Strategy-as-practice research on middle managers’ strategy work

Abstract

Advancing research on middle managers, strategy and strategic change is particularly important given the fast-changing strategic contexts in which many organizations operate. Unlike top managers, who are recognised as having formal strategic roles, middle managers’ strategizing actions are often informal, occurring across many different organizational subunits throughout the strategy process (Balogun and Johnson 2004). Given that they cannot rely exclusively on formal authority, middle managers need to draw on a diverse set of resources and skills to influence the development of the firm's competitive advantage (Lechner, Frankenberger and Floyd 2010; Huy 2011; Rouleau and Balogun 2011). This raises an interesting question: what do middle managers do in their strategy work and how do they do it? This question speaks directly to the research agenda of the strategy-as-practice perspective (Jarzabkowksi, Balogun and Seidl 2007; Vaara and Whittington 2012). By looking at middle managers’ strategy work (Whittington 2006) – or, put differently, at their ‘practices’ or their ‘situated’ formal and informal strategic activities – strategy-as-practice researchers studying middle managers are opening the black box of their strategic roles (Mantere 2008). They are consequently providing a better understanding of what kinds of resources and skills it takes to enact these roles. Since the papers written by Balogun and Johnson (2004; 2005) on middle managers and strategic change, strategy-as-practice research on middle managers has burgeoned (see, for example, Besson and Mahieu 2011; Thomas, Sargent and Hardy 2011; Beck and Plowman 2009; Nielsen 2009; Hoon 2007). This chapter reviews this growing body of research and suggests directions for its future development. The review shows existing research to provide important insights into the multiple ways middle managers draw on their skills in doing their strategy work. This chapter argues that there remain five main challenges that should be addressed in order to develop the full potential of SAP research on middle managers. First, there is a need for more theoretical depth in drawing on social practice theories for studying middle managers’ strategy work. Second, the methodologies used might be more innovative. Third, the lack of coherence and consistency in describing middle manager practices impedes the development of cumulative middle manager strategy-as-practice research. Fourth, research has failed to examine how middle manager practices are embodied and materially mediated. Fifth, middle manager SAP researchers have not put sufficient emphasis on developing critical reflection and discussing the practical relevance of their findings.