scholarly journals The politics of sensemaking and sensegiving at work

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathrine Filstad
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Style ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Middle Management ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Political Activities ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Top Managers ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate how political activities and processes influence sensemaking and sensegiving among top management, middle management and employees and to examine its consequences for implementing new knowledge. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected in a Norwegian bank using in-depth interviews with middle managers and financial advisers. Observations of meetings, informal conversations and verbatim notes were also used in data collection among top managers. A practice-based approach was used as an analytical lens. Findings – Top managers' political activities of excluding others from the decision process affect their sensemaking and resulted in sensegiving contradictions between spoken intent and how to change practice. Middle managers' political activities were to accept top managers' sensegiving instead of managing themselves in their own sensemaking to help financial advisers with how to change their role and practice. As a result, middle managers' sensemaking affects their engagement in sensegiving. For financial advisers, the political processes of top and middle managers resulted in resistance and not making sense of how to change and implement new knowledge. Research limitations/implications – A total of 30 in-depth interviews, observations of five meetings and informal conversations might call for further studies. In addition, a Norwegian study does not account for other countries' cultural differences concerning leadership style, openness in decisions and employee autonomy. Originality/value – To the author's knowledge, no studies identify the three-way conceptual relationship between political activities, sensemaking and sensegiving. In addition, the author believes that the originality lies in investigating these relationships using a three-level hierarchy of top management, middle management and employees.

The influence of an interactive use of management control on individual performance: mediating roles of psychological empowerment and proactive behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Makoto Matsuo ◽  
Takami Matsuo ◽  
Kohei Arai
Keyword(s):  
Middle Managers ◽  
Psychological Empowerment ◽  
Middle Management ◽  
Behavioral Outcomes ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Proactive Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Level

Purpose Although middle managers play important roles in forming strategies and generating innovation, few studies have explored the influence of management control systems (MCS) on employees’ behaviors or performance at the middle-management level. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect an interactive use of MCS has on individual performance at the unit level. Design/methodology/approach A longitudinal, multisource and multilevel survey was conducted among 373 nurses in 20 units at a Japanese public hospital. Findings The multi-level analyzes indicate that middle managers’ interactive use of MCS has a direct and indirect positive influence on individual performance, through proactive behavior, as well as through psychological empowerment and, subsequently, through proactive behavior. Research limitations/implications As the present study collected data from nurses at a Japanese hospital, it is necessary to conduct research in other countries using different occupations to verify the findings. Practical implications Organizations need to be aware that the interactive use of MCS can be an effective tool for empowering and motivating employees. Originality/value The present study contributes to the literature by clarifying the mechanisms of how the interactive use of MCS influences employees’ psychological and behavioral outcomes at the middle-management level.

Multilevel safety culture affecting organization safety performance: a system dynamic approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 2326-2346
Author(s):  
Abdul Qayoom ◽  
Bonaventura H.W. Hadikusumo
Keyword(s):  
Safety Culture ◽  
Management System ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Middle Management ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Group Model ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Safety Management System ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Previous research studies have testified that safety culture positively affects safety performance. However, the progression by which safety culture affects safety performance has not yet been examined. Also, how safety culture affects the overall safety performance at different levels of the organization is yet to be explored. In order to address this issue, the purpose of this paper is to study the effect of multilevel safety culture upon safety performance over time. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual causal-loop diagram is constructed using the group model building approach to establish the relationship between safety culture components (e.g. psychological, behavioral and situational) and the factors associated with safety performance (e.g. risk level, safety behavior, unsafe conditions, unsafe acts and incident rate). Considering the dynamic nature and intricacy of the safety management system, the system dynamics approach has been employed to develop the model. Findings The results indicate that the safety culture at the tactical level (middle management) and operational level is much more effective than strategic level (top management) in ameliorating the safety performance of the organization. Research limitations/implications The scope of this study is limited to the effect of multilevel safety culture on safety performance. The focus is on the dynamics of personal, behavioral and situational factors of top management, middle management and workers to reinforce the safety performance of the organization. Future research can be protracted to build other models of safety. Practical implications First and foremost, the findings summarized in this paper can be implemented by organizations to achieve the total safety culture to upgrade safety performance. Originality/value This paper presents the holistic view of multilevel safety culture in an organization’s hierarchy. It shows how multilevel level safety culture in an organization interacts with the safety management system to enhance the safety performance of the organization.

