How can middle managers impact the development of a positive organizational culture?
In the context of organizational culture, whether building a culture or enacting cultural change, the role of a middle manager is pivotal. As a bridge between entry-level supervisors and higher-ups, we face unique challenges in building and maintaining a positive organizational culture.
As a middle manager myself, I understand the significance of building a positive culture, while I’m also painfully aware of the challenges we face. It’s important for middle managers to not get discouraged by the many challenges, but instead focus on the unique opportunities we have to help drive that change.
The importance of a positive organizational culture
A positive organizational culture acts as the backbone of a healthy and productive workplace. It influences employee satisfaction, engagement, and performance.
According to research by Deloitte,
“88% of employees believe a distinct workplace culture is important to business success.”
When employees feel valued, supported, and connected to the organization’s purpose, they are more motivated to give their best. A positive culture fosters collaboration, innovation, and adaptability, creating a work environment where individuals thrive and contribute to the organization’s success.
Unique challenges faced by middle managers
Middle managers occupy a critical position within the organizational hierarchy, which brings both opportunities and challenges. Unlike entry-level supervisors, middle managers are responsible for translating the organization’s strategic goals into actionable plans and ensuring their teams are aligned with the broader vision. At the same time, we are accountable to higher-ups and must balance directives with the needs and aspirations of our team members. This dual role presents middle managers with several challenges:
- Straddling the middle ground: Middle managers often find themselves sandwiched between the expectations of upper management and the day-to-day realities faced by their team members. We must navigate this middle ground, balancing the need to implement organizational directives while addressing the concerns and aspirations of their team. This balancing act requires tact, diplomacy, and effective communication skills.
- Limited authority: Middle managers often face constraints in decision-making and resource allocation. We have limited authority compared to higher-ups and must work within the boundaries set by senior management. This limitation can make it challenging to implement changes or initiatives that align with building a positive culture. Middle managers must find creative ways to influence and persuade without direct authority.
- Managing up and down: Middle managers serve as the link between upper management and frontline employees. We are responsible for communicating and cascading organizational goals and strategies to their team while also conveying the concerns and feedback from their team members to higher-ups. This dual responsibility requires exceptional communication skills, as middle managers must navigate and bridge any gaps between different levels of the organization.
I often find myself lamenting these challenges in my day-to-day and it’s easy to let it spiral, lamenting the lack of — or inadequate focus on — company culture. But, you do have the capacity to influence your company’s culture.
Yes, of course it’s true you can’t influence as broadly or as quickly as a C-level executive at your company, but it’s 100% in your power to ensure your own team feels valued, supported, and drives in one direction to a specific goal.
Ways middle managers can approach building a positive organizational culture
Middle managers need to approach building a positive organizational culture in a way that acknowledges their role and aligns with their capabilities.
Don’t get bogged down with all the potential pitfalls, instead focus on what you can do — because you are still a leader (even if sometimes it doesn’t feel like it) and people look to you!
Cultivate influence and collaboration
Middle managers may not have direct authority, but we can cultivate influence through collaboration and relationship-building. By establishing trust and rapport with higher-ups and peers, middle managers can effectively advocate for the team’s needs and contribute to shaping the organization’s culture.
How to cultivate that influence? The easiest tangible way is to seek opportunities to collaborate with colleagues in cross-functional projects or initiatives. That can help to foster a culture of teamwork and mutual support.
For me, I’m not the most persuasive person — nor the loudest person — in the room, so having a “network of allies” was always difficult for me to acquire in any company. Instead, I tend to focus on a couple key individuals in the organization who I believe have that network themselves, and this is done by partnering with them on certain projects. So I have that influence, but not directly. It’s not the best approach, because when people leave, or move positions in the company, I can lose that influence. But, it’s the approach that’s given me the most success so far.
A great book I’ve read on the topic of influence — as influence can help you with so many other things apart from developing a positive culture — is “Influence: The psychology of persuasion” by Robert Cialdini. I’ll warn you now that it’s long — but as influence is such a key middle management topic in general, I know you’ll find it worthwhile and with practical ideas you could implement.
Role model behaviors
After influence, I consider role modeling behaviors the second-best way to influence organizational change. As a middle manager, your actions and behaviors have a significant impact on your team.
