Middle Managers’ Role During Strategic Change: One Size Does Not Fit All

Beta ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (01) ◽  
pp. 05-22
Author(s):  
Monica Rydland
Keyword(s):  
Middle Managers ◽  
Strategic Change

From Intended Strategies to Unintended Outcomes: The Impact of Change Recipient Sensemaking

2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 1573-1601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Balogun ◽  
Gerry Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Middle Managers ◽  
Strategic Change ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Planned Change ◽  
Change Implementation ◽  
Time Analysis ◽  
Real Time Analysis ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

The tendency for intended strategies to lead to unintended consequences is well documented. This longitudinal, real-time analysis of planned change implementation provides an explanation for this phenomenon. We focus on the social processes of interaction between middle managers as change recipients as they try to make sense of the change interventions. We show the extent to which lateral, informal processes of inter-recipient sensemaking contribute to both intended and unintended change outcomes, and therefore the unpredictable, emergent nature of strategic change. The findings raise the issue of the extent to which it is possible to manage evolving recipient interpretations during change implementation.

Choice of an authoritative style when implementing a survival urgency-based strategic change

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maheshkumar Joshi ◽  
Sanjeev Jha
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Commitment ◽  
Strategic Management ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Strategic Change ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Organizational Survival ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Method Bias

Purpose Extant research suggests that managing strategic change has become a key managerial function and this duty encompasses changes in organizational product-market boundaries and organizational structure among many related organizational activities. The need to achieve strategic change arises because of major shifts in the external environment and the subsequent need for the organization to remain viable and competitive in the changed environment. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate if middle managers are likely to adopt authoritative style while implementing strategic change when they sense organizational survival. Design/methodology/approach “Sensemaking” literature led to development of the authors’ hypotheses and these were tested using the responses of 117 middle managers. The authors used survey-based instrument to collect data and used regression analysis to explicate the responses of the middle managers. Findings Results indicate that when middle managers sense that the survival of the organization is at stake, they are likely to choose an authoritative style. The authors also investigated the moderating role of organizational commitment, strategic posture of the top management team, and hostile business environment on the relationship between perception of survival urgency and the choice of authoritative implementation style. Only organizational commitment moderates this relationship. Research limitations/implications The authors’ data collection was survey based and the authors used a single source for each questionnaire and this process may lead to possibilities of mono-method bias. However, steps were taken to reduce the resultant mono-method bias. The respondents are from a variety of industries and future research may focus on one specific industry. Practical implications The first implication of this study allows us to expand research focus on the adoption of authoritative style, a research area that is not explored very much. The second implication of the study is that middle managers tend to focus on their emotions when it comes to implementing strategic changes. Using arguments from sensemaking the authors show that the perception of need for survival or the perception that business environment is hostile will determine how strategic change could be implemented. Middle managers must be treated as more than just the implementers of the directives/fiats/orders/edicts that originate from the top. Social implications Role of middle managers in strategic change management is critical and the authors suggest that the perception of organizational survival at risk leads to choice managerial style by middle managers. Originality/value The authors have combined ideas from both the strategic management and organizational development fields to understand successfully the implementation of strategic change in a survival urgency situation. In the past, the strategic management literature focused primarily on understanding strategy formulation process, and the process of implementation was generally neglected. The respondents are from a variety of industries. The analysis indicate that membership to any one firm was not impacting the results obtained by the authors and as such allows for results to generalized.

scholarly journals Forandringsledelse og journalistisk kvalitet – aktionsforskning i mediebranchen

1970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anker Brink Lund
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Of Innovations ◽  
Research Team ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Strategic Change ◽  
Change Resistance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Media Management ◽  
Technological Convergence ◽  
Oriented Research

Danish media organizations are currently confronted with important challenges – not only related to technological convergence, but also more generally concerning issues of strategic change of business models and journalistic practices. In order to study these aspects of media management, a research team supervised by the author conducted semi-structured interviews with managers (editorial and commercial) working for Danish press, radio and television organizations. From this material a sample of middle managers were invited to participate in action research focusing on strategic change in their home organizations 2002-2005. Fifty-nine media executives signed up for the challenge. This action-oriented research shows that media managers are relatively inept and hampered by change resistance from staff and consumers. In order to cope with these challenges research-based inspiration have been found in sociological scholarship concerning quality assessment, diffusion of innovations, and informational journalism.

