity and a market opportunity.

First, here’s what the shifting looks like: According to new research from Harvard Business School professor Letian Zhang, middle manager positions have increasingly emphasized collaboration and coaching over supervision. According to an HBR article on Zhang’s research, "managerial job postings that required collaborative skills and experience increased by three times between 2007 and 2021. By contrast, job postings that included supervisory capabilities decreased by 23 percent."

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.