Sensing from the Middle: Middle Managers’ Sensemaking of Change Process in Public Organizations
Blakcori, Feim and Psychogios, Alexandros (2021) Sensing from the Middle: Middle Managers’ Sensemaking of Change Process in Public Organizations. International Studies of Management & Organization, 51 (4). pp. 328-353. ISSN 0020-8825
|
Text
Sensing from the Middle - Blakcori & Psychogios.pdf - Accepted Version Download (1MB) |
Abstract
At the core of sense-making is its fundamental function of creating discursive order to equivocal occurrences. Although researchers have emphasized the organizational and managerial factors that trigger sense-making in settings, fewer things are known on how middle managers’ discursive sensemaking is constructed during the process of change in the public sector. In this empirical study, we explore middle managers’ sense-making in public organizations, that constrain the flow of change in reforming public governance. The research draws on qualitative data garnered from 31 interviews with middle managers in three public organizations in two periods of time (2016 and 2017). We illustrate managing divergences and strategizing sensemaking of the change process as intricate and multidimensional means of middle managers’ sense-making framework of ensuring change in the public sector. We argue that middle managers intensify their commitment to learning from change and therefore live the organizational life that sometimes demands commiserating the lack of exerting structural power by highlighting the contextual myopic circumstances of institutional dependence. Theoretical and practical implications are also elaborated.
| Item Type: | Article | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identification Number: | https://doi.org/10.1080/00208825.2021.1969136 | ||||||
| Dates: |
|
||||||
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Change, middle managers, public organizations, sense-making | ||||||
| Subjects: | CAH17 - business and management > CAH17-01 - business and management > CAH17-01-02 - business studies CAH17 - business and management > CAH17-01 - business and management > CAH17-01-04 - management studies CAH17 - business and management > CAH17-01 - business and management > CAH17-01-05 - human resource management |
||||||
| Divisions: | Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences > College of Accountancy, Finance and Economics > Centre for Accountancy Finance and Economics Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences > College of Business, Digital Transformation & Entrepreneurship |
||||||
| Depositing User: | Alexandros Psychogios | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 06 May 2021 14:41 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 20 Jun 2024 12:05 | ||||||
| URI: | https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/11605 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
Tools
Tools