GenZ don't want to be middle managers. It's now called 'conscious unbossing'

The days of traditional management structures predominating were long gone.

The current generation of workers is changing this tendency by refusing to accept middle-level positions.

‘Conscious unbossing’ is the name given to this newest trend, which has nothing to do with bosses not ‘bossing’.

Let’s take a look.

Conscious unbossing

‘Conscious unbossing’ is a decentralised approach to remove the middle management and create autonomous and self-sufficient teams.

The label aims to reduce hierarchical complexities and encourage open communication avenues between the employees and the senior management, according to Economic Times, which quoted RP Yadav, Chairperson, of Genius Consultants Limited.

The concept of “the oldest in the room is always the wisest of all” is now rendered null and void, he says.

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Unbossing helps businesses cut significant costs, gives this generation of workers more creative and dynamic exposure, and lets them take more responsibility of their work.

Popular among Gen Zs

Gen Zs, those born between 1997 and 2012, are being associated with the new label.

According to figures from recruitment firm, Robert Walters, more than half (52 per cent) of Gen Z professionals do not want to take on a middle management role in their careers, though some of them (36 per cent) admit they will probably end up having to do so.

That’s because they believe middle management is “too high stress, low reward.”

Instead, most (72 per cent) of them prefer to opt for an individual route to progression, while focusing on developing their own skills over having to manage others.

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The latest figures highlight the stark differences in attitudes that exist between today’s generation and older coworkers in the workplace.

Driving force

Lucy Bisset at Robert Walters says Gen Zs prefer “to bring their ‘whole self’ to projects and spend time cultivating their own brand and approach, rather than spending time managing others.”

Furthermore, many people might be less likely to stick around the organisation for years, especially after remote work during COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent lockdowns.

“Younger professionals, having entered the workforce in a largely remote or hybrid capacity with a huge focus on digital capabilities, are less inclined towards complete company loyalty,” said Bisset.

Additionally, technology has been facilitating the widespread adoption of unbossing.

Challenges and downsides

Unbossing isn’t always a silver bullet.

Critics contend that this trend reduces the amount of mentoring that the younger generation receives for workplaces that need precision and safety.

HR head Manish Majumdar, Centum Electronics, tells HR Katha, “It’s not a magic pill. In industries where precision and safety are paramount, such as manufacturing or engineering, a lack of supervision can lead to disastrous outcomes.”

“Not every employee will thrive in such a decentralised environment. Some might feel lost, unsure of how to navigate their newfound freedom,” Praveer Priyadarshi, Senior HR Leader told the outlet.

A major drawback of doing away with middle management is that people used to old hierarchies may become resistant to change, senior executives may get overworked, and roles and duties may not be well understood.

Spectrum Talent Management’s Sumit Sarabhai told The Economic Times that there may occasionally be an overflow of information or a communication breakdown when there are no middlemen.

Decentralised decision-making can expedite procedures, but if it’s not handled well, it can also result in decision-making bottlenecks.

Senior leaders who are overworked may also find it difficult to successfully combine operational and strategic responsibilities.

Gen Z will account for almost 27 per cent of the global workforce by 2025, according to recent reports.

“This reluctance to take on middle management roles could spell trouble for employers later down the line,” Bisset says, as per Dailymail.

The case in India

India has been embracing the trend of unbossing by laying off employees at mid- and other levels.

Wipro India made headlines at the beginning of this year for laying off hundreds of its middle-level executives.

Similarly, in May, Amazon also decided to reduce middle management within its customer service divisions, as per a Fortune report.

Not just large firms, startups are also adapting to the unbossing trend in the country.

According to Business Insider, last month, educational portal Collegedunia confirmed that around 100 employees from its Study Abroad department had been given the pink slip.

With inputs from agencies