Outside the Walls

Outside the Walls

Share this post

Outside the Walls
Outside the Walls
Reflections 22nd June

Reflections 22nd June

On the dissolving middle...

Richard Merrick's avatar
Richard Merrick
Jun 22, 2025
∙ Paid
3

Share this post

Outside the Walls
Outside the Walls
Reflections 22nd June
Share
When The Sunday Times reported in March 2025 that EY would axe 30 senior partners—the most significant redundancy plan in decades—it wasn't just cutting costs. It was systematically dismantling the middle layer where institutional knowledge lives and innovation breathes.

"Radical Centre... is not neutral, not middle-of-the-road, but a view of the whole road. From this vantage point, we can see that the various schools of thought on any one issue – political or otherwise – include valuable contributions along with error and exaggeration."

Marilyn Ferguson

The idea of "the middle" is often derided. Middle Ground. Middle Management. Middle of the Road.

The power, we are told, resides either at the hub—where resources are controlled—or at the edge, where radicals and revolutionaries live.

This is wrong. Neither centre nor edge can survive without a vital middle to bridge them. And we're systematically destroying ours.

The Innovation Sweet Spot

There is too much investment in existing systems at…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Outside the Walls to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Richard Merrick
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share