How and when environmental regulation induces middle managers’ proactive behavior

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 438-452
Author(s):  
Haixu Bao ◽  
Haizhen (Jane) Wang ◽  
Chenglin Sun
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Regulation ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Listed Company ◽  
Proactive Behavior ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Top Managers ◽  
Regulation Strength

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how middle managers respond to the career challenges caused by environmental regulation. In particular, this paper examines whether environmental regulation strength is positively related to middle managers’ openness toward change, and whether middle managers’ openness toward change is positively related to proactive behavior. Furthermore, the moderating role of top managers’ bottom-line mentality in these two relationships is examined. Design/methodology/approach Cross-sectional survey research (n=155) was conducted. During a training program, data were collected from 155 middle managers from a listed company that manufactures primary products. With these data the authors examined the main relationship and also explored the moderating effect of top managers’ bottom-line mentality. Findings Analysis of the findings indicates that perceived environmental regulation strength influences middle managers’ openness toward change and consequently their proactive behavior. In addition, top managers’ bottom-line mentality moderates both the link between environmental regulation strength and openness toward change and the link between openness toward change and proactive behavior. Originality/value The findings of this study reveal how environmental regulation induces middle managers’ proactive behavior, and the influence of top managers’ mentality on how middle managers respond to environmental regulation both cognitively and behaviorally.

Human capital in top management teams seen through the lens of senior human resources managers

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 571-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Garcia-Carbonell ◽  
Fernando Martin-Alcazar ◽  
Gonzalo Sanchez-Gardey
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Human Resources ◽  
Top Management Teams ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Issues ◽  
Top Managers ◽  
Highly Skilled ◽  
Human Resources Managers ◽  
Strategic Issue

Purpose Despite the strong influence of Hambrick and Mason’s (1984) seminal work, the effects of top management team (TMT) characteristics on strategic processes remain unclear. This study aims to go beyond the traditional upper echelon theory and to propose a human capital taxonomy of TMTs from the perspective of top human resources managers. Design/methodology/approach The research integrates arguments from the strategic human capital and strategic issue diagnosis literatures. An exploratory cluster analysis was conducted in an attempt to describe different human capital typologies in TMTs in a sample of 120 Spanish companies. Findings The exploratory analysis showed three distinct human capital profiles: “technocratic teams”, “highly skilled teams” and “operational teams”. In addition, this paper provides preliminary results about the effects of each profile in the above taxonomy on strategic issue diagnostic processes, suggesting that “highly skilled teams” present the most appropriate combination of human capital attributes. Practical/implications This analysis provides a guide for top managers regarding the human capital needs they may face when interpreting strategic issues in strategy formation processes. Originality/value This paper makes a twofold contribution to the extant literature: proposing an analysis of TMTs’ human capital from a synergistic perspective (“human capital profiles”) instead of using the traditional “more is better” approach and providing preliminary explanations about how those human capital combinations contribute to success in the strategic issue diagnosis process.

scholarly journals The impact of middle management commitment on improvement initiatives in public organisations

