Improved productivity throughout the management structure is a goal for many organizations. While a significant amount of information tends to focus on the needs of employees, it can be challenging to find tips for improving the productivity of middle managers. With that in mind, here are some tips that will help those who bridge the gap between frontline employees and upper management succeed in their unique space.
Trust and Honesty
Building trust between employees, regardless of their position within the organization, is always important. Middle managers require honesty from upper management to help coordinate their teams and ensure they are focused on the correct goals. When upper management is open about the current state of the business and any associated expectations, middle managers will feel better prepared to succeed in their work. It also avoids any sense of secrecy from those at the top and helps middle managers feel as though their contribution is valued.
Consistent Feedback
By keeping communication open, you enable your middle managers to be more effective. Keep them apprised of changing goals and priorities, as well as provide feedback on completed tasks. This helps remove the mystery as to how upper management feels about their work and the work of their team. It also provides them with valuable input that can be shared with those they supervise. It creates a cascading effect and can provide productivity benefits at every organizational level.
Make sure that any criticism is constructive and don’t neglect to highlight accomplishments. The idea is to help mold middle managers into more effective employees and leaders. Since their job involves a bit of both, presenting information in the proper way helps middle managers address their direct reports in a way that promotes better outcomes. This can help their morale stay high. They will feel more confident in their work and can help them become more effective leaders.
Reward Throughout Projects
Most reward-based systems focus on the end of the project. Often, there are multiple stages that must be completed to consider the entire project a success. Instead of simply focusing on the result, consider connecting important tasks and milestone to desirable activities.
Projects have some degree of drudgery to them regardless of the purpose. By integrating something enticing into the mix, you can combine the less desirable tasks with more enjoyable ones through a tactic called temptation building. Since the activity that is perceived as enjoyable is connected to one that is less so, it can help you limit the need for pure willpower to get through difficult challenges.
A simple example of temptation building is allowing yourself to enjoy your favorite music while doing a tedious task, like cleaning. While the example is not directly applicable to the business world, it does convey the general principle. Allow them to team an enjoyable task, even if it doesn’t expressly forward any goal, to a job duty that needs to be completed. By allowing them to work together, the job duty is more enjoyable by association.
Looking for More Productivity Tips
If you are looking for more information about how to increase the productivity of your teams, or are looking for someone to fill a middle management position, Advance Staffing Solutions is available to assist. Contact Advance Staffing Solutions today for a more productive tomorrow.
