The general purpose of this study was to explore the perception of discrimination under the middle managers in a selected South African mining company, as well as the associated impacts thereof on the individual and organisation. Although discrimination is a global phenomenon with a vast amount of scientific studies conducted on this topic, literature remains rather silent on the prevalence of discrimination among middle managers; especially within the South African mining industry. Organisational discrimination is defined as actions within an organisation which are biased towards certain individuals or groups. Literature suggests that discrimination is still very prevalent within organisations, both locally and internationally. It is typically influenced by aspects such as culture, and human resources practices and systems. The impacts are widespread with specific impacts on the individual’s mental or physical health, as well as productivity. South Africa however implemented a plethora of legislative measures to redress past inequalities and eliminate discrimination in its current form. This study followed a qualitative approach by means of a survey conducted through an open-ended questionnaire. The results indicated a high personal experience of discrimination within the specific mining company amongst the middle management team members. Their perception of discrimination towards their colleagues was also measured as above average. This exposure to discrimination impacted on their productivity and to a lesser extent on their personal well-being. Their perception of the potential impacts of this discrimination was reportedly higher than their actual experience thereof. The main discriminatory actions associated with this perception was centred on the notion, namely that middle managers were not recognised nor rewarded within this company. General benefits were withheld and expected promotions denied. The study’s results also confirm the perception that discrimination towards the middle management team will ultimately impact on the company’s overall performance. The study suggests that this high level, as well as the specific types of discrimination within this mining company, is related to a company specific culture. It further suggests that it is also exacerbated by the current socio-political reforms within the South African mining industry. The study concludes by suggesting that the perception of discrimination within a company is as harmful as the event itself, and should therefore form an integral part of any internal programme aimed at addressing this issue. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This thesis focuses on the role of middle managers in the transfer of a humanistic approach to management, care and services in a physical rehabilitation center.This thesis should interest decision makers and researchers who are paying attention to humanistic approaches to management, care and services. The design of this multi-case qualitative, exploratory and constructivist research includes six cases, representing the six middle managers of the studied organization. The multi-case study allows us to contrast cases of successful middle managers from the ones who were not really able to transfer the humanistic approach in their program. Data production and analysis are done with methods used in grounded theory. Here are the main findings generated by this thesis. Firstly, our analysis reveals that, in spite of top management efforts to disseminate a humanistic approach to management, care and services throughout the organizations the transfer process sometimes clashes against the absorptive capacity of the middle manager within the program. When the middle manager has the capacity to absorb the humanistic approach, often because it is compatible with his profound convictions, this capacity is first expressed through his behavioral exemplarity. In the eyes of his employees, the middle manager primarily represents an embodied example of the humanistic approach through his behavior. Therefore, the behavioral exemplarity of the middle manager came out as a sine qua non condition through which is possible the co-construction of new humanistic care and services practices to be offered to clients of the program. Secondly, our analysis sheds light on the importance, at the beginning of the transfer process, to explain to employees the necessity to adopt a humanistic approach to management, care and services and to recognize existing humanistic practices in the organization. Thirdly, the results bring to the forefront the importance of macro and micro contexts as determinant variables in the transfer of a humanistic approach to management, care and services. Lastly, an intervention model illustrating the key role of middle managers in the transfer of a humanistic approach to management, care and services emerges from the results. The model also includes contextual elements which facilitate the transfer. On a more practical note, the model can guide organizations in the dissemination process of such an approach by providing a rich description of the stages of the dissemination process, the actors involved, the dissemination strategies and the goals of these strategies.

Aim: This thesis aimed to explore community nursing middle manager role enactment in managing change within Community Health Partnerships (CHPs) in three regions of Scotland from 2008-2011. Background: CHPs were established to play a key role in shifting care from the acute to the community setting. Within this context the community nursing workforce has been adapting roles in response to Scottish Government (SG) directives. However literature review demonstrated there has been very little research into the role of Community Nurse Middle Managers (CNMMs) in the midst of this change. This investigation sought to address this deficit in the literature. Design and Methodology: The study was conducted in four distinct phases comprising of the reflexive, foundational, recursive and expansive. A total of 42 semi-structured interviews were conducted over the period of investigation. The investigation was qualitative and phenomenological in character. A hermeneutic approach was adopted, broadly based on Heideggerian philosophy. More specifically this study drew on the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach of Jonathan Smith (1996). Main findings: In general CNMMs perceived that their jobs had become more complex, with the pace and intensity of work having increased. They held a wide range of responsibilities managing the challenges of driving change within a hierarchy and professional bureaucracy. Opportunities for education and learning were felt to have reduced. A small but significant proportion had left and some were considering leaving the NHS service. A primary motivation for CNMMs was maintaining an implicit connection with service users. They were proud to be members of the nursing profession and aligned their identity with their career history. This was perceived to influence their management and leadership style. In overcoming some of the personal challenges they faced they identified protective factors or “assets” to counteract stress. The application of a salutogenic perspective emerged as important in supporting this. Conclusion: The study has addressed a knowledge gap in literature. It contributes to understandings of NHS community nursing, middle management, role, change and Community Health Partnership literature. In particular it gives a voice to the perspectives of community nursing middle managers in Scotland. It suggests that much more attention needs to be paid to the needs, constitution and sustenance of middle managers in Scottish community nursing and that this has policy, practice, education and research implications.

