Conscious unbossing
Attitudes toward middle management as a career
- Many commenters say almost no one truly aspires to be a middle manager; it’s seen as a “sinkhole” or “worst spot in the hierarchy.”
- Some note people drift into it as “natural progression” or for higher pay, then discover they dislike it and return to IC roles.
- A minority say some genuinely like managing people they know and being closer to the work than executives.
Definitions and scope of “middle management”
- Disagreement over what counts:
- One view: anyone with reports who isn’t C‑suite is “middle management.”
- Another: only those who manage managers; frontline managers are separate.
- The term “middle manager” is seen as pejorative, which may bias survey answers.
Compensation, incentives, and career dynamics
- Mixed experiences whether managers earn more than senior ICs; some firms require reaching director+ for higher pay, others don’t.
- Some argue people move into management to extend career longevity and earnings, especially later in life or with family obligations.
- Others value interesting work and collegial teams over incremental pay and reject management for that reason.
Value and dysfunction of management layers
- Frontline and good second‑line managers are often described as crucial: translating strategy, shielding teams, fixing departments, training others.
- Senior and some middle managers are portrayed as useless “layers of indirection,” paper‑pushers, or politically focused, with little domain knowledge.
- There’s concern about too many layers, lack of training, and misaligned accountability (ICs bear consequences; management gets credit).
Generational and cultural framing
- Many doubt Gen Z is unique; argue young people in any era dislike management and office politics.
- Popular culture (Office Space, The Office, Dilbert) is seen as shaping negative views of corporate management.
- Some argue the article is essentially PR, with scripted quotes reused across regions.
Alternatives and future of management
- Interest in flatter structures, cooperatives, and team‑based models; unclear how well these scale.
- Several suggest AI could replace or augment middle management, especially as coordination and communication tasks are automatable, though accountability remains a challenge.