Middle managers have long operated in the space between vision and execution, often without the same investment or visibility as executives or front-line teams. But organizations are beginning to turn their attention toward this group. More than half (51%) of CHROs identified leadership and manager development as a top priority in 2025, according to SHRM’s 2025 CHRO Priorities and Perspectives report.
According to Marissa Vargas, director of talent management at Raytheon, this renewed focus reflects a broader recognition that middle managers are more than task enforcers — they’re the connective tissue within their organizations.
When organizations focus on enabling middle managers, they can advance strategies, shape workplace culture, and boost business outcomes. With the right tools and training, managers move from operational pawns to strategy enablers.
Managers Are Culture Creators
Middle managers shape a company’s culture in real time. Their decisions, behaviors, and day-to-day interactions create the environment employees encounter at work.
“Middle managers are not just supporting operations,” said Maria Ruiz, director of organizational development and learning at Commonwealth Care Alliance. “They’re supporting growth, transformation, and the long-term success of a company.”
Organizations that recognize this reality can harness it. By equipping middle managers with the right training, tools, and support, organizations position managers to create a workplace culture that inspires inclusion, engagement, and retention.
But culture doesn’t take root through training; it’s shaped daily by the behaviors managers model and reinforce. Policies can establish expectations for behavior and values, but those values come to life only when managers model them and hold others accountable. When organizations empower their managers to lead with purpose, they shape not just how employees work but how they feel about work.
The business impact is significant. Most HR executives (92%) agree that people managers are critical for their organization’s overall success, according to SHRM research. Yet 55% of people managers report feeling caught between executive priorities and team needs, which negatively impacts their stress levels and effectiveness.
Managers are capable of creating this kind of business value “because they operate in the intersection of people, process, and performance,” Ruiz said. The trust managers share with front-line employees, the insight they offer to upper management, and their ability to both influence and experience workplace culture are critical to their success, she said.
Unlocking Managers’ Power
Organizations looking for more from their managers can employ a few simple strategies to increase their impact.
Elevate the Role
To elicit better manager impact, organizations can start by elevating the role, Ruiz said. Many companies view middle managers as executors responsible for outcomes. In reality, however, middle managers are responsible for people. Emphasizing this responsibility motivates middle managers to better develop talent, lead change, and drive culture.
Offer More Training, Earlier
As SHRM data reflects, many organizations are focused on providing leadership training. For middle managers, specifically, this training should start early in the leadership pipeline.
“Identify potential managers early to avoid promoting the high performer, who may not be suited to a leadership role,” Ruiz said. “Start by offering leadership readiness programs.”
These programs create a leadership audience among emerging talent and early-career professionals who will be primed for a leadership role when one arrives.
Listen to Managers More
Many companies claim to be “customer-obsessed,” meaning they cultivate a deep knowledge of their sales targets. Organizations ought to be manager-obsessed, too, Vargas argues.
“If you’re manager-obsessed, you want to know what their daily life is like,” Vargas explained.
By surveying middle managers more, employers can discover what managers are worried about, what they struggle with, and where they need help. Managers are often caught between two worlds, managing HR processes alongside employee needs. Surveys and other listening efforts illuminate managers’ roadblocks so that company leaders can provide the right solutions.
Give Managers the Tools They Need to Lead
Middle managers are often seen as support staff, but that perception holds back a powerful engine of culture and performance. When organizations invest in and power their managers, they don’t just improve operations — they unlock untapped leadership potential. It’s time to stop overlooking the middle and start building the future of work from the center out.
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