This post is part of a three-part series on middle managers and Cloud Native transformation. Here are parts one and two.

In the second part of this series we looked at how mid-level managers may not wholly function as a force for good within your organisation, and the ways that this ‘frozen middle’ may actually be impeding progress. The power they hold over an initiative’s success often goes unrecognised, but it does exist and can be used to.

This post is part of a three-part series on middle managers and Cloud Native transformation. Here are parts two and three.

Being a middle manager is a tough gig.

At Container Solutions, we often develop advanced Cloud Native solutions and cutting-edge technologies with our customers. There are many challenges with this work. One of them we encounter often is getting everyone on the team on the same level of understanding and engagement.

In its Aristotle project, Google tried to define the success of effective teams. The researchers’ main finding was that what really mattered was less about who is on the team, and more about how the team worked together. Most important in teamwork was the presence of psychological safety.

Unlike industries of the past that relied upon great stores of resources like coal, iron, timber, or oil for its wealth, the technology industry relies upon the resources in between our ears.