Abstract
Research in organizational design identifies middle managers as integral contributors to the successes or failures of organizations. This is because middle managers 1) are often found at the junction of bottom-up and outside-in communication channels, 2) have the potential to develop and maintain many spheres of influence throughout an organization, 3) can be mentors to, and drivers of change for ideas from, junior employees, and 4) often serve as liaisons between upper management and subject matter experts. With these many potential roles and responsibilities, middle managers must find ways to best balance all requirements, often resulting in insurmountable challenges. The current literature offers insights on how to handle individual challenges but does not provide effective ways for middle-managers to handle all challenges in a systemic way. Thus, a holistic perspective that includes middle managers, and their interactions with the organization and its culture can increase understanding of their pressures and roles and further how to successfully design a management system. This research seeks to yield insight into the nature and categories that contribute to this knowledge gap through the development of a conceptual model that 1) recognizes an organization as a Purposeful Human Activity System and 2) identifies common behavior patterns within and throughout managerial levels. It is posited that this research will provide foundations for future work regarding the measurement and dissemination of culture throughout the organization, which has the potential to assist Engineering Managers in understanding the complex interactions of the organizations that they manage.