Balancing Efficiency and Thoroughness: Unlocking the Potential of Middle Management
Managing Director - Bob Gower
The “messy middle”—directors, VPs, and team leads—is where big ideas meet the real-world. It’s the battleground where change initiatives either gain traction or fall flat, and where productivity surges or sputters.
The strength of your middle management isn’t just important—it’s the backbone of a thriving, resilient company. But most organizations either overburden or underutilize these essential, but under-appreciated, changemakers. The result? Bottlenecks, frustration, and lost opportunities.
One way to understand this problem is through the lens of a principle borrowed from economics: the Efficiency–Thoroughness Trade-Off (ETTO). Let me explain.
The ETTO principle says that in any system, there’s a natural trade-off between efficiency and thoroughness. If you prioritize efficiency—getting things done quickly and with minimal resource use—you risk missing important details and having things fall through the cracks.
On the other hand, if you emphasize thoroughness—careful analysis, deliberate action—you risk slowing things down to the point of paralysis.
Every organization is constantly negotiating this trade-off — whether you know it or not.
When middle managers are pulled in too many directions, they prioritize efficiency. After all, when you’re overwhelmed, a natural impulse is to “just get it done.” But this will lead to shortcuts, miscommunication, and downstream issues that create even bigger problems.
Alternatively, some managers, especially those in heavily regulated industries or perfectionist cultures, lean too hard on thoroughness. They create endless plans, host excessive meetings, and layer approval processes on top of approval processes. The result? Missed opportunities, frustrated teams, and losing out to fast-moving competitors.
The question for the C-suite then is this: how can you lead so middle managers are able to strike the right balance between efficiency and thoroughness? Here are three actionable strategies:
1. Set Clear Priorities
Middle managers need clarity on what truly matters. If everything is a priority, then nothing is.
When your managers know which goals are non-negotiable and which ones are nice-to-have, they can allocate their energy and attention accordingly.
This reduces the temptation to prioritize speed at the expense of quality—or to get stuck in analysis paralysis.
2. Empower Decision-Making
Micromanagement kills efficiency and morale.
If middle managers have to check in with the C-suite every time they make a decision, they can’t move fast enough to keep up with market demands.
Give them the tools, training, and trust they need to make decisions independently. When they feel empowered, they’ll know when to move quickly and when to slow down for deeper analysis.
3. Invest in Systems, Not Just People
Even the best managers will struggle in a chaotic environment. Streamline your processes so they can focus on what matters most.
For example, implement dashboards that give them real-time data, reduce redundant meetings, and create clear workflows. These systems help balance efficiency and thoroughness by eliminating unnecessary friction.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, the ETTO principle isn’t about choosing between efficiency and thoroughness—it’s about knowing when to prioritize one over the other. Great middle managers understand this intuitively, but the C-suite needs to create the conditions for them to succeed.
Middle managers are the glue that holds your organization together. Invest in them wisely, and they’ll reward you with teams that are not only productive but resilient. Get it wrong, and you’ll be stuck putting out fires while your competitors lap you.
The messy middle isn’t just messy—it’s the heartbeat of your business. Treat it as such, and your organization will thrive in even the most volatile times.
Is your middle management balancing efficiency and thoroughness—or are they stuck in the messy middle?
My team and I specialize in helping organizations unlock the full potential of their leadership by creating clarity, streamlining systems, and empowering decision-making.
Let’s talk about how we can help your organization thrive. Schedule a 1:1 conversation with me here.
Bob Gower Managing Director, Org Effectiveness
