Consciously Unbossing: Gen Z Isn’t Interested in Middle Management
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I saw a really interesting article the other day on MSN, noting that Gen Z isn't interested in middle management (apparently, in a trend called “consciously unbossing”) and I thought it might make an interesting discussion here. If you've recently considered yourself middle management, what do you think the pros and cons are to middle management? Do you understand the lack of interest in becoming middle management? Do you think companies should (or will) change, or that Gen Z should (or will) reframe their attitudes?
According to MSN, “research shows that over half of Gen Z have no interest in pursuing middle management roles. There is an understandable reason for this: these roles are known for their high levels of burnout and may initially seem at odds with Gen Z's values of autonomy, flexibility and personal well-being.”
(The article defines middle managers as those who are “responsible for both their team's performance and the implementation of broader organizational strategies,” unlike supervisors, who “primarily focus on overseeing day-to-day tasks.”)
MSN goes on to suggest that Gen Zers just need an attitude adjustment, and should “refram[e] these roles to align with your values and aspirations [in order to] see it as a rewarding opportunity rather than a burden.”
Harper's Bazaar also picked up the study, noting that
Research from recruitment company Robert Walters has found that more than half of Gen Z workers (52%) don’t want to be middle managers – with 16% refusing to ever take on a role that involves having direct line reports. When further probed about why middle-management roles don’t appeal, workers pointed to stagnating wages and little trade-off; 69% of Gen Z recipients said that middle management is “too high stress, low reward”.
Harper's Bazaar notes that we might see senior management absorbing some of the responsibility that has traditionally been middle managers.
What are your thoughts, readers — do you think middle management has more cons than pros, or is there a misunderstanding here? Do you think the company systems should change, or Gen Z should change their framing of the issue?
Stock photo via Stencil.
I was thinking about this today. I actually love being a manager. Of course there are frustrations, but as an IC I didn’t have much power. Now I have at least a little bit. Clearly not a popular opinion though
I’ve been in middle management for five years. It is challenging, and some days I question my sanity for staying in this role because there are so many pressures both above and below me. However, I really like that middle management allows me to keep doing some of the technical work I still enjoy, while supporting my team and helping us meet our goals. I know that senior management is not for me, at least in my current organization.
They’re right that there are pros and cons to middle management – being an IC is easier in many ways. But why is this a Gen Z thing? There are people from new college grads to grandparents that have stayed in IC roles. Not sure this is actually new, or just new slang for the same concept.
I agree.
I thought the stereotype was that the GenZ’er believes they will be CEO within five years, so they’ll just skip right over middle management?
In my field of academic librarianship, being in middle management is literally the only way to make a decent living. No choice in HCOL area.
I’m Gen X, and I’ve been a middle manager in 2 positions. As I’m within a decade of retirement, I’ll manage again if the rewards outweigh the hassles, but as a high level IC it’s not worth my time to take on additional management roles without additional $$, and I don’t think I’m the only one.