“Middles connect an organization’s strategy and operational levels through mediation, negotiation, and interpretation and are an undervalued lynchpin in the strategy process, particularly in planned radical change” (Balogun & Johnson, 2004, p.524).
Our guest lecture topic related with middle management issue that faced by organization nowadays. Through her background in Telia Company gives me broad minded about how middle manager survive within complexity in organizational activities (internal) and external condition (i.e gain network).
Middle management is one of interesting topic since most of students have “dream” to be manager in the future after they graduated from their education. However, what kind of manager that they pursue? Middle manager, CEO or CFO?? This kind of title would be in their mind while applying for job. Indeed, middle manager can be challenge for anybody who works for organization and it has pivotal role in change implementation (Balogun, 2003, p.70).
In some cases, organization will face restructuring or radical change that frequently lead to resistant to change for most of all employee in the company. Now, the characteristic of middle manager would be suitable in this situation since they can act as change intermediaries during change implementation, helping others through change, provide explanation for resistance employee (Balogun, 2003, p.70). This work not only will lead for successful restructuring but also help for CEO (top management) out of his heavy workload. Thus, the company hopefully will not face “growing pains” that usually face by growing firm nowadays.
Furthermore, dilemmas or limitation of being middle manager are they have lots of responsibilities but difficult to take decision since they have lack of authority for many reason. The authority belongs to top management that will impact for middle manager decision or we can say its TOP DOWN approach. In some ways they have to give their loyalty for this company but in other way they stuck in the middle while the business is keep going. Those things that sometimes lead them resisted to change. Some researcher mention that middle managers want to be included in strategic conversation for two reasons first is accessing to powerful coalition within organization and second is sense making (Westley, 1990, p.350).
Eventually, highly educated middle manager is strongly needed usually for industry area while middle manager has role as a guide or coaching for hundreds of people and also giving feedback for all employee activities. Guest lecture also gives me inputs that make me consider while choosing job, means that we also have to choose organization, it’s because both of them are equally important.
References:
Balogun, J. & Johnson, G. (2004) “Organizational Restructuring and Middle Manager Sensemaking”. Academy of Management Journal. Vol 47, 523-549.
Balogun, J (2003) “From Blaming the Middle to Harnessing its Potential: Creating Change” Intermediaries” British Journal of Management. Vol 14, 69-83
Westley, Frances R. (1990) “ Middle Managers and Strategy: Microdynamics of Inclusion”. Strategic Management Journal. Vol 11,337-351
