The middle child breaks up fights, mediates disputes, and smooths the differences between older and younger siblings. They carry the weight of family responsibilities and often don’t get the recognition they deserve.
Executive Summary
Often forgotten and overlooked when business is humming, the middle manager is typically the first to go when companies, including P/C insurers, decide to downsize. Here, the authors of a soon-to-be-published book on the five generations in today's workplace examine the critical, multiple roles of the middle manager; the burdens they carry; and the value they bring to digital transformations, customer engagement, and workforce development and management.The parallels to corporate middle managers are uncanny. Middle managers today are the switchboard operators between C-suite directives and operational execution by frontline staff. They manage up and down. They reinterpret signals from both directions in an increasingly complex environment. They must think like a CEO and a front-line professional. Yet, as they’re often the forgotten or overlooked ones, they’re typically the first to go in a downsizing.
Middle managers in the insurance sector are pivotal, tasked with navigating the complex dynamics of today’s volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (aka VUCA) business environment. This role has dramatically evolved from pre-COVID times to the present. It all reflects significant shifts in technological adoption, workforce management and strategic priorities. Let’s explore these transitions and strategies to empower managers to thrive.
