Too Many Managers

Lester Thurow’s Viewpoint, “Top-Heavy Management Stifles Productivity” (Sept. 15) identifies another factor preventing U.S. firms from effectively competing in world markets.

Compare the organizational chart of most major U.S. companies to firms from Japan or South Korea of similar size and note the excess of vice presidents and middle managers on the U.S. charts.

We seem to have a variation of Parkinson’s Law in this case: The number of positions on the organizational chart will expand to accommodate the number of upward-striving MBAs in the firm.

JAY T. HOLLERER

Los Angeles