File(s) not publicly available
Managing change or changing managers? The role of line managers in public service reform
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 16:54 authored by Mark Gatenby, Chris Rees, Catherine Truss, Kerstin Alfes, Emma SoaneDrawing upon interview data from three case study organizations, we examine the role of middle managers in UK public service reform. Using theory fragments from organizational ecology and role theory, we develop three role archetypes that middle managers might be enacting. We find that rather than wholesale enactment of a ‘change agent’ role, middle managers are balancing three predominant, but often conflicting, change-related roles: as ‘government agent’, ‘diplomat administrator’ and, less convincingly, ‘entrepreneurial leader’. Central government targets are becoming the main preoccupation for middle managers across many public services and they represent a dominant constraint on allowing ‘managers to manage’.
History
Publication status
- Published
Journal
Public Management ReviewISSN
1471-9037Publisher
Taylor & FrancisExternal DOI
Issue
8Volume
17Page range
1124-1145Department affiliated with
- Business and Management Publications
Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2014-03-27Usage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC