What’s Trending: Megamanagers
March 24, 2026
Share this post:
In case the trending term hasn’t been reported on enough recently, “megamanagers” are individuals who’ve seen an increase in direct reports and found themselves leading expansive or complex teams in addition to managing their individual tasks. It seems that the condition was brought about as a response to business pressures for efficiency, made visible by the “great flattening,” and is presenting new organizational and human challenges that companies are now, hopefully, working to address.
What’s been the talk of the office on the topic? Read on for insight from various publications.
In this article by Shilpy Bisht, it’s clear that organizational flattening may have reduced management layers, but has failed to find an appropriate home for the workload of the roles that are disappearing. With the work having to go somewhere, the someone who picks it up may have been an unsuspecting employee who now must find a way to provide their team with guidance and support their cohesion and engagement, all while avoiding burnout.
“Some employees find themselves ‘acting managers’ for years, leading work without formal recognition. Others are told that growth now means impact, not title, without clarity on what that translates to in pay or authority.”
As exciting as an “upward” role shift may seem for some, the thrill quickly diminishes when the “opportunity for control and autonomy” turns out to be more like a disguise for an increase in unpaid workload. Bisht warns that for the employees and megamanagers carrying the heavier load, their development may take a back seat due to the new dynamic’s toll.
So, fewer chain links for upward and downward business communication, increased ownership, and faster approvals. Sounds great in theory. Though the trade-off for removing managerial layers seems to have come at a higher cost than expected. Here’s the uphill battle megamanagers and their teams are facing:
“…managers who spend less time on individual contributor work — tasks outside their leadership duties — typically have more engaged teams, regardless of the team’s size.”
Juggling extended team needs while maintaining their own workload, megamanagers are finding themselves in a slow spiral toward burnout. Not to mention the employees under them who are struggling to receive direction from leads that are stretched too thin.
How do employees become managers? Three paths to manager status are most common:
While all three are deserving of recognition and advancement within a company, some may argue that only one of those paths should involve leading a team.
“Many organizations still operate on an outdated assumption: the only way to advance is to manage people. This forces talented individual contributors into management roles they may not want or excel at, while simultaneously creating bloated management structures.”
Effective management takes proper development and training, as well as continuous support. Supervisor evaluations can also help give guidance to stressed managers needing to bridge the gap between their previous role and newly acquired middle management responsibilities. Great flattening, sure, but with conditions set in place so that managers can still be successful.
Companies are slimming down manager roles, but those left to continue manning the ship are far from thriving in their expanded roles. Thus, the megamanager emerges to find themselves inching toward job dissatisfaction and burnout. And, of course, with a disengaged megateam following close behind.
The solution? A clear distinction of responsibilities for team leads and individual contributors. Blurring the line between the two is a recipe for overwhelmed employees who will struggle to balance both, ensuring neither is well-managed.
Contributed by Mary Dominguez
