Amber -- nice article!

What would be required to eliminate your reserve over thinning of middle management layers?

I'd offer that careful planning always has been needed. I think that thinking needs to be more complete and strategic, rather than near-term and tactical. Why? Because input comes at higher frequencies, tech with which we run our businesses changes in ways that allows us to do things differently, and employees process external signals ... they don't come from a top down source any longer.

We certainly need to honor the management layer -- not advocating any alternative. But I wonder, given the tech at our fingertips, if the middle layer of a company actually isn't needed as a translation function, thus all layers need to be far more active in operations and doing... and the amplifiers of tech obviate a bit the need of a middle layer where planning can be more thoroughly considered.