Another Blow to Manager Types: Bayer Shifts Control to Self-Directed Teams Who Have to Figure It Out

 "I failed the certification exam for project management."

That's what a client lamented to me earlier this week. They had begun preparing for that 18 months ago. They do have marketable hands-on skills in the wellness category.

"18 months ago the world was different. You were different. Managers are no longer in demand. In fact, they are first to go on the chopping block."

My response to her - essentially, you're not missing out on much - has been reinforced by an article in The Wall Street Journal about Bayer's shift from the traditional management layers to self-directed teams. They number 5,000 to 10,000 teams. Here is an excerpt from the WSJ:

"Executives [at Bayer] will no longer pass orders to employees only through layers and layers of management, with bosses explaining 'where exactly you’re going to spend your time and what exactly you’re going to do,' said Sebastian Guth, president of Bayer U.S. 'Instead, you will spend time with your 15 to 20 colleagues and basically figure it out.'”

Bayer admits the approach is an experiment. However, it is not alone in reviewing the function of the manager in a complex organization. Of the recent layoffs 30% have been middle managers.

In coaching, whether those looking for a job or gig assignment are very young or over-65, I tutor them in presenting themselves in terms of what exactly they can do for those hiring and the results they can produce. That has evolved into the 2024 elevator speech: Here is what I can do for you. 

That ethos already dominates much of professional services. The individual groups in elite law firms such as Kirkland & Ellis, Cravath and Paul, Weiss, for example, have the power and generate the revenue.  The career of lawyers depends on what is going on in that specific group, not the firm overall. Prospects for new business for the firm assess that group, not the law firm per se. The law firm functions primarily as an umbrella brand. 

The current purging of management is not new. Back in the  mid 1980s, pioneered by GE's Jack Welsch and Chrysler's Lee Iacocca, the corporation was hollowed out. Middle managers, mostly middle-aged, were sent packing. That generated a whole generation of Accidental Entrepreneurs. 

We could be witnessing another massive flight to self-employment. The developing meme is: Take your skills and try marketing them out there as an entrepreneur. The majority of clients for my coaching practice who still have day jobs are preparing to start their own enterprises. 

Limiting beliefs? Self-defeating? Stuck? Complimentary consultation with Coach Jane Genova (text/phone 203-468-8579, janegenova374@gmail.com)