scholarly journals Middle Managers’ Strategic Role in the Corporate Entrepreneurial Process: Attention-Based Effects

2011 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 1586-1610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte R. Ren ◽  
Chao Guo
Keyword(s):  
Middle Managers ◽  
Strategic Orientation ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Entrepreneurial Process ◽  
Slack Resources ◽  
Entrepreneurial Opportunities ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Strategic Role ◽  
Policy Windows

This article examines the strategic role of middle managers in the corporate entrepreneurial process from an attention-based perspective. By integrating literatures from multiple disciplines, the authors delineate the attention-based effects on how middle managers provide the impetus for different types of entrepreneurial opportunities (i.e., exploratory vs. exploitative initiatives). Specifically, middle managers, constrained by the attention structures of the firm, likely prescreen entrepreneurial opportunities from lower organizational levels and attend primarily to those that align with the strategic orientation of the firm. This tendency may be moderated by the presence of other players, middle managers’ structural positions, and the availability of slack resources. Moreover, in their efforts to sell initiatives to top management, middle managers may leverage “policy windows”—patterned regularities and irregularities in and around the organization—to exploit existing attention structures to their advantage or perhaps to dismantle those structures.

scholarly journals The Good, the Bad and the Blend: The Strategic Role of the “Middle Leadership” in Work-Family/Life Dynamics during Remote Working

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 112
Author(s):  
Paola Spagnoli ◽  
Amelia Manuti ◽  
Carmela Buono ◽  
Chiara Ghislieri
Keyword(s):  
Service Sector ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Psychosocial Risks ◽  
Management Leadership ◽  
Strategic Role ◽  
Current Scenario ◽  
Work Family

The ongoing epidemiological crisis has suddenly steered us towards a new futuristic work scenario in which most service sector employees work remotely, which could be a permanent reality for most service sector employees. This paper focuses on the strategic role that leadership could play in the radical change process that is taking place in work environments. Particular attention was paid to the role of ‘middle managers’ who perform an important function as a link between the strategic vision of top management and the workforce. In addition, special attention was paid to gender differences in work-life dynamics, which are particularly relevant in countries with traditional cultural identities. As this is a conceptual contribution, the most recent studies on this specific role of middle managers have been taken into account and embedded in the current scenario. Therefore, the main contribution in terms of originality was that the current review aimed to leverage such a legacy of knowledge and create a system of evidence-based practical implications for effectively supporting change in organizational culture through the identification of the most appropriate middle management leadership models for remote working that could prevent and/or limit any psychosocial risks (e.g., workaholism and technostress) and longer-term outcomes such as sustainable work-life interface.

Mit Projekten Unternehmen erfolgreich führen

2012 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 15-20
Author(s):  
Andreas Wald ◽  
Reinhard Wagner ◽  
Christoph Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Strategy Formulation ◽  
Corporate Executives ◽  
Strategic Role ◽  
Important Means ◽  
Operational Issues

Projekte als temporäre Form der Zusammenarbeit spielen eine wichtige Rolle im Rahmen der Formulierung und Umsetzung von Strategien. Projekte werden auch zunehmend dazu eingesetzt, Innovationen zu generieren und organisatorischen Wandel herbeizuführen. Trotz dieser hohen strategischen Bedeutung von Projekten ist die Disziplin des Projektmanagements primär auf operative Fragen ausgerichtet. In diesem Beitrag präsentieren wir daher eine Studie zu den strategischen Aspekten von Projekten. Wir haben Unternehmenslenker zur strategischen Bedeutung von Projekten befragt und untersucht, wie diese in der Unternehmensführung eingesetzt werden und wie das Topmanagement gezielt organisationale Projektmanagementkompetenz aufbauen kann. Konkret werden dabei die Bereiche Führung, Struktur und Prozesse sowie Unternehmenskultur betrachtet. Der Beitrag schließt mit der Ableitung von Empfehlungen für die Projektpraxis. Although projects are important means for strategy formulation and implementation, the discipline of project management focuses mainly on operational issues. This article therefore presents the results of a study on the strategic dimensions of projects. We asked corporate executives about the strategic role of projects and on how top management can create organizational project competence. We caonclude by deriving implications for project management practice. Keywords: wissenstransfer, wissensmanagement, projektstrategie, projektintensität, projektifizierung

