Professional networks of middle managers: acting as social movements to achieve upwards engagement?

Abstract

This paper is the first to apply social movement concepts to analyse processes by which middle managers (MMs) develop a common language (currency) to support their attempts to change organizational strategy. Conceptually, this paper extends literature on the strategic activities of MMs by concentrating on collective, rather than individual, activity. Empirically, we draw from a case study of UK public services to surface and illustrate how MMs try to promote changes in strategy concerning the delivery of integrated services to the elderly. This combination of social movement concepts and rich case data shows how MMs use professional networks to pursue strategic change through twin and reciprocal processes of: (1) framing issues inwards, towards movement members, and (2) issue selling upwards, to top managers