Thesis (MBA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / The global business environment has evolved since 1990. This change has brought companies new realities in the form of new business opportunities for growth and, at the same time has exposed them to new competitors. This has caused companies to invest many resources in devising new effective strategies to take advantage of the new opportunities, whilst protecting their market positions, which are crucial to their continued economic existence. Effective implementation of strategy has become the goal of many organisations. However, in translating their grand plans into action, unacceptably high rates of failure have been reported among many companies. In most organisations, this responsibility has been left to lower levels of management. The purpose of this research was to establish what factors affected the implementation of strategy and more specifically, what role lower levels of management play in the implementation process. A qualitative study was undertaken where in-depth interviews were held with a senior executive and middle managers of a global company. Eight propositions were posited after a detailed review of literature on strategy implementation and middle managers. These were tested in relation to the results of the research and conclusions were then drawn. The data was analysed using content analysis and frequency tables. The research findings showed that middle managers play a critical role in facilitating the effective implementation of strategy. It also showed that the execution process is fraught with numerous challenges, some of which are lack of sufficient budgets, high staff turnover affecting continuity and the destructive nature of internal competition.

Syftet med denna undersökning har varit att kartlägga vad som driver människor att söka sig till eller anta mellanchefspositioner. En kvalitativ intervjustudie har genomförts utifrån en induktiv ansats då intresseområdet tidigare har varit obeforskat och ambitionen har varit att undersöka det unika inom detta. Tio intervjuer har utförts i vilka samtliga respondenter, vid undersökningstillfället, har befunnit sig på mellanchefspositioner inom antingen privat- eller offentlig sektor. Data har transkriberats och senare analyserats utifrån en induktiv tematisk analys vilken har resulterat i fyra övergripande teman för vad som driver människor att söka sig till eller anta mellanchefspositioner. Dessa teman benämns som: Utvecklingen – en strävan efter utveckling på det personliga planet, Makten – att ha makt och därigenom kunna påverka såväl organisationen som sin egen arbetssituation, Att klättra i karriären – mellanchefspositionen som en fas i karriären på väg uppåt i karriärvärlden, Bekräftelsen – en önskan om att bli omtyckt, att få bekräftelse från folk i sin omgivning för att man har lyckats åstadkomma något. Resultatet har jämförts mot befintliga psykologiska teorier och slutsats har dragits i form av att ovanstående teman beskriver vad som driver människor att söka sig till eller anta mellanchefspositioner. Avslutningsvis har förslag till vidare forskning presenterats för att exemplifiera hur man vidare kan kartlägga det som här har undersökts. / The purpose of this research has been to map out what drives people to strive towards or accept middle management positions. A qualitative interview study has been conducted with an inductive approach since the area of interest until now had not been researched and that the ambition has been to examine the unique within this. Ten interviews were carried out in which all of the respondents, at the time of the study, were working as middle position managers within either the private or public sector. The data has been transcribed and then analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis which resulted in four overall themes answering what drives people to strive towards or accept middle management positions. These themes are denominated as following: The Development – a strive towards a development on a personal level, The Power – to have power and through it the possibility to influence as well the organization as the own work situation, Career advancement – the mid-level management position is seen as but a step in the career advancement, The Confirmation – a wish to be liked, to be confirmed by those in your surroundings for having accomplished something. The results have been compared with existing psychological theories and a conclusion has been made that the above themes describe what drives people to strive towards or accept middle management positions. To conclude, suggestions about future research have been presented to exemplify how to further map out what has been researched here.

<p>Most organizations of today are more or less influenced by the globalization. This phenomenon has led to that changes belong to the everyday concern of companies in order to be ahead of the competition. Simultaneously, when it comes to discussions about change failures and successes, it mainly is the top management standing in the spotlight. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to take a glance backstage of organizational changes while focusing on middle management. The purpose of this research is to examine how the middle manager can become a change agent and what contributions this new role can bring to the company. A glimpse on the historical evolution of the middle manager´s role and status helps to identify the underlying causes for the existing stereotype of this management group as well as the reasons for why middle management seems to belong to the ‘forgotten breed’ in organizations. Furthermore, the concept of changes and change management is outlined in order to clarify why changes fail and how those failures can be prevented with the help of a change agent. Based on this theoretical framework, the potential of middle managers acting as change agents is discussed. Additionally, due to the fact that the middle manager’s role as a change agent is not fully recognized yet, an own developed concept is outlined. This model is created as a result of empirical research in terms of interviews with consultants as well as extensive literature studies within this research area. The concept demonstrates how a middle manager can become a change agent and which contributions this new role can bring to the organization. Overall, it can be concluded from the research that it is time for organizations to recognize the potential of middle managers; they are the ones who can make changes happen.</p>

