Every enterprise needs an enterprise leader managing the whole and general managers looking across functions at the business unit level. Departments like Research & Development (R&D), production, distribution, sales, marketing, finance need department heads with functional expertise, supervisors supporting, monitoring and adjusting front-line workers’ tasks, and the front-line workers who perform the tasks. But those managing groups of businesses or groups of managers exist only to make life easier for enterprise and functional leaders. The mass adoption of Internet-enabled communication tools has made it easier for enterprise and functional leaders to manage greater and greater spans of control. Now, COVID-19’s social distance imperatives have forced everyone to learn new ways of communicating and managing. That enduring change will minimize the need for those middle managers. New ways of working will make it easier for others to do the work and manage the work in terms of processes, programs, projects and tasks.

Processes

Enterprise and business leaders, whether their titles are CEO, President or General Manager, don’t actually produce anything themselves. Instead, they own strategic, organizational and operational processes that direct and guide others’ work. The most effective leaders engage with, monitor, and adjust these processes on a quarterly basis.

Programs

Programs get nested within processes. The 2021 Ford F-150 Truck is an example of a program. These tend to run for extended periods of time, getting monitored and adjusted monthly. Instead of having program-dedicated middle managers, assigning a functional leader as program manager can be a great way for that functional leader to work across functions and broaden their leadership skills.

Projects

Projects are the working components of programs, getting monitored and adjusted weekly. Engine design, dealer pricing and consumer marketing are all examples of projects within the F-150 program. Instead of having project-dedicated middle managers, having first-line supervisors manage projects can enable them to broaden their leadership skills.

Tasks

Tasks are the real work of projects, programs and processes, getting performed, managed and adjusted at least daily.

Implication for middle managers

Be afraid. Be very much afraid. If your role is essentially span-breaking, it’s untenable. Expect it to go away in better-managed, more forward-looking enterprises. And expect the less well-managed, less forward-looking enterprises to go away in their entirety – along with your role.

The only defense is to make yourself personally invaluable. Make sure you are contributing to projects and programs In ways others cannot do. And make sure you can contribute to future projects and programs by strengthening relationships, knowledge and skills on a continual basis.

Read the article below. To respond to my questions below, select the Forum link, then click on Create Thread and type in your posting. You are required to respond to a minimum of 2 classmates’ post. To reply, to another student first click on one of their postings, read it, and then select REPLY.

1. Internet-enabled communication has become tools are more of a primary mode, particularly during COVID-19. This mode has both advantages and disadvantages. Do you agree, why or why not?

2. Discuss some experiences and examples in detail of positive and negatives you have experienced or communication?

3. The article mentioned “The 2021 Ford F-150” program. In your workplace what are some programs, and projects you have managed or led? Discuss the tasks involved, how long it took, what were the roles of team members, and the results?

4. Do you feel others can do all the work middle managers are currently doing? why or why not?

5. In most organizations, there are many vulnerabilities to track manually, and not all of them pose an equal risk. What “management vulnerabilities” examples have you observed and experienced (such as flaws in the design, implementation, or administration of a staff or systems that provide a mechanism for a threat to exploit the weakness of a system or process) explain and or discuss?