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Change from below: the role of middle managers in mediating paradoxical change
Author(s) -
Conway Edel,
Monks Kathy
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
human resource management journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.44
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1748-8583
pISSN - 0954-5395
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-8583.2010.00135.x
Subject(s) - workload , middle management , ambivalence , irish , organisational change , business , public relations , psychology , social psychology , marketing , political science , management , economics , linguistics , philosophy
This article examines the role of middle managers in creating change in the Irish health service from interviews conducted with middle and senior level managers. The research examines the interface between top‐down and bottom‐up approaches to change and contributes to showing how ambivalence towards change by middle managers can at the same time contribute to the dismantling of structures and systems that are a necessary precondition for successful change to take place. However, the additional workload and tensions created by dealing with the interface between top‐down and bottom‐up changes may result in considerable additional workload and stress for the managers themselves.