Making strategy work: The role of the middle manager

Rensburg, Mari Jansen van; Davis, Annemarie; Venter, Peet

doi:10.1017/jmo.2014.33

Cited by 33 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 60 publications

(93 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Therefore, these authors focus either on the problems that arise or on specific catalysts that can be discerned during strategy implementation (e.g. Butler, 2003;Carlon et al, 2012;Floyd & Wooldridge, 1992;Håkonsson et al, 2012;Van Rensburg et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The literature on strategy implementation is rich and eclectic (e.g. Butler, 2003;Carlon, Downs, Langstrand, & Elg, 2012;Floyd & Wooldridge, 1992;Håkonsson, Burton, Obel, & Lauridsen, 2012;Noble, 1999;Van Rensburg, Davis, & Venter, 2014). However, in this paper we claim that a common assumption can be found behind most studies: strategy is understood as something that is to be inserted, infused or incorporated into an existing organization.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…Other examples are critical implementation factors for Customer Relation Management strategy (Payne & Frow, 2006), Total Quality Management (Taylor & Wright, 2003) or, more specifically, the importance of management competencies for successful implementation (Beer, 2003). Others have studied the crucial role of middlemanagers for making strategy work (Huy, 2011;Van Rensburg et al, 2014) or the necessity for strategic management to actively ensure the commitment of middle-managers (Birken et al, 2014).…”

Section: Research On Strategy Implementation As the Search For Relevamentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Strategy Implementation as Performative Practice: Reshaping Organization into Alignment with Strategy

Merkus

Willems

Veenswijk

2019

Organization Management Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Much of the existing scholarly work on strategy implementation focuses on factors that either catalyze or obstruct the infusion of strategy into the organization. While this renders valuable knowledge about factors enabling or frustrating implementation, the actual process of strategy implementation is treated as a black box and as a step in the strategy model which is not further explained. To understand this process, this conceptual paper draws from performativity literature in which a strategy is conceptualized as a performative device. This means that a strategy triggers practices which reshape the organization so that the strategy is actualized in the organization. Specifically, we explain the idea of routinization as an instrument for enacting strategy into the organization by means of organizational routines. An illustrative empirical vignette is used to exemplify our conceptual point. Our study contributes to strategy implementation literature by introducing an alternative though complementary lens for studying strategy implementation and offers inspiration for strategy practitioners who aim to develop new implementation strategies.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Research On Strategy Implementation As the Search For Relevamentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Strategy Implementation as Performative Practice: Reshaping Organization into Alignment with Strategy

Merkus

Willems

Veenswijk

2019

Organization Management Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As such, competitive intelligence offers a way for all managers to be included in strategy, which is not always the case (Balogun & Johnson 2004;Davis, Jansen van Rensburg & Venter 2014aWhittington 2006). Traditional strategy research focused on the role of top managers and in particular the CEO in making strategic decisions (Ansoff 1965).…”

Section: Process Of Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

The practice turn within strategy: Competitive intelligence as integrating practice

Maritz

Toit

2018

SAJEMS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background and aim: This article investigated the positioning of competitive intelligence within the field of strategy. Methods: Publications on strategy and competitive intelligence were reviewed through thematic content analysis based on an extended literature review to determine their respective contents and how strategy as practice related to the crystallised competitive intelligence themes. Results: The research demonstrated that strategy and competitive intelligence are inextricably interwoven. Competitive intelligence was shown to be not merely an activity or sequence of activities within the broader strategic management process, but a significant strategic practice. Conclusion: We argued, based on a comprehensive literature review, that competitive intelligence is an integral practice within strategy that should be explored further for its contribution to emergent and deliberate strategies and the linkage between intra-organisational and extra-organisational activities. We proposed a framework to position competitive intelligence within strategy as practice and in relation to the process view of strategy. The conceptualised framework contributes to the corpus of strategy research as it formalised competitive intelligence as a critical part in the thinking about and the practice of strategy. It moved competitive intelligence from a position on the periphery of strategic management literature, where it was regarded as a mere activity, to an integral practice of strategy to be recognised by strategy scholars and worthy of further research.

show abstract

“…Middle managers play an important and strategic role in thinking and implementing organizational strategy (Floyd & Woolridge, 1992;Hutzschenreuter & Kleindienst, 2006;Rensburg, Davis, & Venter, 2014). Birken, Lee, & Weiner (2012) mentioned that in their role to close the structural gap in health organizations, middle managers can bridge the limitations of information that employees need to be able to implement health innovations by doing: diffusing information, synthesizing information, mediate between strategy and day-to-day activities and sell implementation.…”

Section: Proposition 3: Cognitive Complexity Has Positive Influence Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Perceived Managerial Discretion on Strategy Implementation and Its Implication on Organizational Performance: A Conceptual Model

Theodore¹,

Kasali²,

Balqiah³

et al. 2017

Proceedings of the International Conference on Business and Management Research (ICBMR-17)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The rapidly changing and disruptive environment makes the business competition more hypercompetitive. The fundamental challenge that companies often face is not in the strategic planning process, but rather on how to ensure the formulated strategy can be well-implemented. Currently, the literature is still dominated by theories and practical advice on planning and strategy formulation, and there is only limited studies on the role of discretion on strategy implementation. Therefore, this study aimed to find out what is the role of perceived managerial discretion in the process of strategy implementation and its implications on organization performance. By reviewing the literatures, this study examined whether task environment, organizational agility and cognitive complexity influence the managerial discretion, and whether strategy implementation mediates perceived discretion of middle manager and organization performance. This paper presented a proposed research model, four propositions that need to empirically be tested, proposed research method, and a conclusion.

show abstract

Making strategy work: The role of the middle manager

Cited by 33 publications

References 60 publications

Strategy Implementation as Performative Practice: Reshaping Organization into Alignment with Strategy

Strategy Implementation as Performative Practice: Reshaping Organization into Alignment with Strategy

The practice turn within strategy: Competitive intelligence as integrating practice

The Role of Perceived Managerial Discretion on Strategy Implementation and Its Implication on Organizational Performance: A Conceptual Model

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About