How to Thrive in the Era of the ‘Supermanager’

As organizations eliminate layers of middle management, supermanagers are becoming the norm. Here’s what the shift means for burnout, productivity, and leadership.

If you’re a manager today, your job may well be changing. That is, if it hasn’t already.

As companies continue to compress their org charts and axe layers of middle management, a new role is emerging: the “supermanager.”

Leaders are finding themselves responsible for significantly more direct reports and broader responsibilities. And in many industries, the trend shows no sign of slowing.

A Gallup survey published in January, citing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, found that the average number of reports managers have increased from 10.9 in 2024 to 12.1 in 2025. The share of managers overseeing 25 or more employees has also grown in the past year, with 13% now supervising teams that large.

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This long-term increase in managerial span of control has been described as part of the “Great Flattening.” It is being driven by several forces, including leadership churn, layoffs targeting middle management layers, and the AI boom, and organizations increasingly see fewer reasons to maintain multiple management layers.

Some workplace experts argue the shift is overdue, pointing to years of bloated management structures. Others warn the trend is backfiring, leaving employees lost in the noise and saddled with unrealistic demands.

Either way, the supermanager is becoming commonplace across countless industries.

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