A Conceptual Framework of Middle Managers' Strategic Role Flexibility

Strategy research has witnessed the progress from the strategic planning model to the realized model combining deliberate and emergent elements. Middle managers thus contribute to this process by flexibly enacting a set of... [ view full abstract ]

Strategy research has witnessed the progress from the strategic planning model to the realized model combining deliberate and emergent elements. Middle managers thus contribute to this process by flexibly enacting a set of strategic roles. This paper advances our understanding of the broad middle management perspective, which is dedicated to the assessment of middle managers’ strategic behavior in three ways. Firstly, we develop a more holistic conception of the key manifestations of middle managers’ strategic role flexibility. By recognizing that middle managers vary in the types of roles they perform, the direction of their influence, and temporal agility, we pave the way for more nuanced and precise measures and empirical studies of middle manager role flexibility. Secondly, based on insights from the literature on strategic flexibility (Shimizu and Hitt, 2004), we cast new light on the underlying cognitive, motivational, and behavioral  mechanisms that govern middle managers flexible role behavior. Finally, we direct attention towards middle managers’ stock of human and social capital as the source of flexible behaviors and supplement with five propositions as examples.