What the research says

Should you cut layers of middle management?

The short answer

The studies we mapped don't test whether cutting layers pays off. They do show two things worth weighing first. Middle managers do work that is easy to lose: in English hospitals, nurse middle managers passed knowledge down to fellow nurses, though they struggled to pass it up or across to doctors, and in four Chinese state-owned firms, middle managers handled local political actors to hit market goals. A theory paper argues they also link new-technology teams to a firm's existing assets. And in organizations that delayered and downsized, the managers who stayed reported more autonomy but longer, more intense hours, closer monitoring and fewer chances of promotion.

Based on 7 studies from the Atlas of the Middle: 0 rated high strength, 5 medium, 2 low. Designs: qualitative case (2), qualitative interviews (2), other (1), conceptual (1), archival (1).

What the middle carries

Several studies describe bridging work that sits in the middle. Two are arguments rather than tests, and one says calls to cut middle layers overlook it.

Burgess & Currie (2013) · other · LowThe Knowledge Brokering Role of the Hybrid Middle Level Manager: the Case of HealthcareDrawing on healthcare, the authors argue that hybrid middle managers who straddle clinical and managerial work play a strategic role passing knowledge between the two, something calls to cut middle layers overlook.Currie et al. (2015) · qualitative case · MediumHR Practices and Knowledge Brokering by Hybrid Middle Managers in Hospital Settings: The Influence of Professional HierarchyIn hospital care for older people, nurse middle managers could pass knowledge down to fellow nurses but struggled to pass it up the hierarchy or across to doctors; without HR support, the authors warn, a 'broken' rather than 'broker' chain may result.Taylor & Helfat (2009) · conceptual · LowOrganizational Linkages for Surviving Technological Change: Complementary Assets, Middle Management, and AmbidexterityIBM and NCR are used to argue that firms survive technology shifts when middle managers link new-tech teams to existing assets.Guo et al. (2017) · qualitative case · MediumHow middle managers manage the political environment to achieve market goals: Insights from C hina's state‐owned enterprisesIn four large Chinese state-owned firms, operational middle managers actively dealt with local political actors to hit market goals, and the authors suggest they were better placed for this bridging work than top executives or frontline staff.

Who is in the middle matters

In one industry study, differences among individual middle managers explained far more of the gaps between firms than differences among people in innovative roles.

Mollick (2012) · archival · MediumPeople and process, suits and innovators: the role of individuals in firm performanceDifferences among individual people mattered more to firm performance than usually assumed, and variation among middle managers explained far more of the gaps between firms than variation among people in innovative roles.

What delayering does to those who stay

Two studies of restructured organizations describe what changed for the managers who remained: heavier, more closely watched work, and fewer promotions.

McCann et al. (2008) · qualitative interviews · MediumNormalized Intensity: The New Labour Process of Middle ManagementIn 64 interviews across five UK organizations that delayered and downsized, middle managers reported more autonomy but longer, more intense hours, closer monitoring and fewer promotion prospects.Hassard et al. (2012) · qualitative interviews · Medium‘My Brilliant Career’? New Organizational Forms and Changing Managerial Careers in Japan, the UK, and USAInterviews with HR managers in large firms in Japan, the UK and the USA found most had downsized and delayered, promotions were scarcer and sideways moves more common, and middle managers were generally resentful.

What I take from it

If I were weighing cuts, I would first list what the middle actually moves between groups, and decide who will move it afterward. None of these studies tells you the right number of layers.

This is my reading, Gabriel Lopez's, not a finding of the studies above.

Common questions

Does removing middle managers improve performance?

The studies we mapped do not test that directly. They describe what middle managers do and what delayering did to the managers who remained, not whether the cuts paid off.

What happens to middle managers after delayering?

In 64 interviews across five UK organizations that delayered and downsized, middle managers reported more autonomy but longer, more intense hours, closer monitoring and fewer promotion prospects.

Free guideAll 12 answers in one 15-page PDFWhat the research says about change in the middle, with how strong the evidence is.Get the guide

Every summary on this page was written by Unfrozen from the study's abstract or full text and checked twice by independent AI reviewers. Loop coding is exploratory and AI-assisted, pending human verification. Spot an error? Email info@unfreeze.us and it gets fixed.