Editing Middle management (section)

==Criticism==
The role of middle management is subject to a number of criticisms. This position is often seen as unnecessary, and middle managers are blamed for holding the organization back from achieving its full potential and using their influence for their own purposes.

===Influence===
Middle management is often accused of possessing too much influence. Their central position in an organization allows them to influence strategy and actions in "both upward and downward direction".<ref name=floyd92 /> When supplying information to the executive level, middle managers interpret it subjectively and may insinuate it with their own opinion and evaluation.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ranson|first1=S.|last2=Hinings|first2=B.|last3=Greenwood|first3=R.|title=The structuring of organizational structures|journal=Administrative Science Quarterly |date=1980|volume=25|issue=1|pages=1–17|doi=10.2307/2392223|jstor=2392223}}</ref> Further, proximity to the boardroom makes it easy for the manager to promote their own interests, by "synthesizing" the information and presenting data from a certain strategic perspective.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Dutton|first1=J. E.|last2=Duncan|first2=R. B.|title=The influence of the strategic planning process on strategic change|journal=Strategic Management Journal|date=1987|volume=8|issue=2|pages=103–116|doi=10.1002/smj.4250080202}}</ref> The same level of influence can be exploited by a middle manager towards the lower staff.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Floyd|first1=Steven W.|last2=Wooldridge|first2=Bill|title=Middle management's strategic influence and organizational performance|journal=Journal of Management Studies|date=1997|volume=3|issue=34|pages=466–482|doi=10.1111/1467-6486.00059}}</ref>

===Resistance===
Middle managers' reluctance to lose control in their teams and satisfaction with a settled situation could lead to their resistance in any changes in the strategy or direction of an organization. Usually, the resistance does not take an aggressive form such as refusal to carry out tasks or unconcealed confrontation, but result in a lack of support and eagerness to convey only those tasks, impact of which is clearly visible to the top management.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Connors|first1=J. L.|last2=Rom berg|first2=T. A.|title=Middle management and quality control: Strategies for obstructionism|journal=Human Organization|date=1991|volume=50|pages=61–65|doi=10.17730/humo.50.1.2w81h2l600260704}}</ref> This creates barriers to a growth of a company and lags the overall working process.

===Necessity===
The overall necessity of middle managers in an organization is questioned. They are said to be too costly, non-effective and constantly under-performing employees. It has been stated{{By whom|date=June 2018}} that middle managers do not carry out their main duties of linking the organization and reporting effectively, which leads to a block of communication between different levels of staff.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Scarbrough|first1=H.|last2=Burrell|first2=G.|author-link2=Gibson Burrell| editor1-last=Clegg|editor1-first=S.|editor2-last=Palmer|editor2-first=G.|title=The Axeman Cometh: the changing role and knowledge of middle managers|journal=The Politics of Management Knowledge|date=1996}}</ref> Thus, as rapid growth of globalization put pressures on businesses in terms of cost effectiveness and speed of information flow within the organization, middle management make companies less flexible and competitive.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dopson|first1=S.|last2=Stewart|first2=R.|title=Information technology, organizational restructuring and the future of middle management|journal=New Technology, Work and Employment|date=1993|volume=1|issue=8|pages=10–20|doi=10.1111/j.1468-005X.1993.tb00030.x}}</ref>