Start with Middle Management in your Change Approach

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Start with Middle Management in your Change Approach
Following up the discussion “Bottom-up Approach Towards Organizational Change” I think that even in a bottom-up or top-down approach, the key to achieving a successful change in a (large) organization, is the middle management. Without the commitment of those managers not much will happen.

Also according to Patrick McGurk (Sept 2011), "middle managers have traditionally been seen as the organisational ‘linking pins’ (Likert 1961), a view which is echoed in more recent research on managerial work by Mintzberg (2009: 138), who finds that middle management is the place in which the organisation best integrates its activities. Balogun (2003), identified middle managers as ‘change intermediaries’. In this study, middle managers played the dual role of interpreting and ‘making sense’ of organisational change, both for themselves and their teams, and balancing the pressures of managing continuity of service with the implementation of change".

Due to the above, I recommend to:
1. Introduce an idea/change at the middle management level in an early stage.
2. Educate and coach those managers on achieving group/organizational goals instead of personal/departmental goals.

Source: Patrick McGurk (Sept 2011) The Contingent Role of Management and Leadership Development for Middle Managers - Cases of Organisational Change from the Public Services

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		Hor Kam Peng Business Consultant, Malaysia
	3 Change Management Starts in the Middle Couldn't agree with you more, Marl! Top Management is expected to lead the change and best implementors are the middle managers as they are closer to the ground level. If they walk the talk and exhibit changed behavior, the rest will follow. Office politics at times can be difficult to handle but if there is a common vision and mission and the teams work towards the organizational goals, the process will foster better communication and relationship. These middle managers will also realize their personal goals along the way.

		Andrew Blaine Business Consultant, South Africa
	3 Middle-out Change Management I agree entirely with your hypothesis and suggest it could be accurately named "Middle Spread Management"?!

		Sonny Vicente, Philippines
	2 Change-readiness, a Crucial Factor I agree that organizational change would have to be two pronged. Support from the top and buy-in from the implementing layer of management should be present to effect an effective and sustainable change. The challenge I believe would be the change-readiness of both top and middle management. Changes in capacity and competency can follow if not already in place when people are enrolled that a change should happen to effect a sustainable growth of the organization.

		Kathy Hevey Management Consultant, United States
	1 Mid-Managers Make it Happen or Not I agree. Middle Managers can make or break a change initiative. They need to understand the reasons for it and consequences of not changing as well as those who have defined the change. The Mid-Managers are the ones who have to translate it to the rest of the organization.

		sekgalabye Student (MBA), South Africa
	3 Role of Middle Managers in Organizational Change A locomotive is never directed by the middle coaches. The middle coaches are controlled by the engine and they control the last coaches. The same goes for change management. The middle management can assist in both top-down and bottom-up approaches. - In a top down approach they may be able to convince workers (rank and file) to look at external factors that necessitate planned, emergent or continuous change. - In a bottom up approach the middle layer may be able to sell the change request to the top. I therefore agree with the assertion that middle management can be useful implementers of change, however the same goes for derailing the change as the middle coaches have a way of derailing the engine of the locomotive and the last coaches.

		Barney Wade Howard Manager, United States
	3 Interpreters in General Good article. I see middle managers sometimes as "interpreters" of the laws. In my organization, new policies are brought before middle management where they will be highly scrutinized or lauded by all those that are in the trenches. Where it is true that policies have to reflect the dynamics of a growing business, some simply do not need to exist. When they do make through the gauntlet, it is often the middle management that has to figure out how to implement and interpret their meaning to their direct reports. Middle management is also the buffer between top and bottom often absorbing the disdain for such implementations. However the middle manager is usually happy with what they do and appreciate the station they hold reacting with quiet zeal all the time realizing they can move up but not necessarily wanting to.

		Gary Stead Director, United Kingdom
	0 The 'Squeezed Middle' OK - this title may best be recognized in UK! Acting as a global change agent (sounds great) I propose to add to this great debate:- Yes, middle is where the action is - and yes - you likely need middle management to buy into and deliver organization change. People do mostly react best when pulled and not pushed. Recognize the visionary for this change is unlikely to come from senior leadership. He or she will come from somewhere within or without the organization. So as a leader - you need to identify the source and agents of change - and nurture them. Do not forget - you are responsible for making change happen - so be the sustaining sponsor of the change itself, message the benefits - and ensure you enlist your middle early. You may - or may not - discover middle managers are your best change agents - and your next leaders!

		Rebecca Roe United States
	2 Stuck in the Middle It all depends on what you are changing. Only those working in a culture can relate to taking a concept and adapt/model it for culture change. Unless there's an emergent ultimate risk to the client or organization, then a top down approach would be mandated and dispersed on a unit level by middle management. For improvement and efficiency changes, bottom up works well. Reason being it comes from workers working in a unique culture.

		Sithembiso Mkhwanazi Project Manager, South Africa
	0 Selecting the Right Change Management Approach I support Gary & Rebecca. Surely a change in any organisation starts with a concept, and is carefully studied before implementation. Starting with middle management, who may not always deliver object (...)

		Sudarshan Ramaiah, India
	4 Middle Management: One Key Role to Achieve Organizational Change As per my opinion, organizational change is very much needed to survive in today's competitive world. Middle management has a key role to play in effective implementation of change. But also the emplo (...)