Companies are "unbossing". Most do it poorly

Companies are “unbossing,” with some managers now overseeing up to 20 reports — a big leap from the traditional 6–8. Can this be done without breaking the business?

I lay out the key parameters every company leader must get right to avoid serious missteps.

It involves a new "supercharged" approach to Manager Enablement.

But first, a bit of context...

Why are companies cutting Managers?

 I hear many companies started addressing perceived “manager bloat” to enhance efficiency and - I can only assume - to cut costs.  But it also puts a massive strain on managers. 

Since covid and hybrid/remote, as workplaces appear more fractured, managers’ responsibilities continued to expand. Managers were believed to be critical to help employees feel aligned and connected.
 

So… Is Manager Bloat Real?

In my years leading HR at high-growth companies, I saw how departments added layers of management faster than they added team members. 

Over time I also saw the side-effects: more bureaucracy and busywork.

I’ll admit, I didn’t raise red flags back then. From an HR lens, more managers felt like a good thing. But now I recognize that management layers outpacing headcount is a known phenomena where inefficiencies creep in and per-unit costs rise.

It’s no surprise that companies like Atlassian, Shopify, Amazon, and Google are now rethinking org design and trimming middle layers.

So yes — I’d say the bloat is real.  

Benefits of a Wider Span of Control

There are several important upsides to increasing a manager’s span of control. Based on my reading, the most common benefits include:

• 🤝 Enhanced collaboration and agility
• ➡ Streamlined operations
• ♥️ Empowered decision making
• 💰 Significant cost reduction 

Downsides 

The risks, however, are very real — especially if you only cut managers without changing anything else.

• Remaining managers are overloaded
• Teams feel rudderless
• Team and inter-team conflicts escalated
• Limits career advancement options 

Research found that 40% of employees at companies that cut manager roles felt “directionless”. Unless you redesign how managers are supported, increasing span of control may create more problems than it solves — at least in the short to medium term.

Enter: Manager Enablement -
but “Supercharged”

Manager Enablement has been a buzzword for years, but the tactics haven’t kept up.

To truly support managers with wider spans of control, we need to supercharge what manager enablement entails.

It's more than LMS modules, resource portals, or search and service desk tools like Glean or ServiceNow.

💡 Supercharged Manager Enablement means a proactive, tech-powered support system that reduces manager cognitive load, automates low-value work, and lets managers lead, coach, and drive impact.

McKinsey found managers still spend 50% of their time on non-management work. That’s a huge problem - or a huge opportunity!

3 Ways to Supercharge Manager Enablement 

To Supercharge Manager Enablement, your methods and goals may need an upgrade. Think differently and set real goals, like these:      

1. Cut Routine Work → 50% Goal
   
   Slash 50%(!) of managers' admin time — things like scheduling, reporting, and approvals.
   
   💡 Examples: A manager shouldn't need to log into Workday to update a report’s job title, approve every expense, or track when a direct report is due a salary bump.
   
   Get started: Survey your managers. Find out which admin tasks eat the most time — then set clear reduction targets for each.
   
   
2. Proactive Guidance → All Moments Goal
   
   Deliver proactive nudges and guidance for every(!) Moment-that-Matters in the employee journey.
   
   💡 Examples: Prompt a manager when someone is returning from parental leave, due for a stay interview, or hitting a 5-year anniversary.
   
   Get started: Explore free Employee Journey Designer to get an overview of all key Moments that need proactive support.
   
   
3. Communications Overwhelm → Less & More Goal
   
   Send 50% fewer(!), more targeted internal messages — and aim to double(!) engagement.
   
   💡 Examples: Track how many messages a manager receives each week. Tailor message content based on their tenure. Only send prompts (like “start a growth conversation”) when they can act on it — say, when a direct report reaches 1 year in role.
   
   Get started: Measure your current email and Slack/Teams volume and track engagement metrics with a tool like Pyn.
   

What this may mean for your company

We can widen spans of control. But, in my opinion, we need to radically rethink how we support managers. The future of management is leaner, but it must also be smarter.

Supercharged enablement isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s how we prevent our managers (and teams) from breaking under the weight of too much change, too fast.