Identifying the competencies of middle managers leading successful strategy implementation

• Main Author: MOMIN, Zafar Abdulmajid
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2018
• Subjects: strategy implementation; strategy execution; competencies; executors of strategy; strategy-as-practice; Business Administration, Management, and Operations; Strategic Management Policy
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/etd_coll/147; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1145&context=etd_coll
• Institution: Singapore Management University

How does one successfully implement strategy? Persistent and alarmingly high failure rates of strategy implementation still prevail due to the myriad variables and complexities associated with execution, the brunt of which typically falls to middle management. Unfortunately, most organizations do not exercise sufficient rigor in the process and criteria to select the right middle managers for executing strategy, despite middle managers having a substantial impact on outcomes. Business leaders lack the necessary tools and frameworks for competency assessment to support their decision-making. This research seeks to provide evidence that selection of the right middle managers is more likely to lead to successful strategy execution outcomes and identify the competencies of middle managers that are more likely to be effective in leading strategy implementation. The research would thereby help organizations improve their success rates in implementing strategy, while building upon previous research to deepen our understanding of the role and influence of middle managers implementing strategy. The dissertation examines the hypothesis that there are five competencies of middle managers that are more likely to lead to successful strategy implementation. These competencies synthesize the complex context of strategy implementation and relate to the abilities of middle managers in the areas of: 1) strategic & systems thinking, 2) action orientation, 3) networking, 4) learning and adaptability, and 5) leading and developing subordinates. The hypotheses were tested by gathering insights from multiple sources: extant research from prior strategy implementation and middle manager studies, primary interviews with C-level senior executives with diverse and rich relevant experiences, and a comprehensive survey of local and regional middle managers. Our results suggest there is a correlation between key demographic variables and how these competencies are perceived by middle managers. Moreover, segmentation of our data provides additional insights to the results by identifying different profiles of middle managers in our sample population and illustrating how the varying personas may have contributed to the overall results. Our results suggest that the majority of middle managers may not be well-equipped for executing strategy, although they may have other qualifications, accomplishments, functional or technical abilities. Without knowing the required competencies, or those of the incumbent management pool, business leaders have a higher likelihood of ending up with mismatched middle managers for leading strategy execution. This study provides several pragmatic considerations for business leaders to mitigate the risk of misselection and improve the probability of achieving successful strategy execution outcomes.