MRI Study Uncovers Critical Four-Year Crossroad in the Career Path of Middle Managers

By the fourth year in the middle-management layer, most companies in the United Kingdom have already decided whether a middle manager has senior-level potential or has become a ìcareerî middle manager, according to a new study from Management Recruiters International, Inc. (MRI), the worldís largest search and recruitment organisation. In the United States, however, the timeframe is slightly less accelerated, as the study revealed that most middle managers have up to six years to advance to the senior level. The study, which interviewed 200 Human Resource directors or senior executives in the U.K. and 200 Human Resource directors or senior executives in the U.S., also determined that ìcareerî middle managers are seen as critical to the success of the company.

On average, a middle manager remains in his or her current position for 4.7 years before being promoted to senior management in the U.K. In the U.S. middle managers will spend an average of 6.3 years at that level before being promoted. However, in both countries, if these employees do not make the jump to senior management within that time, most surveyed companies said they would be considered ìcareerî middle managers. The accelerated timeframe for advancement in the U.K. may be attributed to the fact that middle manager candidates in the U.K. are more likely to inquire about the potential for career growth during the interview process than their counterparts in the U.S. On average, 58 percent of U.K. candidates will ask about opportunities for advancement, while only 41 percent of U.S. candidates will do the same.

ìMiddle managers who have aspirations to become a part of senior management within their own organisation can now be cognisant of how much time they have to reach that goal,î said Steve Mills, Senior Vice President of Operations for MRI Worldwide. ìGiven this shorter time period, it is critical that these middle managers accelerate their career progression by investigating the available opportunities at their company and positioning themselves as potential senior managers more aggressively.î

Respondents in both the U.K. and U.S. also noted that when fulfilling senior-level positions within their company, the majority of them would prefer to promote from within. Specifically, only 11 percent of U.K. respondents and 23 percent of U.S. respondents said they consider a candidate from outside the company to be more attractive than one from within.

ìAccording to our study, the majority of individuals in senior management are promoted from the middle-management level,î commented Mills. ìTherefore, it is critical that companies focus on improving their ëbench strengthí of middle-management employees. Hiring managers must make smarter and more strategic decisions when recruiting middle-management candidates, as these individuals represent the companyís future senior leaders.î

The study also revealed that hiring managers are more tolerant of frequent job changes at the junior level than at the middle or senior level. On average, respondents expect a junior candidate to remain at his or her current company for 2.4 years in the U.K. and 3.2 years in the U.S. For middle-management candidates, that figure rises to 3.5 years in the U.K. and 4.1 years in the U.S., while senior candidates should remain at their current job for 4.5 years in the U.K. and 5.2 years in the U.S.

Opinion Research Corporation conducted telephone interviews with 200 Human Resource directors or senior executives in the U.K. and 200 in the U.S. The interviews took place in the U.K between July 14 and August 12, 2005 and in the U.S. between July 14 and August 5, 2005. Margin of error for each sample of 200 is plus or minus seven percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.