1、Betwixt and between is how Kirk Girard describes theplablems of being a middle manager.“It can feel like purgatory.” As planning manager at SantaClara County, a local authority in California, he felt he was searching for purpose,“trying tofind my role in the organisation”. It led to considerabl
2、e “gnashing of teeth”.不上不下、左右为难就是柯克吉拉德(Kirk Girard)对中层经理面临的问题的形容。“感觉就像在炼狱一样。”作为加州圣克拉拉县(County of Santa Clara)地方政府的一名规划经理，他觉得自己正在寻找目标，“试着找到我在组织内的角色定位”。这使他常常沮丧得“咬牙切齿”。Behnam Tabrizi, who teaches leadership to mid-level managers including Mr Girard at StanfordUniversity’s Department of Management
3、Science and Engineering, says “middle management” isa depressing title.“It’s perceived as a negative label — as an obstacle and overhead.”Frustrations felt by middle managers may also include a lack of autonomy.在斯坦福大学(Stanford University)管理科学与工程系向吉拉德等中层经理教授领导力课程的贝南大不里士(Behnam Tabrizi)表示，“中层管理者”
4、是一个令人压抑的头衔。“它被认为是一种负面标签——是障碍和天花板。”中层经理感受到的挫败感或许还包括缺少自主权。The fictional Bob Slocum in Joseph Heller’s Something Happened embodies middle managementmisery. Kurt Vonnegut summed up Slocum’s restlessness in his review of the book:8“Hemourns the missed opportunities of his youth. He is itchy for rais
5、es and promotions, eventhough he despises his company and the jobs he does...He is exhausted. He dreads old age.”约瑟夫眠勒(Joseph Heller)的《出了毛病》(Something Happened)一书中虚构的人物鲍勃斯洛克姆(BobSlocum)便体现了中层管理者的悲惨命运。库尔特冯内古特(Kurt Vonnegut)在其对这本书的书评中总结了斯洛克姆的如坐针毡：“他为年轻时错过的机遇感到痛惜。他渴望得到提拔和晋升，但又鄙视自己的公司和他所做的工作……他感到疲惫
6、不堪。他害怕变老。”Such characterisations are as enduring as the job itself despite the frequent announcementof its impending death. As technology flattens organisations, so middle managers are deemeddispensable. This year, Zappos, the online shoe retailer, said it would eliminate managers. Itsfounder,
7、Tony Hsieh, said:“We’re trying to [switch] from a normal hierarchical structure to asystem... which enables employees to act more like entrepreneurs and self-direct their workinstead of reporting to a manager.”尽管有关这类职位濒临消失的宣称频频出现，