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 924-938 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Alhaqbani ◽  
Deborah M Reed ◽  
Barbara M Savage ◽  
Jana Ries
Keyword(s):  
Middle Managers ◽  
Quality Management System ◽  
Middle Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Commitment ◽  
Top Management Commitment ◽  
Public Organisations ◽  
Lack Of Commitment ◽  
Management Staff ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – Top management commitment is considered a significant factor in improvement programmes, and many papers have been written about the role of top management commitment in implementing a quality management system. However, not considering other management levels’ commitment, such as middle management, may lead to issues in achieving organisational development. Public organisations that work through vertical structures may face a lack of middle management commitment, which might have a negative impact on lower and non-management staff commitment to improvement programmes. In this regard, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of middle management’s commitment towards improvement initiatives in public organisations. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical research with a mixed-method design used semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire to explore the current practices of continuous improvement (CI) and examine employees’ views from different management levels of the implications of current improvements in a Saudi public service organisation. Findings – The analysis indicated that the lower managers and non-management staff agree that, after the implementation of the quality management system, the organisation’s middle management showed a lack of commitment to that system. Moreover, this lack of commitment is recognised in the analysis of participants’ views of CI practices recorded in the questionnaire and interviews. This lack of commitment has caused poor employee commitment and thus a lack of problem solving in organisational departments. It is also responsible for a lack of employee involvement, the centralisation of decisions, deficiencies in terms of determining and applying training, inequality between employees and a lack of trust between employees and their managers. These issues could be managed and resolved through middle management and their commitment. Practical implications – Increasing middle managers’ awareness of the importance of their commitment to improvement initiatives can have an impact on employees’ commitment towards improvement initiatives, especially in those public organisations that have vertical/hierarchical structures. The level of commitment towards the implementation of improvement programmes needs further in-depth analyses to identify which factors influence public organisation leaders’ commitment to improvement programmes. Originality/value – The results of this study could motivate middle managers in public organisations to review their policies and to facilitate CI initiatives.

The impact of the prison environment on behavioral changes of inmates: a study of inmates in Kosovo and Finland

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-136
Author(s):  
Ferid Azemi
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Criminal Sanction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Prison Environment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to focus on understanding the prison environment, inmates’ behavior and perceptions of the prison environment, analyzing the degree of awareness, rehabilitation and the programs that apply to prisons in both countries. It is assumed that the data that emerge from this research will contribute to a better understanding of the prisoner’s world of their perception about the prison environment in Kosovo and Finland. The study focused on inmates’ perception about the prison environment and their attitudes toward their sentences. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative study through in-depth interviews. Findings The results of this study indicated that inmates in Kosovo perceived the prison environment in a very negative light. The main reasons for this were the dissatisfaction with their status of being inmates and also lack of an appropriate classification of inmates. However, even though inmates in Finland perceived prison environment in a positive light, they still think that more educative programs are needed. Practical implications The results of this study indicated that Kosovo Correctional Service should implement more rehabilitative programs and improve its classification system. Criminal Sanction Agency in Finland as per results should increase efforts for implementation of new programs and aftercare action plans. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, it is the first research on inmates in two countries Kosovo and Finland, and this added new knowledge to the existing information about the prison environment in Kosovo and Finland. The results of this research gave an idea to respective institutions to add new rehabilitative and aftercare programs.

A qualitative study of hospital clinical staff perceptions of their interactions with healthcare middle managers

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeleine Kendrick ◽  
Kevin B. Kendrick ◽  
Nicholas F. Taylor ◽  
Sandra G. Leggat
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Middle Management ◽  
Clinical Staff ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Healthcare Staff ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Staff Perceptions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe authors explored clinical staff perceptions of their interactions with middle management and their experiences of the uncongeniality of their working environment.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews of clinical staff from an Australian public health service's Emergency, Surgery and Psychiatry departments. Volunteer interview transcripts were inductively coded using a reflexive thematic content analysis.FindingsOf 73 interviews, 66 participants discussed their interactions with management. Most clinicians considered their interactions with middle management to be negative based on a violation of their expectations of support in the workplace. Collectively, these interactions formed the basis of clinical staff perceptions of management's lack of capacity and fit for the needs of staff to perform their roles.Practical implicationsStrategies to improve management's fit with clinicians' needs may be beneficial for reducing uncongenial workplaces for healthcare staff and enhanced patient care.Originality/valueThis article is among the few papers that discuss interactions with management from the perspective of clinical staff in healthcare. How these perspectives inform the perception of workplace uncongeniality for clinicians contributes greater understanding of the factors contributing to adversarial relationships between clinicians and managers.

