The Parkinson's Model of Management: Weak Middle Managers in Consulting Companies

Consulting firms follow a management model I term as the 'Parkinson's Model of Management.' Parkinson's disease is a neurological condition where the brain gradually degenerates to the extent that the sufferer loses motor control of their limbs over a protracted period. Essentially, a weak brain may control a strong body and the body becomes increasingly ineffective. The Parkinson's Model of Management works in a similar vein where the middle management keeps control over a strong and often youthful workforce mostly through indifference. I have observed that this model is surprisingly effective as it insulates the senior management adequately from the field and empowers the middle management disproportionately. The Parkinson's Model of Management refers to this practice by which the middle management deliberately keeps control over their subordinates through callousness about their concerns, reluctance to act decisively to remedy the situation, and general managerial ineptitude.