For most companies, successful communication within internal teams is a difficult function to master. Whether upper-level management provides little direction or lower-level employees don’t take instruction, poor internal communication can make or break a company. In many companies that have communication issues, most of the blame is placed on middle management, often referred to as the frozen middle.
Middle management looks different in every company. Some refer to these employees as department heads or directors, but their primary purpose is to manage their direct reports and enact strategies passed down from executives. In many cases, these strategies are miscommunicated or misguided, causing middle managers to pass down unhelpful direction and delay progress.
So what can a manager do if they are frozen in the middle? In this graphic, JobHero describes this communication issue and includes some of the most fruitful ways to eradicate it. Whether middle management needs to identify communication gaps or build in opportunities for feedback, these steps will help managers thaw the frozen middle and build successful teams.
