Middle Managers: The unsung heroes in organisational change
There’s no point getting the top and bottom right if you don’t get the middle right!” says Ann Francke, CEO, CMI and we can’t agree more. Middle managers are the often-overlooked heroes of the corporate world. It’s alway the right time to shine the light on the ‘dark middle’!
In essence, Middle Managers are the connective tissue that bridges vision and execution. They are indispensable to any organization.
Middle managers exert their influence on Strategic Sense making and Discursive Competence by acting as intermediaries in the organisational hierarchy. They interpret and contextualise high-level strategic objectives, making them accessible to their teams. This is achieved by what in their?research,?Linda Rouleau and Julia Balogun call "perform the conversation" and "set the scene" across the organization. By setting a personal example and creating a feedback loop, middle managers facilitate a culture of open communication and adaptation. They also play a crucial role in resolving conflicts, supporting their team's development through training, and advocating for their needs to senior leadership. In essence, middle managers serve as critical conduits, bridging the gap between strategic vision and practical implementation.
2. Change Intermediaries
Academic research, including studies by?Julia Balogun?and?others, highlights middle managers’ multifaceted role during change initiatives. They act as personal change agents, ensuring employees understand and embrace the transformation's purpose. Middle managers safeguard business continuity by managing transitions smoothly.
They also serve as change implementers, translating high-level strategies into actionable steps for their teams. Additionally, their mentoring role nurtures talent and helps teams adapt to change effectively.
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“In a sense, it’s more difficult for a middle manager because they can’t float in and out in the way that more senior people do. And yet they are more likely to feel the constraints and responsibilities of the organisation around them. Thinking about particularly bigger organisations, the tenacity is vital. And they’re going to constantly want to look and see evidence that the guy that came and said this was serious, was serious.” - Brendan McCafferty, CEO, Flood Re
But theirs is a challenging work and recently, it has taken its toll. In a worldwide post-pandemic?survey?of over 3,000 remote knowledge workers, middle managers reported a 46% lower job satisfaction rate compared to senior executives. They also grappled twice as hard as executives to maintain a sense of belonging, experiencing heightened stress levels and decreased productivity compared to their higher-ranking counterparts.
Which is why it is imperative for organisations to double down on the working with middle managers. Giving them space, developing them and not reducing them to mere order takers go a long way.
In our work with organisational change and transformation agendas, middle managers have been indispensable. We find them thriving in empowered spaces where their voices and views carry influence and weight. They bring us closer to the problem and show us reality. A reality that is bereft of the varnish of the board room but something that needs to contended with for change to become possible!
The better of organisations and leaders understand this well. It is such a joy to work with such organisations. Every time we walk into a organisation, one group of people we observe very closely are the middle managers. If they have the opportunity and space for working, exchanging dreams, collective problem solving as a means to run their daily operations, we know the organisation is on to something special.
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