scholarly journals Middle managers’ roles after a hospital merger

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-99
Author(s):  
Elsa Solstad ◽  
Inger Johanne Petterson
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Professional Staff ◽  
Social Aspect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hospital Merger ◽  
Top Managers ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Controls ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Purpose Mergers are important and challenging elements in hospital reforms. The authors study the social aspects of management and the roles of middle managers in the aftermath of a hospital merger. Especially, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how professional staff and middle managers perceive their relationships with top managers several years after the merger. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted among the professional staff in two merging hospitals’ units six years after a merger. Based on the main findings from this survey, a follow-up interview study was done with a group of middle managers. Findings The management practices were diagnostic with few interactive or communicative activities. The respondents expressed that mistrust developed between the staff and the top management, and a lack of involvement and interaction lead to decoupled and parallel organizations. Social controls, based on shared norms, had not been developed to create mutual commitment and engagement. Practical implications Policy makers should be aware of the need in profound change processes not only to change the tangible elements, but to take care of changing the less tangible elements such as norms and values. Professionals in hospitals are in powerful positions, and changes in such organizations are dependent on trust-building, bottom-up initiatives and evolutionary pathways. Originality/value The paper addresses the need to understand the dynamics of the social aspect in managing hospitals as knowledge-intensive organizations when comprehensive restructuring processes are taking place over several years.

Practical strategies and the need for psychological support: recommendations from nurses working in hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jody Ralph ◽  
Laurie A. Freeman ◽  
A. Dana Ménard ◽  
Kendall Soucie
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Style ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
The United States ◽  
Psychological Support ◽  
Employee Assistance ◽  
Pay Equity ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hospital Administrators ◽  
Depth Interviews

PurposeNurses working during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have reported elevated levels of anxiety, burnout and sleep disruption. Hospital administrators are in a unique position to mitigate or exacerbate stressful working conditions. The goal of this study was to capture the recommendations of nurses providing frontline care during the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were conducted during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 36 nurses living in Canada and working in Canada or the United States.FindingsThe following recommendations were identified from reflexive thematic analysis of interview transcripts: (1) The nurses emphasized the need for a leadership style that embodied visibility, availability and careful planning. (2) Information overload contributed to stress, and participants appealed for clear, consistent and transparent communication. (3) A more resilient healthcare supply chain was required to safeguard the distribution of equipment, supplies and medications. (4) Clear communication of policies related to sick leave, pay equity and workload was necessary. (5) Equity should be considered, particularly with regard to redeployment. (6) Nurses wanted psychological support offered by trusted providers, managers and peers.Practical implicationsOver-reliance on employee assistance programmes and other individualized approaches to virtual care were not well-received. An integrative systems-based approach is needed to address the multifaceted mental health outcomes and reduce the deleterious impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nursing workforce.Originality/valueResults of this study capture the recommendations made by nurses during in-depth interviews conducted early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Making sense of business leadership vis-à-vis China’s reform and transition

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 867-884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang Ren ◽  
Ying Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Middle Managers ◽  
Business Leadership ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
Chinese Enterprises ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Common Goals ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the contemporary paradigm of business leadership vis-à-vis China’s reform and transitional context. Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs an evidence-based approach to explore the business leadership issues influenced by economic reform and within the context of societal transition in China. A qualitative research method was adopted based on in-depth interviews with a number of middle managers from a variety of Chinese enterprises, including state-owned, domestic-private and foreign-invested enterprises. Content analysis of several rounds of interviews added depth to the data analysis. Findings – The findings complement existing thoughts and illustrate concepts, issues, and characteristics not yet emphasized in mainstream literature. General patterns and associated characteristics of business leadership in China, as well as specific patterns associated with different forms of enterprise ownerships, are identified. Research limitations/implications – The study makes a timely and necessary contribution that enriches context-specific understandings of business leadership against the backdrop of surrounding economic, social, and cultural changes. Practical implications – The study enriches understandings of commonalities and differences in leadership across the globe, facilitating working collaboratively to achieve common goals in a global community. Originality/value – The study offers new insights into business leadership by linking contextual, personal, and cognitional factors together and demonstrates some unique characteristics of leadership styles in transitional economies like China.

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