When Can Humble Top Executives Retain Middle Managers? The Moderating Role of Top Management Team Faultlines

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 1915-1931 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Y. Ou ◽  
Jungmin (Jamie) Seo ◽  
Dongwon Choi ◽  
Peter W. Hom
Keyword(s):  
Middle Managers ◽  
Top Management Team ◽  
Management Team ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Top Executives ◽  
Moderating Role

scholarly journals Making strategy work: The role of the middle manager

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mari Jansen Van Rensburg ◽  
Annemarie Davis ◽  
Peet Venter
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Strategy Implementation ◽  
Operational Performance ◽  
Middle Manager ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Downward Influence ◽  
Strategic Role ◽  
Private And Public

AbstractIn recognition of middle managers as influential strategists we collected 654 responses from South African middle managers detailing their spontaneous and unguided descriptions of their strategic roles in the organisation they represent. The results show that middle managers generally associate their strategic role strongly with the traditional perspectives on the roles as implementers of strategies and communicators linking their subordinates and higher levels of management. We add the roles of ‘advocacy’ and ‘improving operational performance’ to the conventional elements of strategy implementation, and the roles of ‘managing performance’ and ‘driving compliance’ to the role of downward influence. Focus group discussions contextualised and authenticated these roles within the South African private and public sectors.

scholarly journals EFFECTS OF TOP MANAGEMENT SUPPORT ON KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER AND SHARING: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF TRUST

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-198
Author(s):  
Houcine Meddour ◽  
Oussama Saoula ◽  
Abdul Halim Abdul Majid ◽  
Mohamed Abdellatif Abu Auf
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Top Management Support ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Equation Modelling ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose: This paper examines the relationship between top management support and knowledge transfer and sharing in Multimedia Super Corridor MSC status organizations, using trust as a mediator. A theoretical model was tested through a survey carried out by 132 middle managers in MSC status organizations in Malaysia. Methodology: Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed for data analysis. Results: The obtained results show that the top management support will facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing. Implications: The empirical evidence confirmed that the direct and indirect relationships between top management support, trust and knowledge transfer, and sharing were found to be fully supported, including the relationship between trust and knowledge transfer and sharing. Finally, trust fully mediates the relationship between top management support and knowledge transfer and sharing.

RE-CONTEXTUALIZING OPPORTUNITY AS ARTIFACT SIGNALLING FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTION

2021 ◽  
pp. 2150021
Author(s):  
DAVID LEONG
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Approach ◽  
Entrepreneurial Process ◽  
Developmental Context ◽  
Entrepreneurial Opportunities ◽  
Signalling Theory ◽  
Entrepreneurial Action ◽  
Over Time

In exploring entrepreneurial action as a response to opportunities, this paper uses signalling theory to provide new insights as the entrepreneur moves from perception to recognition to enactment. We adopt a dynamic approach to how entrepreneurs perceive opportunities and form initial opportunity beliefs, recognizing that, over time, beliefs change. The perceived potentialities from the signals arising from opportunities also change. Strength of the initial opportunity beliefs, morph-ability of opportunities, frequency of opportunity appearances, multiple interpretations of opportunity, latency of opportunity, observability (intensity, visibility, strength and clarity), distortions of opportunity and false opportunity are topics that are not sufficiently addressed in research on entrepreneurial opportunities. We argue that the signalling effects open new avenues of inquiry related to the central role of opportunity in the entrepreneurial process. Instead of seeing opportunity from either the discovery or creation approaches, opportunity should be viewed as an artifact with embedded perceived potentialities. Implications are drawn for the developmental context.

