{"id":15768058,"date":"2026-01-29T20:00:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T19:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/?p=15768058"},"modified":"2026-01-29T20:01:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T19:01:10","slug":"a-kozepvezetoi-reteg-eltunese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/en\/blog\/the-disappearance-of-the-co-determination-retention\/","title":{"rendered":"The disappearance of middle management: why are managers left to their own devices?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/en\/blog\/the-disappearance-of-the-co-determination-retention\/\">The disappearance of middle management: why are managers left to their own devices?<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In recent years, the role of middle manager has started to disappear almost unnoticed from organisations. Not overnight, not through declared decisions, but gradually, hidden behind arguments of \u201eefficiency\u201d and \u201eagility\u201d. But the consequence is now becoming clearer: <strong>managers are taking on more and more responsibility with less and less structured support<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This article examines why middle managers have become a \u201eluxury\u201d in the eyes of many organisations and how this process has contributed to the mass emergence of managerial isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"359\" src=\"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/wp-content\/uploads\/A-kozepvezetoi-reteg-eltunese-miert-maradnak-magukra-a-vezetok-businessman-8989990_1280.webp\" alt=\"The disappearance of middle management: why are managers left to their own devices?\" class=\"wp-image-15768060\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/wp-content\/uploads\/A-kozepvezetoi-reteg-eltunese-miert-maradnak-magukra-a-vezetok-businessman-8989990_1280.webp 640w, https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/wp-content\/uploads\/A-kozepvezetoi-reteg-eltunese-miert-maradnak-magukra-a-vezetok-businessman-8989990_1280-480x269.webp 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 640px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The disappearance of middle management: why are managers left to their own devices?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What has the middle management really given?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The role of the middle manager is often portrayed in simplistic terms: passing on information, reporting, controlling. This narrative fitted in well with the decisions that justified the downsizing of the layer. In reality, however, the middle manager <strong>was much more than an administrative link<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The middle managers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>provided context for senior management decisions,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>have been translated from strategic language into operational language,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and also filtered and interpreted the signals of the troops upwards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This role is a kind of <strong>driver amortizer<\/strong> was. It eased the tension, gave time for interpretation and opportunity for correction. When this layer is removed, the organisation is not faster, but <strong>sharper<\/strong>. Mistakes are made sooner and dilemmas are concentrated on one person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why has middle management become \u201eredundant\u201d in the eyes of organisations?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The reduction of middle management is rarely overtly justified by a reduction in support for managers. The formal arguments are typically:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>flatter hierarchy,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>faster decision-making,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>self-organising teams.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These are not in themselves problematic targets. The problem starts when <strong>the structure changes, but the logic of responsibility does not<\/strong>. The weight of decisions remains, and often increases, as roles that previously processed and held the managerial load disappear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The organisation assumes that the autonomous team and the autonomous leader will \u201ework it out\u201d. This is not autonomy, but <strong>unsubsidised transfer of liability<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/en\/blog\/coaching-of-newly-appointed-managers\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"251301\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">newly appointed managers<\/a> are particularly vulnerable<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The impact of the disappearance of middle management is most pronounced for newly appointed managers. They often step into the role by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>there is no pattern for them to follow,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>no direct supervisor to monitor the learning process,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and there is no room for uncertainty.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Previously, a new manager could \u201efit\u201d the role. Today, he or she often has to make strategic decisions in the first few months, while his or her leadership identity is still in the process of being formed. This situation is an ideal breeding ground for leadership isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can read more about this in another article:<br><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/en\/blog\/how-to-drive-in-isolation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Managerial isolation: how do you lead when management disappears from under you and looms over you?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The myth of the \u201eself-managing team\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The disappearance of middle managers is often justified by the fact that teams have become more independent. In practice, however, \u201eself-managing\u201d often means nothing more than that the team <strong>receive less guidance<\/strong>, while expectations remain high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This situation paradoxically puts the burden back on the driver:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>it must be given space and a framework at the same time,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>promote autonomy and deliver results,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>while there is no actor above it to reflect its decisions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This dynamic leads directly to what CoachLab calls in its professional language <strong>managerial isolation<\/strong> we call it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Systemic consequences, not individual problems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It is important to stress: the consequences of the disappearance of middle management <strong>they do not prove the \u201eincompetence\u201d of the leaders<\/strong>. On the contrary. Most of the leaders involved are competent, committed and resilient. The problem is that they operate in a structure that does not give enough feedback and retention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That is why individual \u201esolutions\u201d do not work either:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>tougher driving,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>the excessive role of coach,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>or the \u201eI'll get used to it\u201d strategy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Managerial isolation <strong>not personal lack<\/strong>, but an organisational phenomenon that requires conscious management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why is it important to talk about this?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As long as the disappearance of middle management is treated solely as an efficiency issue, managers are left to deal with the consequences on their own. The real question is not \u201edo we need middle management\u201d, but <strong>who and how performs the functions previously performed by<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If these functions are not consciously rethought, the organisation will silently produce isolated leaders. In the long term, this weakens rather than accelerates function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Related reading on the topic:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/en\/blog\/how-to-drive-in-isolation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Managerial isolation: how do you lead when management disappears from under you and looms over you?<\/strong> <\/a>- article on the full context of the phenomenon.<\/p>\n<span class=\"et_bloom_bottom_trigger\"><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A k\u00f6z\u00e9pvezet\u0151i r\u00e9teg elt\u0171n\u00e9se: mi\u00e9rt maradnak magukra a vezet\u0151k? Az elm\u00falt \u00e9vekben a k\u00f6z\u00e9pvezet\u0151i szerep szinte \u00e9szrev\u00e9tlen\u00fcl kezdett elt\u0171nni a szervezetekb\u0151l. Nem egyik napr\u00f3l a m\u00e1sikra, nem deklar\u00e1lt d\u00f6nt\u00e9sek ment\u00e9n, hanem fokozatosan, \u201ehat\u00e9konys\u00e1gi\u201d \u00e9s \u201eagilit\u00e1si\u201d \u00e9rvek m\u00f6g\u00e9 b\u00fajtatva. A k\u00f6vetkezm\u00e9ny azonban ma m\u00e1r egyre vil\u00e1gosabb: a vezet\u0151k egyre nagyobb felel\u0151ss\u00e9get viselnek egyre kevesebb struktur\u00e1lt t\u00e1mogat\u00e1ssal. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15768060,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[350,81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15768058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fiatal-vezetok","category-executive-coaching"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15768058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15768058"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15768058\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15768062,"href":"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15768058\/revisions\/15768062"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15768060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15768058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15768058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachlab.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15768058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}