Middle managers have bigger teams than ever. Welcome to the era of the megamanager.

"The great middle manager flattening is in full swing, and those who remain are seeing their dominions balloon. It's the era of the megamanager, driven by cost cutting, leaner bureaucracy, and slow hiring. A new Gallup survey reveals how teams are evolving and the factors that contribute to manager burnout. Managers' average number of reports - their "span of control" - has grown over the past year, rising from 10.9 in 2024 to 12.1 in 2025."

"At the same time, 97% of managers are taking on individual contributor work that falls outside of their leadership purview. "I don't think increasing span of control blindly is going to work very effectively if those conditions aren't taken into account," Jim Harter, Gallup's chief scientist of workplace management and well-being, said of the balance between individual contributor tasks and leadership responsibilities."

Middle manager ranks have been cut in recent years, leaving remaining managers supervising larger teams and becoming megamanagers. Managers' average direct reports rose from 10.9 in 2024 to 12.1 in 2025, higher than pre-pandemic levels. Around 13% of managers now oversee 25 or more direct reports, while 97% take on individual contributor work beyond leadership duties. Cost cutting, leaner bureaucracy, slow hiring, and layoffs at firms like Intel, Amazon, and Meta have driven these changes. Balancing leadership responsibilities with individual contributor tasks can mitigate manager burnout.

Read at Business Insider