Realizing implementation through relational exchanges with top managers: the mediating role of middle managers’ divergent strategic behavior

Vaz, Samir Lótfi; Raes, Anneloes; Heyden, Mariano L.M.

doi:10.1007/s00187-021-00333-4

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Information flows are particularly crucial for intra‐organizational coordination that occurs both vertically and horizontally (Mom et al, 2007; Vaz et al, 2022). Focusing on vertical information flows, research has stressed middle managers' information exchange with top managers through issue‐selling (Dutton and Ashford, 1993; Dutton et al, 1997, 2001; Lauche and Erez, 2023; Ling et al, 2005) and sensemaking (Balogun and Johnson, 2004; Heyden et al, 2017; Huy, 2002; Rouleau, 2005; Rouleau and Balogun, 2011).…”

Section: Revisiting the Foundations Of Middle Management Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heroes or Villains? Recasting Middle Management Roles, Processes, and Behaviours

Tarakci,

Heyden,

Rouleau

et al. 2023

J Management Studies

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Middle management ranks are once again being questioned by scholars and practitioners alike. This introduction to the special issue represents a timely reference point for consolidating, reviving, and guiding the next wave of researchers seeking to engage this debate. We review the foundations and recent advances in middle management research and develop an organizing framework in terms of middle management's organizational roles, coordination processes, and agentic behaviours. We also identify how new ways of organizing, technology, and middle manager needs are changing to shape each of these themes. The collection of works we synthesize in this introduction offer theoretical advances and empirical evidence on how these changes affect middle management roles, processes, and behaviours. We conclude by mapping out promising research avenues for future research in middle management.

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Section: Revisiting the Foundations Of Middle Management Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heroes or Villains? Recasting Middle Management Roles, Processes, and Behaviours

Tarakci,

Heyden,

Rouleau

et al. 2023

J Management Studies

Self Cite

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“…More specifically, implementation involves a system of social exchanges (Blau, 1964;Emerson, 1976), in which the roles to be played by top and middle management depend on the conditions of the external environment (Floyd & Lane, 2000) and the capacity that the two groups of managers have to act on the market structures and social structures in which they are inserted (Mantere, 2008). This system develops because, to carry out strategies, top and middle management constantly exchange information (Raes et al, 2011), promises (Sull & Spinosa, 2007), and responsibilities (Sillince & Mueller, 2007), creating reciprocal roles expectations that each should assume to compensate for the benefits received in their relationships (Gouldner, 1960;Cropanzano & Mitchell, 2005;Vaz, Raes, & Heyden, 2022). The external environment is considered to influence these social exchanges not only because of the functionality of strategic roles in face of market demands but also because of the pressures for changes that can generate conflicts in relationships involving both groups of managers (Floyd & Lane, 2000).…”

Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolução do relacionamento entre a alta administração e média gerência em um processo de implementação estratégica no contexto da crise do COVID-19

Machado

Bernardes²,

Vaz³

2022

RIAE

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Objective: The purpose of our study was to investigate how the relationship between top and middle management occurs during a strategy implementation in a crisis context, more specifically the one triggered by Covid-19 virus. Methodology/approach: The approach used was a single, in-depth case study. We adopted a process perspective, which considers the sequence of events and choices made over time, at multiple levels and units of analysis. We analyzed documents and interviewed members of top management, middle management, operational management and two consultants working in the investigated company. We then seek to identify instances of action and interaction where patterns could emerge. Originality/Relevance: There is an increasing number of studies about the role of middle management in the organizations strategic process, but there are still few empirical studies in crisis contexts. This study investigates strategic implementation process during the Covid-19 crisis, shedding light on dynamics of control, relationship and autonomy involving top and middle levels of management. Main results: We identified that the Covid-19 crisis enabled the closer approximation of top management with the middle managers, intensified by Crisis Committee meetings in the organization. The crisis management also catalyzed the process of reducing ambiguities and opening up senior management for the presentation and acceptance of ideas from the middle echelons.Theoretical/methodological contributions: Our findings contribute to the literature on crises, revealing both the process of strengthening relationships between top and middle managers, as well as the building content from the contributions of the middle managers, which can lead to a superior result. We also endorse the impacts of the facilitating conditions proposed by Mantere (2008) based on the work of Floyd Wooldridge (1992), even in the context of crisis. We also endorsed the proposals by Macpherson, Breslin and Akinci (2021) on the role of middle managers as connectors for initiatives in extreme situations that, otherwise, would not have visibility. Social contributions / for practice: For practice, we launch additional clues in favor of greater openness of top managers for the participation of middle managers in the implementation and strategic adaptation, even in a context of crisis. Similarly, we demonstrated that extreme crisis contexts are prone to rethink interorganizational structures and relationships, aiming at the renewal of management strategies and roles.

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Middle Management and Strategy Execution in a VUCA World

Mngadi,

Gerwel Proches

2023

Promoting Crisis Management and Creative Problem-Solving Skills in Educational Leadership

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Middle management in organizations execute strategic plans, and often, do not execute as they should because of misinterpretation of the strategic plans, limited knowledge, and complexity of the world. Literature tends to focus on strategy formulation rather than on execution. Few studies have focused on the role of middle management in the execution of strategy in a complex world. This study explores the role of middle management in higher educational institution (HEI) in executing strategic plans in a volatile, unpredictable, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world. A qualitative research approach was employed and interviews conducted with ten middle management staff. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The study recommends that training for HEI middle management is undertaken and vital to implement strategic plans effectively. Recommendations from the study may assist in understanding how middle management execute strategy in the VUCA world in HEIs.

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Realizing implementation through relational exchanges with top managers: the mediating role of middle managers’ divergent strategic behavior

Cited by 4 publications

References 125 publications

Heroes or Villains? Recasting Middle Management Roles, Processes, and Behaviours

Heroes or Villains? Recasting Middle Management Roles, Processes, and Behaviours

Evolução do relacionamento entre a alta administração e média gerência em um processo de implementação estratégica no contexto da crise do COVID-19

Middle Management and Strategy Execution in a VUCA World

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