Do Companies Need Managers?

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It’s a question that few would have even thought to ask 20 years ago. The short answer is yes. To really understand though let’s dive a little deeper into the question.

There are a few companies that have successfully experimented with the idea of eliminating any management or leadership positions. However, they’ve established a rather unusual culture and they still have people who perform management functions, they just don’t call them managers.

There are other companies that rotate the management functions between the workers in a group. I’ll withhold judgment on that concept as I haven’t seen much long-term evidence as to its effectiveness.

So why do I say companies need managers? Simply because the management function must be accomplished by someone. When a company is very small, only a few people, it’s easy to say that separate managers aren’t really necessary as everyone does everything. But as the organization grows, that doesn’t work. Someone has to determine work schedules, ensure necessary training is available, make production decisions, solve problems, and handle the many issues that arise daily.

The more appropriate question is, how many managers does the company need? Like everything else, the ranks of the manager level tended to swell during the last few decades and all of them probably weren’t necessary.

With the big increase in numbers the quality and managerial ability tended to decrease. There are several surveys showing that the vast majority of people who quit their jobs weren’t really quitting the company; they were quitting their leadership.

Some managers are necessary. But they need to be good managers with a definite responsibility. Most importantly, they must be trained in good management, including the skills necessary to effectively lead people.

 

Learn to be a more effective manager and leader. Don’t Worry, You Can Do This! What New Supervisors and Managers Need to Know About Leadership.