Underestimated? The Role of Middle Managers in Strategy Implementation: A Middle Manager Perspective
The business environment is one which is facing new and transformed global markets and increased competition. Alongside these changing conditions of work, strategy is also changing, and so is the role of middle managers within strategy implementation. Despite increasing research on middle managers w...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2022
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/67950/ |
| _version_ | 1848800454611304448 |
|---|---|
| author | Prettyman, Joanna |
| author_facet | Prettyman, Joanna |
| author_sort | Prettyman, Joanna |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The business environment is one which is facing new and transformed global markets and increased competition. Alongside these changing conditions of work, strategy is also changing, and so is the role of middle managers within strategy implementation. Despite increasing research on middle managers within strategic management literature, there is a widening gap between the role practiced by middle managers in implementation and their perspective.
The purpose of this study was to investigate middle managers’ perspectives of their role and strategizing activities in implementation to understand their relevance and importance. The research was conducted through a qualitative approach, using a cross-comparison case study between two organisations using empirical data collected from semi-structured interviews to investigate the research problem and research questions.
The main findings from the study demonstrated that middle managers undertook several roles and strategizing activities alongside their traditional implementor and communicator roles which elevated their adaptability to inform strategy and implementation. Formulator and therapist roles were found to be correlated with greater sensing and agility to strategic change. Furthermore, participants perceived that environmental shifts translated into increased strategizing activities and roles, such as knowledge creation, to control the strategy process with greater confidence. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:51:49Z |
| format | Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) |
| id | nottingham-67950 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:51:49Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-679502023-04-25T16:11:57Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/67950/ Underestimated? The Role of Middle Managers in Strategy Implementation: A Middle Manager Perspective Prettyman, Joanna The business environment is one which is facing new and transformed global markets and increased competition. Alongside these changing conditions of work, strategy is also changing, and so is the role of middle managers within strategy implementation. Despite increasing research on middle managers within strategic management literature, there is a widening gap between the role practiced by middle managers in implementation and their perspective. The purpose of this study was to investigate middle managers’ perspectives of their role and strategizing activities in implementation to understand their relevance and importance. The research was conducted through a qualitative approach, using a cross-comparison case study between two organisations using empirical data collected from semi-structured interviews to investigate the research problem and research questions. The main findings from the study demonstrated that middle managers undertook several roles and strategizing activities alongside their traditional implementor and communicator roles which elevated their adaptability to inform strategy and implementation. Formulator and therapist roles were found to be correlated with greater sensing and agility to strategic change. Furthermore, participants perceived that environmental shifts translated into increased strategizing activities and roles, such as knowledge creation, to control the strategy process with greater confidence. 2022-01-24 Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/67950/1/14306141_BUSI4134_2021_22.pdf Prettyman, Joanna (2022) Underestimated? The Role of Middle Managers in Strategy Implementation: A Middle Manager Perspective. [Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)] |
| spellingShingle | Prettyman, Joanna Underestimated? The Role of Middle Managers in Strategy Implementation: A Middle Manager Perspective |
| title | Underestimated? The Role of Middle Managers in Strategy Implementation: A Middle Manager Perspective |
| title_full | Underestimated? The Role of Middle Managers in Strategy Implementation: A Middle Manager Perspective |
| title_fullStr | Underestimated? The Role of Middle Managers in Strategy Implementation: A Middle Manager Perspective |
| title_full_unstemmed | Underestimated? The Role of Middle Managers in Strategy Implementation: A Middle Manager Perspective |
| title_short | Underestimated? The Role of Middle Managers in Strategy Implementation: A Middle Manager Perspective |
| title_sort | underestimated? the role of middle managers in strategy implementation: a middle manager perspective |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/67950/ |