A cross sector partnership of middle managers as a social movement in pursuit of strategic change

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 (1) ◽  
pp. 16565
Author(s):  
Simon Cooper ◽  
Graeme Currie ◽  
Martin Kitchener
Keyword(s):  
Social Movement ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Strategic Change

scholarly journals An Exploratory Study of Middle Manager’s Roles in Continuous Improvement

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Freek J. A. Hermkens ◽  
A. Georges L. Romme ◽  
Sharon A. M. Dolmans
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Strategic Change ◽  
Middle Management ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Highly Dispersed ◽  
Management Roles ◽  
Extensive Body

Floyd and Wooldridge have developed a widely used model regarding the middle managers’ contribution to strategic change, in which four strategic roles for middle managers are considered: championing, synthesizing, facilitating and implementing. Although there is an extensive body of knowledge about the roles and influence of middle managers in implementing strategy, insight in which roles are activated in continuous improvement (CI) initiatives is underdeveloped and highly dispersed. Therefore, in this study we seek to understand which middle management roles (i.e. championing, synthesizing, facilitating, implementing) contribute to accomplishing CI. To explore which of these roles are activated when middle managers are confronted with a CI initiative, we developed a scenario experiment. Our findings indicate that the implementing and synthesizing roles appear to be of key importance in the context of CI initiatives, while the facilitating and championing roles appear to be less relevant.

Strategic change and sensemaking practice: enabling the role of the middle manager

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 493-514
Author(s):  
Sarah Kieran ◽  
Juliet MacMahon ◽  
Sarah MacCurtain
Keyword(s):  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Strategic Change ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Middle Manager ◽  
Isolation And Identification ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Discourse Practices

PurposeThe critical input of middle managers as they make sense of the organisation's plans is paramount during the process of strategic change. Through the lens of middle manager sensemaking literature, this explorative research identifies key organisational practices that underpin sensemaking. An understanding of these practices will allow organisations better develop and support them, thereby enabling middle managers' contribution to strategic change.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed an innovative diary methodology. 42 middle managers, across three organisations, completed a weekly, online diary for 12 weeks. A qualitative analysis of the final 355 diaries isolated and explained the sensemaking practices in which middle managers engaged as they sought to achieve the shared understanding required to progress strategic change.FindingsThis study identifies the key practice underpinning middle manager sensemaking as formal and frequent discourse opportunities between leaders and middle managers. Through leader participation beyond the initiation stages of strategic change, and the organisation's positive positioning of time and metrics, these discourse opportunities enable a form of sensemaking associated with a number of positive organisational outcomes. These include middle manager sensegiving across the organisation, the successful enactment of strategic change, positive perceptions of change outcomes and organisational climate among middle managers and middle manager well-being.Research limitations/implicationsThis study advances our theoretical understanding of the practice of sensemaking in organisations through the isolation and identification of its key practices. However, given the difficulty in obtaining access for such a lengthy and intrusive methodology, the study is confined to three organisations. Additionally, the focus on the practice of sensemaking did not fully explore any contextual factors within these organisations. Also, middle manager perceptions of successful organisational outcomes are not very reliable performance indicators. While the self-reporting of perceptions is a worthwhile means of gathering data, a measure and comparison of actual business performance indicators would significantly strengthen the findings.Practical implicationsFrom a practitioner perspective, this study not only underlines the importance for organisations of developing critical sensemaking practices for middle managers but also provides a clear pathway to achieving this. In approaching the intangible process of sensemaking from a practice perspective, it provides key stakeholders such as leaders, change agents and the HR department with a guide as to the types and forms of discourse practices which can be enabled. Maybe more importantly, it also highlights the practices which disable middle manager sensemaking. The study also provides organisations with insights into the positive outcomes stemming from middle manager sensemaking that should strengthen their case towards the development of sensemaking practices.Originality/valueThis paper responds to the call for new approaches to the study of sensemaking as an ongoing practice within organisations. The qualitative diary analysis provides rich insights into the specific organisational practices that can enable middle manager sensemaking, while also highlighting those practices that can disable their role during strategic change. These findings provide organisations with clear approaches for developing sensemaking as a practice, thereby engaging and supporting the multiple actors and levels required to deliver successful strategic change.

scholarly journals Determining success factors for effective strategic change: Role of middle managers' strategic involvement

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-40
Author(s):  
Ukil Islam ◽  
Akkas Ali
Keyword(s):  
Success Factors ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Strategic Change

The Role of Middle Managers in Strategic Change in the Public Sector

2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme Currie
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Strategic Change ◽  
The Public

Implementing Strategic Change and Participative Style: The Role of Middle Managers

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 (1) ◽  
pp. 16264
Author(s):  
Mahesh P Joshi ◽  
Sanjeev Jha ◽  
Robert D. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Middle Managers ◽  
Strategic Change
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