Who are Middle Managers?
examples?
Middle managers constitute the management layer between top and operational management
(general managers, branch managers and department managers)
What makes middle managers unique?
Who said this?
Their access to top management coupled with their knowledge of operations
(Wooldridge et al)
What dangers could a company face if they removed the middle managers? (4)
- Danger of not realising significant cost reductions
- Losing valuable skills in the delayering process
- No lasting performance improvements as a consequence of middle management delayering
- Innovation and creativity declined
What 3 Roles of Leadership in Managing Change did Nokia lack? Define them.
- Collaboration
Widespread involvement of employees on decisions about both what and how to change - Direction
Change leaders make most decisions about what to change and how. Use of authority to direct change - Participation
Change leaders retain overall coordination and authority but delegate elements of the change process
What is the Advantage (1) and Disadvantages (2) of Collaboration as a Role of Leadership in Managing Change
+ Spreads not only support but ownership of change by increasing levels of involvement
- Time consuming
- Little control over decisions made
What are the benefits (2) and disadvantage (1) of Direction as a Role of Leadership in Managing Change
+ Less time consuming
+ Provides a clear change direction and focus
- Potentially less support and commitment, so changes may be resisted
What are the benefits (2) and disadvantage (1) of Participation as a Role of Leadership in Managing Change
+ Spreads ownership and support of change
+ Easier to shape decisions
- Can be perceived as manipulation
What are the 4 Role Definitions of Middle Managers?
- Synthesising
- Championing
- Implementing
- Facilitating Adaptability
Define the Role Definition ‘Synthesising’.
State what direction of influence it typically has and what kind of view it has
Synthesising refers to the delivery of informational input from a different/complementary perspective to the Top Management view (channeling strategically relevant information and communicating it to the top of the organisation)
(bottom-to-top)
(Integrative View)
Give activity examples of Synthesising
- gather info on the feasibility of new programs
- communicate the activities of competitors, suppliers etc
- assess changes in the external environment
Define the Role Definition ‘Championing’.
State what direction of influence it typically has and what kind of view it has
Championing refers to bottom-up creation of new ideas, initiatives and their communication to higher level management (defining bottom-up strategic initiatives relevant to the strategic development of the organisation)
(bottom-to-top)
(Divergent View)
Give activity examples of Championing (4)
- justify and define new programs
- evaluate the merits of new proposals
- search for new opportunities
- propose programs or projects to higher level managers
Define the Role Definition ‘Implementing’.
State what direction of influence it typically has and what kind of view it has
Implementing refers to the implementation of deliberate strategy communicated top-down
(top-to-bottom)
(Integrative View)
Gives activity examples of Implementing (4)
- monitor activities to support top management objectives
- translate goals into action plans
- translate goals into individual objectives
- “sell” top management initiatives to subordinates
Define the Role Definition ‘Facilitating Adaptability’.
State what direction of influence it typically has and what kind of view it has
Facilitating Adaptability refers to actions to encourage flexibility and stimulate behaviour that diverges from official expectations
(top-to-bottom)
(Divergent View)
Give activity examples of Facilitating Adaptability (5)
- relax regulations to get new projects started
- ‘buy time’ for experimental programs
- locate and provide resources for trial projects
- provide a safe haven for experimental programs
- encourage informal discussion and information sharing
What is the difference between Integrative View and Divergent View?
Integrative View - orchestrating ideas/strategies/information and trying to make it work
Divergent View - creation of ideas that aren’t linear, but are new and could potentially work
Which 2 Enabling conditions did the top managers at Nokia fail to do, which contributed to their downfall?
Implementing -> Respect:
Top managers demanded too much respect from their middle managers, to the point where middle managers feared talking to them about ideas that could be against their interests
Championing -> Inclusion:
Because of this fear of the top managers, the middle managers felt like they couldn’t take their suggestions to the top managers for fear of punishment
What do middle managers need to have access to in order to increase their influence on strategy?
Access to the organisation’s ‘strategic conversation’
Define Issue Selling, and state what the biggest problem middle managers faced at Nokia, in terms of selling an issue
Issue Selling is the process of gaining the attention and support of the top managers and other stakeholders in organisations in order to advance their cause.
The biggest problem was with Timing. At that point, Nokia was facing an imminent crisis, so trying to sell a long-term issue would not have been feasible
