This document summarizes a study on the role tensions experienced by middle managers in public sector organizations with devolved human resource management (HRM) responsibilities. The study found that while middle managers want to take ownership of HRM, managing human resources adds substantially to their existing workload. As mediators between strategic planners, middle managers experience a unique form of role strain, exacerbated by HRM duties. The paper presents a model to explain this "role dissonance" phenomenon and emphasizes the importance of understanding the impact of changing responsibilities on middle managers.
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Devolved HRM Responsibilities, Middle-managers and Role Dissonance Teri McConville The
This document summarizes a study on the role tensions experienced by middle managers in public sector organizations with devolved human resource management (HRM) responsibilities. The study found that while middle managers want to take ownership of HRM, managing human resources adds substantially to their existing workload. As mediators between strategic planners, middle managers experience a unique form of role strain, exacerbated by HRM duties. The paper presents a model to explain this "role dissonance" phenomenon and emphasizes the importance of understanding the impact of changing responsibilities on middle managers.
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This document summarizes a study on the role tensions experienced by middle managers in public sector organizations with devolved human resource management (HRM) responsibilities. The study found that while middle managers want to take ownership of HRM, managing human resources adds substantially to their existing workload. As mediators between strategic planners, middle managers experience a unique form of role strain, exacerbated by HRM duties. The paper presents a model to explain this "role dissonance" phenomenon and emphasizes the importance of understanding the impact of changing responsibilities on middle managers.
Direitos autorais:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Formatos disponíveis
Baixe no formato TXT, PDF, TXT ou leia online no Scribd
dissonance Teri McConville The Royal Military College of Science, Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Cranfield University, Shrivenham, Swindon, UK Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to report a study into the role of middle line managers, in public services, in relation to devolved HRM. The paper notes that the intermediacy of middle management leads to a distinct and unique form of role tension. A model is offered to explain that phenomenon, which is exacerbated by HRM responsibilities, and emphasises the importance of middle line managers within organisations. Design/methododology/approach – The paper shows that focused, qualitative discussions complemented earlier research. The NHS, Armed Forces and Fire Service were investigated to inform and test an explanatory framework for the phenomenon that is here denoted as role dissonance. Findings – The paper found that middle line managers want to be proactive in HRM and are taking ownership of HRM and are exceeding their job requirements to do so. However, while it can potentially enhance their role, HRM adds to what is already a substantial workload. Especially, middle managers need to mediate tensions between strategic planners. That unique function, formerly shared with personnel managers, exaggerates the middleness of their roles and is a source of strain for individuals. Practical implications – The model presented in this paper demonstrates how a range of cultural and structural factors impact on individual and organisational expectations and behaviours. The result is a role-based phenomenon, which is a distinct feature of middle-line management, and shows many similarities to cognitive dissonance. Originality/value – The paper offers new concepts to explain a well-reported phenomenon that has, so far, not been adequately elucidated. Keywords Human resource management, Middle management, Role conflict Paper type Research paper Modern organisations are under continuous and increasing pressures to change: from growing competition in deregulated markets; government policies and legislation; and from new technologies. Human resource management (HRM) offers a rich array of practices to allow organisations to adapt and respond to environmental changes. The key roˆle of line managers in the employment relationship is a central tenet of such practices but the effects of such responsibilities on line managers is an area that continues to be under-researched. While numerous studies have offered empirical evidence to describe the means and effects of implementing this principle (e.g. Cunningham and Hyman, 1995; Livian, 1997; Currie and Procter, 2001) such research has tended to focus on changes within the specialist function formerly known as personnel management. Scant attention has been paid to the impact of changing responsibilities upon the roˆles, functions and lives of line managers. The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0048-3486.htm Devolved HRM responsibilities 637 Personnel Review Vol. 35 No. 6, 2006 pp. 637-653 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0048-3486 DOI 10.1108/00483480610702700 Following an earlier study (McConville and Holden, 1999), this paper reports on the tensions that arise for middle line managers, in public sector organisations, in implementing HRM strategy. It reveals that, as part of the human resource, these managers are bearing much of the strain associated with organisational change. Mediation in the paradoxical outcomes of HRM gives rise to a distinct form of roˆle tension, which can be distinguished from roˆle conflict and roˆle ambiguity, that arises from the inconsistencies between the expectations of the organisation and of individual employees, creating a form of dissonance which here is dubbed roˆle dissonance. Such tensions, although not unique to HRM, are emphasised by it. This paper presents a tentative, illustrative framework in an attempt to apprehend the phenomenon of roˆle dissonance and to explain its origins and effects. HRM and the line management function HRM gained prominence in western management thinking at a time of rapid social, economic and technological change. As diverse industries and organisations adapted to environmental variation, they developed cultures where line managers became more generalist, assuming greater responsibilities for accounting, budgeting and production processes. Amongst others Fombrun et al. (1984, p. 236) argued, 20 years ago, that: Any attempt to redesign the roˆle of the human resource management function requires the line’s participation since most of the activities of selection, appraisal, reward and development are prerogatives of the line organisation. And throughout the history of HRM, the involvement of line managers has always been a key feature of the concept. The devolution of many responsibilities that were once the remit of personnel specialists was consistent with such movement, for business managers need to control of all their resources in order to achieve increasingly short-term, measurable targets. Although personnel, was a staff function, line managers have always had some responsibility for managing people in the workplace, for their roˆle includes accountability for the performance of subordinates. However, as line managers have shifted their orientation from production to business, HRM is only one among a range of initiatives (see, e.g. Livian, 1997), which have commanded their attention and increasing expertise. Investigation into how managers are interpreting and operationalising HRM is, then, a requirement for understanding its true impact. There is a need to examine the expertise of those who are tasked with managing various facets of labour management; to discover what line managers gain from ownership of HRM; and to apprehend the problems and costs associated with its devolution. Unless the questions and paradoxes, raised by the assertion that HRM is the province of line managers, are addressed, investigations and appraisal of HRM will never be complete. Nevertheless, an extensive trawl through numerous literature sources has shown that, with only a few exceptions (e.g. Renwick, 2003; Harris et al., 2002), the lack of research attention paid to this matter is almost embarrassing. Recognising the middle managers Line management is a feature of large organisations since before the time of Moses and is evident throughout the history of military, ecclesiastical and public sector PR 35,6 638 organisations. The term implies a scalar chain of authority from senior managers, through the managerial ranks, to individual workers. That chain, directly concerned with organisational output-deliverables, distinguishes “line” from “staff” functions. In organisations with traditional, hierarchical structures it is a simple matter to identify the most senior managers as those who define missions and formulate strategy. Likewise, those who control the daily detail of working practices on the shop floor can be recognised as first-line managers whatever their title. Middle managers are more difficult to distinguish, as the boundaries between levels of hierarchy are often blurred. The exercise is further complicated in organisations with organic structures where demarcation may be ambiguous. As a result few writers have attempted to define the roