Schirmer Middle Managers - Masters of Change Politics

Towards a different view of middle managers and their roles in strategic decentralisation processes-(7350 words) Summary Middle managers have often been blamed for being inflexible status quo defenders in organisational change processes. However, research results reported in this paper, drawn from in-depth case studies of company restructuring in Germany during the nineties, suggests that middle managers are crucial drivers of change, too. By mobilising change coalitions, they make essential contributions to change success. To mobilise these coalitions, they act as network builder, manager of meaning, communicator, initiator of trust and negotiator. Thus, middle managers have been a valuable resource for managing politics in strategic decentralisation processes. Ironically, as a consequence of downsizing and cuts in numbers of middle managers, the flat and ever changing organisation may be even more dependent on middle managers than bureaucratic organisations have ever been before.