ABSTRACT

Often, the space for agency and leadership for middle managers is understood to depend on their capacity to escape standardized controlling systems. In this paper, we challenge this view, and instead explore the possibility for middle managers to engage with and make systems enabling rather than constraining, thereby supporting locally relevant change initiatives. We specifically explore how managers engage with employee surveys, as organization wide standardized systems, and work to make these enabling. Based on interviews with 48 managers and observations of 10 meetings in 5 different organizations, we identify three main strategies: reinterpretation, prioritization, and embedding. Drawing on complexity leadership theory, we argue that through these strategies, the managers succeed in creating a temporary adaptive space, thereby facilitating development and innovation. Our findings contribute to the literature on middle managers by developing a detailed understanding of the possibility for enabling leadership in this position.

MAD statement

Standardized measurement and control systems are often expected to drive change and development, but risk constraining rather than enabling middle managerial leadership. Our study of how managers engage with an organization wide standardized employee survey reveals that through their work, the system can be ‘tamed’ and made to facilitate rather than hinder development. The study suggests that to make the survey useful for change and development, aligned with organizational goals but at the same time adapted to local needs, the managers’ extensive effort is a critical factor.

摘要

通常，中层管理人员的代理和领导空间被理解为取决于他们摆脱标准化控制系统的能力。在本文中，我们挑战了这一观点，而是探索了中层管理人员参与并使系统启用而不是约束的可能性，从而支持当地相关的变革举措。我们专门探索经理如何参与员工调查，作为组织范围内的标准化系统，并努力使这些成为可能。根据对 48 位经理的采访以及对 5 个不同组织的 10 次会议的观察，我们确定了三种主要策略：重新解释、优先排序和嵌入。借鉴复杂性领导理论，我们认为，通过这些策略，管理者成功地创造了一个临时的适应空间，从而促进发展和创新。我们的研究结果通过详细了解在该职位上实现领导力的可能性，为有关中层管理人员的文献做出了贡献。

疯狂声明

标准化的测量和控制系统通常被期望推动变革和发展，但会限制中层管理人员的领导而不是支持。我们对管理人员如何参与组织范围内的标准化员工调查的研究表明，通过他们的工作，系统可以被“驯服”并促进而不是阻碍发展。研究表明，为了使调查对变革和发展有用，与组织目标保持一致，但同时适应当地需求，管理人员的广泛努力是一个关键因素。