Empowering middle managers in social services using management control systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Nikolaj Bukh ◽  
Anne Kirstine Svanholt
Keyword(s):  
Control Systems ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Management Control Systems ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Conflicting Objectives

PurposeThis paper examines how a public sector organization combined management control systems (MCS) to comply with increased uncertainty and conflicting objectives of tight budget control, flexibility, and quality care simultaneously. It also analyzes how middle managers interpret management control intentions and manage conflicting objectives, and how locally developed MCS are coupled with top management goals.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a case-study approach, based on interviews with top and middle managements, as well as document studies conducted at a medium-sized Danish municipality.FindingsBoth constraining and enabling control systems empower middle managers and facilitate tight budget controls. Furthermore, middle managers play a crucial role in the use of MCS, develop local control systems, adjust existing control systems and influence the decisions and strategies of top management.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is context-specific, and the role of accounting in professional work varies due to the specific techniques involved.Practical implicationsThis paper shows how MCS, including budgeting and planning systems, can be applied in social services to help middle managements obtain tight budget controls while also improving service quality.Originality/valueThis paper adds to the limited extant research on the role of middle management in a control framework and demonstrates how MCS can balance conflicting goals in social services when uncertainty increases. Furthermore, this paper shows how the vertical coupling of MCS is tight when budgeting is employed for planning purposes.

scholarly journals Implementing workplace health promotion – role of middle managers

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Just Bendix Justesen ◽  
Pernille Eskerod ◽  
Jeanette Reffstrup Christensen ◽  
Gisela Sjøgaard
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Workplace Health Promotion ◽  
Office Workers ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Workplace Health ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address a missing link between top management and employees when it comes to understanding how to successfully implement and embed workplace health promotion (WHP) as a strategy within organizations: the role of the middle managers. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual framework based on review of theory is applied within an empirical multi-case study that is part of a health intervention research project on increased physical activity among office workers. The study involves six Danish organizations. Findings Middle managers play a key role in successful implementation of WHP, but feel uncertain about their role, especially when it comes to engaging with their employees. Uncertainty about their role appears to make middle managers reluctant to take action on WHP and leave further action to top management instead. Research limitations/implications Limitations included the middle managers’ low attendance at the half-day seminar on strategic health (50 percent attendance), the fact that they were all office workers and they were all from Denmark. Practical implications Middle managers ask for more knowledge and skills if they are to work with WHP in daily business. Social implications Implementing and embedding WHP as a health strategy raises ethical issues of interfering with employees’ health, is seen as the employee’s personal responsibility. Originality/value This study adds to knowledge of the difficulties of implementing and embedding WHP activities in the workplace and suggests an explicit and detailed research design.

Assessing the Role of Knowledge Management in Adding Value: Moving Towards a Comprehensive Framework

2009 ◽  
Vol 08 (04) ◽  
pp. 275-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahmi Ibrahim ◽  
David Edgar ◽  
Vivien Reid
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Accurate Picture ◽  
Management Commitment ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Top Management Commitment ◽  
Comprehensive Framework ◽  
Depth Interviews

Researchers and practitioners have emphasised the need for advances in knowledge management (KM) research to better understand how organisations add value from their KM practices. Thus, a comprehensive framework, rooted in two main theoretical streams of KM practices, objectivist and practice-based perspective, is proposed. We believe this explains how KM practices add value, and will assist organisations to obtain a more accurate picture of their KM practices, the factors that influence KM implementation, and how KM can be measured. The framework also serves as a means to identify how well KM practices meet organisational strategies. This paper begins with a review of different KM perspectives and then reports the findings of qualitative in-depth interviews with UK car manufacturers. The results indicate that most organisations adopt different types of KM practices, with the findings revealing that top management commitment, strategy, IT, people involvement and organisational culture were the factors that most influenced KM implementation. In conclusion, the paper advocates an integrated view of KM perspectives and mechanisms for KM practice in UK car manufacturing.

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