Sounds like the company's problem. Maybe they should change their incentives so that managers actually want the right things.
Most of the work in a large software project is coordination between all the minds involved. The more minds, the harder this task is. Large companies don't need people who can work super productively but might work on the wrong thing for weeks before surfacing again.
what's the incentive structure for mid-level managers that maximizes productivity, but doesn't have the managers whipping the staff to work harder?