6 Review Later Middle management is the intermediate management level accountable to top management and responsible for leading lower level managers. Which of the following is not a typical function of middle management? Middle management is at the center of a hierarchical organization, subordinate to the senior management but above the lowest levels of operational staff. Middle managers are accountable to top management for their department's function. They provide guidance to lower-level managers and inspire them to perform better. Middle managers balance a functional or technical understanding of those who report to them with the interpersonal skills of a manager. This form of leadership requires a strong ability to communicate, mentor, train, hire, organize, optimize processes, and prioritize. Middle-management functions generally revolve around enabling teams of workers to perform effectively and efficiently and reporting these performance indicators to upper management. Middle management may be reduced in organizations as a result of reorganization. Such changes can take the form of downsizing," delayering," and outsourcing. 7 Review Later General Managers focus on the entire business, while functional managers specialize in a particular unit or department. True False