Link Performance Management to the Goals of the Business:
Performance management systems must be aligned with the business objectives of the organisations, and offshoring companies must review their performance management process to see whether it fulfils two key objectives:

Performance management should be a continuous process with the three distinct phases of objective setting, ongoing monitoring and assessment, and evaluation of results. Considering the dynamic environment of the offshoring industry and the realities of middle management crises, organisations should include an additional component - a personal development action plan aimed at maximising the performance and potential of an individual through appropriate training and development initiatives.

Establish a Clear Set of Competencies:
Hewitt studies show that few organisations have a defined set of qualities they look for when hiring managerial talent. The ones that do neither consistently nor frequently use this criteria when hiring managers either from outside or within the organisation. Offshoring companies need to take the time to define those middle management competencies required to accommodate their business strategy and use them to assess each candidate to ensure the highest degree of success.

Clearly Communicate Mission and Goals:
Organisations should use a ‘cascading approach’ to align goals and objectives at the middle management level with those at the higher level and clearly communicate key measures and results. At their induction as middle managers, employees must be provided with an understanding of their company objectives and how they can impact those objectives.

Use a Range of Tactics in Assessing Capability and Development Needs:
Multi-rater feedback should be used to assess and develop managerial talent. To assess behaviour and ability, companies must employ a mix of manager evaluation, 360° and 180° feedback and self-assessment.

Know Employees’ Strengths and Weaknesses:
Organisations should use a personality-profiling tool to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their employees. A personality profile assessment can be an excellent way of helping management identify those skills that need improvement and to provide suggestions on coaching.

Provide Structured Training:
Training and development should be structured in an effective manner, rather than forming a series of quick-fixes to short-term problems. Organisations must clearly examine what skills their middle managers need and design a curriculum to meet these over the next 12 to 18 months. Training and development should be imparted, keeping in mind that it is a grooming process for future business leaders who will contribute significantly to the company’s profitability. In addition to formal training, coaching and mentoring are also essential in developing managerial capability.

Link Pay and Rewards to Performance:
Offshore centres are widely perceived to be strong in recognising the efforts of employees, often utilising a formal recognition program. However, many middle managers still routinely feel they are underappreciated or forgotten. Personalised reward and recognition programs, specifically tailored for middle managers, must be implemented and organisations must show a clear link between manager’s pay and individual performance. A mix of base pay, annual incentives and long-term incentives must be used to motivate performance.

Involve the Top Management:
Most organisations fail to effectively use their top management to solve this problem. It is the shared responsibility of top management to coach and mentor middle managers, and they should communicate a shared vision, articulate company values, and provide guidance.

Bring in Experience:
There is no alternative to enlisting the help of people who have been there and done that. Since the industry is still not mature, experienced people from other service industries such as airlines and hotels must be brought in and trained in offshoring operational requirements.

Provide Support for Work-Life Balance:
Many organisations have wide ranging and well-crafted policies aimed at helping employees balance their work and personal responsibilities. However, there is often a considerable gap between policy and real-life behaviour, especially where middle managers are concerned. The offshoring industry is a dynamic, stressful environment where continuous change has become a defining characteristic, and companies should help middle managers achieve a balance between work and life through actions that focus on communication, career development, work planning, and the support of immediate managers. In recent years, work and life research conducted in a variety of settings has consistently shown that a supportive manager is more valued by employees than anything else the organisation can offer.

Put Networking to Work:
Networking is a form of applied communication that can be used to great effect by and for middle managers. Middle managers must be encouraged to establish, maintain and utilise a broad network of contacts for various purposes, for example, by setting up of Communities of Practice (CoPs), where individuals with common interest can collaborate and share knowledge. Networking can provide the essential informal support structure to supplement an organisation’s formal efforts for development such as training, coaching and mentoring; and can become a very useful cushion to absorb the impact of transition for new managers.

Conclusion
The simple truth is that recruiting, developing and maintaining quality middle management will become the single most important factor for
the development of the offshore industry. Organisations will have to rise above the day-to-day running of their operations to develop and implement a long-term strategy for their middle management. There are four key points that organisations would do well to remember:

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