[April 17, 2014]

ASAP Report Calls the Administrative Professional a New Kind of Middle Manager

According to a report just released by the American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP), today's administrative professional has evolved into a new breed of middle manager.

In addition to their traditional clerical roles, administrative professionals are shouldering more responsibility for project management, office tech front-line support, employee supervision, and budgets. This hybrid position, which relies heavily on technology, is redefining what it means to be a middle manager.

The report describes the shift from assistant to a managerial role as happening relatively quickly. In 2008, only 7 percent of attendees at ASAP's Administrative Professionals Conference (APC) held non-traditional admin job titles; most were assistants. In 2013, more than 22 percent of APC (News - Alert) attendees held titles like manager and project coordinator.

"We are no longer the 9-5, type-a-memo and answer-the-phone secretaries we once were known for. We are now the business partner to the executve and teams we support in which most cases is assuming the role of project manager and chief of staff," says Christopher Whibley, an executive assistant at Elsevier Inc., a provider of health and science information.

The drivers of change include management shake-ups from the Great Recession, growing use of technology and social media, and an improving economy in which companies seek more adaptable, versatile staff.

The report notes that the demand for multi-skilled, technology-proficient administrative professionals has consequently increased the need for training. ASAP research finds that although administrative professionals may have organizational support, seeking training often falls to them. Attendance at the APC was self-initiated by 37 percent of administrative professionals; only 12 percent of admins attended the conference at the suggestion of their manager, HR, or training department.

ASAP is responding by ramping up their technology and management training at the APC, webinars, regional events, and online resources. It is launching ASAP Future Leaders Initiative, a customized professional development plan focusing on these new roles.

"Organizations need to see that they can stay lean while increasing quality and productivity by training administrative professionals for these middle management roles," says Judy Geller, Director of ASAP and the APC. "We support assistants regardless of where they are in their careers, giving them the tools to be successful in a job that has evolved from shorthand and taking letters to a role that used to be reserved for middle level managers."

About the American Society of Administrative Professionals

ASAP, which was founded in 2005, has more than 45,000 members and grows by about 600 members per month. ""We have a direct pipeline to thousands of administrative professionals working for a Who's Who of organizations. They tell us what they need, and we work on delivering it."

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