Who is a Middle Manager: A literature Review

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of research is to provide an overview of the researches on the definition of middle management and the roles of middle management in organisations and safety. Design/methodology/approach -Literature review Findings -The literature review revealed that the lack of consistency in a holistic typology of middle management and their roles are evident. All authors agree that this intermediate management group is between top level and lower level management which is very broad definition. In addition, middle management group has been distinguished from other managerial groups by three main criteria namely function, the context of the organisation and the researchers tendency. Two prominent tendencies in researches on middle management were first the strategic roles of middle management and the second either the significant contribution of middle management in the management of change or their dysfunctional roles in changes within organisations. There is a considerable overlap between elements of middle management roles, and the extent of the roles depends on the context of the organisation, time, and attitudes of middle managers. A literature review revealed that middle managers implement 5 prominent roles which are strategic, administrative, leadership, decision-making and communication. Researchers were more focus on two categories which are strategic and communication and cooperation roles. While other roles particularly decision-making role of middle management even overlooked in the management domain.Research limitations/implications -Although authors tried to review literature comprehensively, the research may not involve all articles related to middle management.Originality/value -The paper contributes to the literature by highlighting the middle management identity and their multiple and crucial roles in organisations, as well as management of safety.

Higher education managers’ perspectives on quality management and technology acceptance: A tale of elders, mediators, and working bees in times of Covid-19

“…The specific requirements of each level depend on specific internal or external demands (such as accreditation or QM): transparency, teaching and learning, and reporting to the government ( Chaurasia et al, 2018 ). In fact, while HE managers permanently require data to inform decisions, middle management positions (below dean level) must deal with tactical planning decisions ( Rezvani, 2017 ; Shawyun, 2021 ), and managers like program directors have extensive use due to their concern about students' daily needs ( Opazo et al, 2019 ). Despite differences, an optimal EMIS use implies a collaborative effort that involves the entire organization ( Alexander et al, 2019 ; Shawyun, 2021 ).…”

Artificial Intelligence: Implication on Management

“…For instance, the manager consistently scouts for new markets and products, finding solutions to technical issues and breaks down the goals into simple and achievable units (Jones, 2013). However, in other that the five main function of management which include; planning, organizing, controlling, commanding and coordinating as opined by Fayol, (1949) be effectively performed, firms' position managers across different stratum and saddle them with various degrees of skills, authority and responsibility (Rezvani, 2017). In the first instance, they are ordered by hierarchy and each hierarchy commands certain level of authority.…”

“…They are the managers of mini projects, office managers, supervisors, and departmental managers (Kolbjørnsrud et al, 2015). The make sure that available job is done through their assistants, they manage projects by using people and employees in the company, forecast the future and make resources available for future task, constantly seek for the nest way to organize employees to gain optimum resource usage and influence decisions inside and outside the firm, and vary the objectives of the team to achieve company goals (Rezvani, 2017).…”

“…Frey & Osborne, (2013) defined middle-level managers as workers whose position in organization's hierarchy is the middle and their roles is to get work done through their assistants, manage people and resources, plan for the days ahead, influence company's decision in and outside the firm and periodically adjust the objectives of the team to suit the goal of the company (Rezvani, 2017). According to Kolbjørnsrud, Amico and Thomas (2015) Artificial Intelligence will impact all levels of management, starting from the low to the toplevel management.…”

Untitled

“…Research on middle management highlights two major streams: the strategic contribution of middle managers within organizations and their role in connection with organizational change (Rezvani, 2017). To date, no explicit research on middle management in the field of corporate incubation has been conducted, which indicates a significant gap.…”