<p>The existing literature dealing with corporate growth in relation to lower level management is limited; instead the main focus in the past has been put on the top management perspec-tive. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to investigate and describe middle management in four growth companies. Middle management can be defined in many different ways, and the definition that has been applied in this thesis is; middle managers are working below the CEO and have a managing and/or leading position including responsibility for lower level managers and/or employees.</p><p>From the theoretical section we have created a model that connects the theories about cor-porate growth and middle management. Corporate growth includes growth strategies and growth influencers, whereas middle management discuss the managerial roles, leadership in connection to growth and modern leadership in connection to organizational structure, as well as communication, motivation, and organizational change.</p><p>Regarding the method used to fulfil the purpose of our thesis, we decided to conduct a qualitative study with face-to-face semi-structured interviews with ten middle managers at four companies. Our scientific approach is thus interpretive and our research approach is abductive. The selected companies have experienced an increase in the number of employees and turnover per year during five to ten years.</p><p>Finally, our findings resulted in a thorough description of the perceived growth strategies used at the respective companies resulting from the perceptions of the middle managers. In addition, we confirmed that most challenges in relation to growth that middle managers encountered are related to restructurings, changes in culture, uncertainty among employees, pressure to achieve profitable growth, as well as how to attract competent and highly edu-cated employees.</p><p>Moreover, in regards to the leadership styles practiced among middle managers, the mod-ern features seemed to dominate at all the investigated companies, and these could in some cases also be connected to a loose, idea based organization. Lastly, we believe that the mid-dle managers in our study have the possibility to influence growth either directly or indi-rectly depending on their positions. Directly through participating in the executive group for example, and indirectly though motivating and engaging the lower level managers to be innovative and reach the set out growth goals of the organization.</p>

Higher Education Institutions are worth £45 billion to the UK economy, according to a report published in 2006 by Universities UK (UUK), the representative organization of the United Kingdom’s universities. The higher education sector has undergone considerable change with the introduction of the marketplace, tuition fees and business management structures and methods. Managing change as a middle manager is acknowledged to be important activity (see for example, Beer, Eisenstat and Spector, 1990) and yet there is a limited amount of empirically research that has been conducted to discover how change is managed in the higher education sector in England by these staff. This study explores the perceptions of higher education managers about their role in managing change in the higher education sector. It is an exploratory study based on thirty-one interviews with managers in nine universities from across the higher education sector in England. The universities were chosen to ensure there was a representative sample from the main groups within the sector and a geographical spread across the country’s regions. The literature review found a wide range of contrasting viewpoints that provided a myriad of support and confusing messages. There was a lack of information about how higher education managers manage and, in particular, how they manage change. Managers, and those who seek to help them, face challenges in seeking and providing guidance and improving practice. The middle manager has to manage change and use a variety of means to achieve it. They are caught in the middle between senior managers and staff and other stakeholders. They have primarily learned from experience but need support and guidance when they come across change projects of which they have no knowledge. This can be provided by access to case based practice and a network of experienced experts. This research recommends the creation of such support using new media available via the internet provided through professional associations such as the Association of University Administrators (AUA).

The field of critical theory within organizational theory discusses different specific situations in a middle manager´s work life. The focus often lies within the private sector and a gap can be found in research in the public sector. Universities are among the most complex environments in the public sector, and the middle manager position, the prefect, becomes even more complex than in other organizations. The purpose of this paper is to look at the dilemmas and paradoxes that middle managers in higher education, handle as prefects. We aim to uncover the conflict between interests, values and ideas that creates organizational hypocrisy. The research has an emancipatory philosophy with an inductive approach, which has led to ten interviews with prefects in the south of Sweden. The findings indicate that there are dilemmas in working as a collegial leader and that a paradoxical situation arises between what people see as valuable attributes in a prefect and what they want and need. There is also a paradoxical relationship between the feelings about a decoupled organization depending on who in the hierarchy is exploiting it. There are also findings that support the fact that the extensive amount of administrative duties for prefects generates hypocrisy. The research also found dilemmas concerning individualistic employees. Since the combination of organizational hypocrisy, paradoxes, dilemmas and prefects has not been researched before, this can be an interesting insight in how these may coexist.

Många människor delar uppfattningen om att mellanchefsrollen kan vara problematisk då den är positionerad i organisationens mitt, klämd mellan ledningen och medarbetarna. Att ansvar och befogenheter bör befinna sig i jämvikt och inkluderas i chefsroller är även något som de flesta håller med om, men som vår studie förtydligar så är det dessvärre inte alltid fallet i verkligheten. Studien har även visat att det finns en stark koppling mellan synen på vår omvärld och dess karakteristiska drag, organisationsstrukturer och former, mellanchefsrollen och befogenheter för beslutsfattande. / Many people share the opinion that the role of middle management can be problematic due to that it is positioned in the middle of organizations, squeezed between the top management and the operative core. An equilibrium between responsibility and authority and that it should both be included in a management position is also something that most people find as logical, but our study clarifies that it is not always the case in reality. Our study has also shown that there is a strong connection between the perception of our environment and its characteristics, organizational structures and shapes, the middle management and decision-making authority.