Lead by example and embody the values and behaviors you want to see in others. Model integrity, respect, and collaboration. Demonstrate the cultural values that you want to spread within the team and wider organization. Your behavior will showcase the benefit of the values you are trying to espouse.
Recognize and appreciate your team’s efforts and accomplishments. Praise team members when you see them behaving in a way that’s consistent with the culture you want to drive. By consistently demonstrating and recognizing positive behaviors, you inspire and motivate your team to do the same.
Empower and develop the team
Middle managers play a crucial role in empowering their team members and creating a culture of continuous learning and development. Encourage autonomy, delegate responsibilities, and provide opportunities for skill-building and growth.
What I often struggle with when trying to empower my team, is that if the organization’s strategy is not aligned, that they can face challenges many times when other stakeholders have different priorities, preventing them from properly driving a project as they would like. There’s no easy fix for this, the best way is to use coaching questions to help them realize that there are still many smaller wins fully in their power.
And it’s also a learning opportunity for them, to understand how to drive a project in a different way. It’s not always possible to drive a project perfectly according to a project plan you develop, this is also something everyone has to learn.
By investing in your team’s development, you not only enhance their capabilities but also foster a sense of trust, loyalty, and engagement. Research demonstrates than when an employee feels empowered at work, they have better job performance, job satisfaction and commitment to the organization.
Authentic and transparent communication
Effective communication is essential for middle managers to bridge the gap between different levels of the organization. Be transparent about the organization’s goals, challenges, and changes. Act as a conduit for information, ensuring that your team members understand the bigger picture and how their contributions align with the organization’s vision.
Communication can be a challenge for me, because sometimes I receive the same information as my team members at the same time. I am sure many middle managers can relate to this — when an employee comes asking you a question about a mail you’ve received, and you’re completely taken off guard and have to go ask your own manager. These types of corporate communication and information transfer issues are not going to disappear overnight and you will find difficult to influence.
Nevertheless, focus on that authentic and transparent communication within your own team, your own department, first. And remember — culture takes time to build! Authentic and open communication builds trust and fosters a positive culture of transparency. As your team becomes more open, more trusting, more engaged, this will spread as they talk with colleagues from other departments and share experiences.
Foster a sense of belonging and purpose
Middle managers can create a positive organizational culture by fostering a sense of belonging and purpose within their teams. Encourage team members to contribute their ideas and perspectives, value diversity, and create an inclusive environment.
Align the team’s goals with the organization’s purpose, highlighting the meaningful impact of their work. When individuals feel valued and connected to a larger purpose, they are more likely to be engaged and committed.
If you feel your company is somehow lacking that clear purpose which can help to motivate your team, create something for your own team. For example, in one of my past work experiences the company goals were top-level revenue-based but not offering a clear direction of how to get there. It’s near impossible to have effective marketing without a clear product or customer focus, so we drafted our own strategic drivers to give the team a better direction of how their work was contributing to that goal.
This was successful because we didn’t do this effort in isolation — but took input from other stakeholders in the company and shared our drivers with them, including C-level, before implementation. So even though the company purpose wasn’t as clear as it should have been, we found a way to make it more tangible for our team, which could allow them to feel the intrinsic value of contributing to the company goals.
How long does it take to build or change culture?
Building or changing culture is a journey that takes time and effort. It is not an overnight transformation but a continuous process of evolution. The timeframe for cultural change varies depending on the organization’s size, complexity, and the level of commitment from leadership.
It can take months or even years to embed new values, practices, and norms within an organization. Middle managers must be patient, persistent, and resilient in their efforts, celebrating small wins and recognizing that culture building is an ongoing endeavor.
Middle managers also need to be realistic. In large companies, the overall organizational culture may not be fully in your power to change. But, you can change life for your team and the teams they interact with. Focus on the positive you can influence.
Middle managers play a critical role in building a positive organizational culture. Despite the unique challenges they face, they have the power to shape the work environment and create a thriving culture where individuals and teams excel.
By cultivating influence, empowering their team, communicating with transparency, leading by example, and fostering a sense of belonging, middle managers can make a lasting impact on the organization’s culture.