Most organizations acknowledge that front-line managers are the key to success. The challenge is that they often stop at this point. The real opportunity lies at the level above front-line managers. With the best of intentions, mid-level managers can adversely impact a front-line manager’s ability to manage by controlling the processes and metrics that should be “owned” at the front-line manager level. The environment managers have created for work to get done (management culture) passively allows responsibility for the people to rest at the wrong level.

Helping mid-level managers—in a non-punitive way—to understand that they are taking responsibility for hourly employees and their results versus driving accountability of results to front-line managers is a difficult task. It is one of the greatest opportunities within an organization. For nearly 30 years, DB&A’s success lies in helping leaders recognize these cultural issues exist and giving managers the tools and skills to correct them, thereby driving dramatic improvements in productivity, performance, and profitability.