Leading from the middle: The application of complexity science to the study of middle managers and administrative change

This study explores two closely related questions how the Personnel Demonstration Project influences employee work performance and what influence do middle managers have on these outcomes. This research sprang from field observations that suggest that despite efforts to standardize implementation of this administrative change initiative that employees report variable outcomes that they perceive to be dependent upon middle managers. This observation raises both practical and theoretical questions that traditional and contemporary management frameworks do not adequately address.; Using a complexity science framework to explore middle managers' actions in mediating the implementation of a corporate administrative change initiative, I hypothesize that middle managers' facilitation of communication, participation in everyday decisions, and relationships with customers will positively mediate the implementation of reward and human resource systems. I test this model by triangulating multiple sources of data and methods of analysis. Using an iterative research design, qualitative analysis of interview data guided the development of my research questions. Under the theoretical assumption that change occurs within nested social units, I use hierarchical linear modeling to quantitatively test my model-relying upon hierarchical linear modeling to test for and explain differences across local work units.; My results indicate that the outcomes of this planned change initiative are variable across work units and are dependent upon the nature of the control system, the social context and the local versus corporate orientation of the work unit. My study also found that middle managers are influential in creating the social context, determining the orientation of the work unit and to a less extent shaping the nature of the formal system. My study offers to contribute to our theoretical understanding of local change within complex organizations and the influence of middle managers on those processes, in addition to practical insights into the design and implementation of administrative reform initiatives. My study also gives greater insight into the complex interaction between deterministic control systems and social control within complex organizations.