THE MANAGER MULTIPLIER: EQUIPPING YOUR LEADERS TO DRIVE TEAM PERFORMANCE
DOI:
10.54443/morfai.v6i1.4680Published:
2025-12-13Downloads
Abstract
In today's competitive landscape, organizational performance is fundamentally linked to team efficacy, which is predominantly governed by frontline and middle managers. Despite their pivotal role, these "Manager Multipliers" are often under-equipped, having been promoted for technical proficiency rather than leadership capability, leading to a widespread "accidental manager" syndrome. This study aims to investigate the systematic equipping of managers as a primary lever for enhancing team performance, engagement, and talent retention. Employing a mixed-methodology approach—including a literature review, analysis of industry case studies, and synthesis of prevailing human capital metrics—the research identifies a five-pillar framework for manager development. The results indicate that strategic investment in manager selection, competency training, and support systems yields significant multiplicative returns on team outcomes, as measured by engagement scores, retention rates, and goal attainment. The discussion underscores that manager development must transition from an optional HR activity to a core business strategy. The conclusion asserts that cultivating Manager Multipliers is the highest-ROI investment for sustainable organizational growth, advocating for leadership accountability and a continuous learning culture.
Keywords:
Manager development, leadership framework, talent multiplier, continuous learning, performance outcomesReferences
Aguinis, H., Audretsch, D. B., Flammer, C., Meyer, K. E., Peng, M. W., & Teece, D. J. (2022). Bringing the Manager Back Into Management Scholarship. Journal of Management, 48(7), 1849–1857. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063221082555
Anbu, D. (2019). The Role of Leaders and Managers in Business Organisations. Asian Journal of Management, 10(3), 225. https://doi.org/10.5958/2321-5763.2019.00034.9
Claus, L. (2019). HR disruption—Time already to reinvent talent management. BRQ Business Research Quarterly, 22(3), 207–215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brq.2019.04.002
Costa, J. M. da, Santos, E. S. dos, Filho, E. F., Albuquerque, P. V. de A., Costa, P. R., & Monteiro, E. L. (2025). MANAGEMENT IN TRANSFORMATION: INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES FOR ORGANIZATIONS IN THE 21ST CENTURY. Educação & Inovação. https://doi.org/10.64326/educao.v1i4.50
Denning, S. (2018). The emergence of Agile people management. Strategy & Leadership, 46(4), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.1108/SL-04-2018-0042
Fernandez-Vidal, J., Antonio Perotti, F., Gonzalez, R., & Gasco, J. (2022). Managing digital transformation: The view from the top. Journal of Business Research, 152, 29–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.07.020
Henderikx, M., & Stoffers, J. (2022). An Exploratory Literature Study into Digital Transformation and Leadership: Toward Future-Proof Middle Managers. Sustainability, 14(2), 687. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020687
Leavy, B. (2023). Rethinking the role of middle management for the new world of work. Strategy & Leadership, 51(6), 10–15. https://doi.org/10.1108/SL-09-2023-0093
Mihu, C., Pitic, A. G., & Bayraktar, D. (2023). Drivers of Digital Transformation and their Impact on Organizational Management. Studies in Business and Economics, 18(1), 149–170. https://doi.org/10.2478/sbe-2023-0009
Murphy, K., & DeNisi, A. (2023). New approaches to dealing with performance management: getting rid of performance appraisals is not the answer. IIM Ranchi Journal of Management Studies, 2(2), 143–158. https://doi.org/10.1108/IRJMS-09-2023-0074
Murphy, K. R. (2020). The Past, Present, and Future of Performance Management. In Performance Management Transformation (pp. 318–342). Oxford University PressNew York. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190942878.003.0016
Ngayo Fotso, G. M. (2021). Leadership competencies for the 21st century: a review from the Western world literature. European Journal of Training and Development, 45(6/7), 566–587. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-04-2020-0078
Rožman, M., Tominc, P., & Štrukelj, T. (2023). Competitiveness Through Development of Strategic Talent Management and Agile Management Ecosystems. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 24(3), 373–393. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40171-023-00344-1
Sahlin, J., & Angelis, J. (2019). Performance management systems: reviewing the rise of dynamics and digitalization. Cogent Business & Management, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2019.1642293
Taneja, K. (2021). Devising Sustainable Growth in the Organisation through Digital Leadership. Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 179–181. https://doi.org/10.52711/2321-5828.2021.00029
Westover, J. (2024a). https://www.innovativehumancapital.com/article/the-modern-manager-navigating-a-complex-role-in-today-s-organizations. Human Capital Leadership Review, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.14.3.9
Westover, J. (2024b). The Changing Role of Managers in the 21st Century Workplace. Human Capital Leadership Review, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.16.1.5
Whysall, Z., Owtram, M., & Brittain, S. (2019). The new talent management challenges of Industry 4.0. Journal of Management Development, 38(2), 118–129. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-06-2018-0181
Zhang, L. (2020). The Changing Role of Managers. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3877673
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Annisa Kurnianingsih, Ramon Zamora, Lukmanul Hakim

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.




