A middle-level manager serves as an intermediary between the executive managers and the supervisors. Without them, the implementation of strategic plans and decisions of top-level management cannot be realised.
Definition and Explanations
Middle-level management is the manager who serves as a link between top-level and front-line management by implementing strategies, communicating board policies, and leading teams. These managers engaged in tactical planning, preparing the annual budget that aligns with the overall goals decided by executive managers.
They have titles such as head of departments, branch and regional managers, division manager, general manager, finance, marketing, and people managers. Other names might be used, depending on the entity.
Top-level management gives orders and policies to middle-level management. The middle-level manager gives reports to these executive directors. This is done in directors’ committee meetings or via the chief executive officer.
The middle-level officers communicate the commands to the front-line managers and direct team members to implement the strategies and policies of the executives.
They are responsible for implementing the plans and decisions of the board of directors. Using the traditional management function, they ensure that all resources are utilised to meet the planned goals and objectives of the board.
Policies established by the board are implemented by the head of the department. They ensure that all members in their department are aware of the policies and abide by them. This is done by regular reminders to the team members while they perform their daily activities.
Directing and leading their subordinates is a core part of the job of department heads. They engage in the staffing process and recommend new employees to the board for approval. Therefore, the middle-level managers are very important for business growth.
Tactical planning is the major responsibility of the head of departments. These are one-year plans known as a budget. They engaged in preparing the annual budget that aligns with the mission and goals of the board of directors. Upon approval, the budget is sent to the supervisors who break it into daily or weekly achievable tasks.
Traditional function and the middle-level management
For planning, organizing and controlling the middle-level manager spends more time and effort than the lower-level manager. But compared to top-level executives, the head of the department spends less time and effort on the aforementioned traditional functions.
However, for directing and leading, the department heads spend more time and effort compared to senior managers. This is because in the chain of command, they control more people than the executives. However, they control fewer people when compared with the supervisors.