Too often, mid-level managers are the “forgotten layer” of Shared Services, with the investment made more frequently at the senior leadership level and at the process level of the organization.  Creating the opportunity for mid-level managers to formally meet to discuss issues and share ideas is a low-cost investment that can pay big dividends with more knowledgeable and inspired mid-level managers.  As the relationships with peers develop, it becomes easier to network and share more frequently.  This allows mid-level managers to better support each other as needed when issues come up, by using another manager with a similar set of issues for help rather than escalating to a member of the leadership team who may not have the same depth of knowledge or insight.

A mid-level manager at a global consumer products company wanted to find out how other companies were developing managers in Shared Services who typically reported to members of the Shared Services leadership team.  Within a few hours, using iPolling^TM, she had answers from many of her peers around the world. 

Here is the background statement on the reason for the poll:  “In an effort to develop our managers in Shared Services, we are reaching out to our colleagues at other companies to find out if their Shared Service mid-level managers (managers below the top level of Shared Services leadership) have a structured meeting forum. Ultimately, we would like to speak with peers to better understand their approach to meeting structure, context, and development.”

The first iPolling^TM question asked about the frequency of a meeting between mid-level managers in a formal setting to discuss important issues related to Shared Services.  While 61% of companies’ mid-level managers meet together at least monthly, 25% of companies’ formal meetings occur quarterly or less often. In 16% of the companies either no formal meeting takes place or they occur only on an ad hoc basis as a specific need arises.

The second part of the iPolling^TM question examined what the primary purpose was for mid-level manager meetings.  The two biggest reasons cited were “To get everyone up to speed on important issues in Shared Services” and “To share ideas and/or make decisions on important issues in Shared Services”.   In 24% of the companies, the topic and reasons for holding the meeting often vary, with the primary underlying reason for this type of formal meeting being the recognition of the importance for mid-level managers to get together on a regular basis.  Interestingly, only 3% of the companies cited training and development as a primary reason.

There is no disputing the fact that the mid-level of management at Shared Services is critical to the overall success of the organization.  Providing these leaders with a regular forum to interact and develop as a cohesive group can be an excellent investment in the future of the operation and result in increased synergies across the entire organization.

Here are many of the comments added by iPolling^TM participants:

• The meeting content includes all topics listed in the polling options.

• Managers within the HR Shared Services area meet on a bi-weekly basis. We don’t currently hold cross-functional middle management meetings.

• Although our mid-level managers do meet periodically, I like the idea of creating a more structured plan that would involve status updates and idea collaboration.

• The goal of the quarterly meeting is to bring the team together to discuss the status of key initiatives. Key mid-level managers from the USA and foreign countries are invited. Meetings are kept to one hour. Separate individual meetings are scheduled if the topic discussion and importance are high.

• We have a variety of meetings with different purposes.

• We meet to discuss lots of issues, i.e. goals and objectives, challenges, etc.

• The HR Shared Services Group meets weekly to discuss current issues and project status.  In addition, the HR Shared Services Leaders meet with the VP of HR on a monthly basis.

• We have bi-monthly meetings for the leaders in Regional Service Centers to discuss topics of interest.

• Regional managers meet frequently on operational issues (at least monthly) and address training, projects, goals, etc. at least quarterly.

• Meetings cover all topics listed in the polling question, but the focus is on key initiatives, issues, and results.

• We are a small Shared Service center, so most of our mid-level managers are located together. The team holds monthly meetings, but at least every other month focuses on sharing best practices and aligning on future plans/ goals. Staff development is also discussed as part of these meetings. We use our Continuous Improvement activity as a springboard for much of this conversation, as well as input from our senior leaders on future strategy or other influencing conditions.

• There are two sets of monthly meetings one that is within individual process areas and the other meeting that is cross functional and designed to keep everyone on the same page.

How often do your mid-level managers in Shared Services formally meet to discuss important issues?  Does your mid-level management team have a close working relationship where they can easily discuss ideas and find solutions to similar issues and challenges?

Who are your peers and how are you collaborating with them?

 “iPolling^TM” is available exclusively to Peeriosity member company employees, with consultants or vendors prohibited from participating or accessing content. Members have full visibility of all respondents and their comments. Using Peeriosity’s integrated e-mail system, Peer Mail^TM, members can easily communicate at any time with others who participate in iPolling.