Is there such a thing as too many managers?

Corporate America, thinks not. The function of a manager should be to manage a group of workers, to make sure they have the finance and resources and knowhow to get the job done. I know a group of workers who have just suffered their semi-annual cull (12 workers-this time), they are all a talented bunch, on whose shoulders the technical reputation of their company rests. Of course layoffs happen, but how many managers do you think got laid off? Go on, have a guess?

One? Two? perhaps three?

Nope it was zero, zip, zilch.

This is a big, big company with a worldwide reputation, and multiple layers of managers who seem to do nothing but manage thin air. The only thing these people seem to be good at is

a)panicking when deadlines they haven’t told anyone else about are a week away

b)having meetings, sometimes even meetings about meetings

c)collecting pay cheques and bonuses (for apparently managing said thin air)

I am not against all managers, there are some good ones out there, however when your ratio is 7 managers to 1 worker something is clearly wrong.