There was no episode of “The Office” last night — not even a rerun. So sad! But still people were talking about the show and its ridiculous cast of characters this week.
Harvard Business Review blogger Andrew McAffee posted “Middle Management: The Importance of Being Michael Scott” on Tuesday, and since I have no new episode to blog about, I’m just going to blog on his blog post.
Too much blogging? Impossible!
McAffee examines the commonly held belief that technology is on the brink of making middle managers extinct. He once subscribed to this theory himself, but writes that he was swayed by two recent studies. The studies provide concrete evidence that technology is actually making the middle manager more important than ever. In McAffee’s words, “Employees at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin might have problems with their manager Michael Scott. But they’d have even more serious problems without him. He’s goofy, but he’s no dinosaur.”
I’m not sure Dunder Mifflin wouldn’t be better off without Michael Scott, but McAffee does make a good argument about Michael’s peers in the world of middle management. As things become more complex, it makes sense that more than ever we need people to make the connections between the many moving parts and keep them running smoothly.
Have you seen this happening at your office? How is the role of the middle manager changing as more technology comes into your workplace? Share your thoughts here and come back to see what others are saying.
Image credit, NBC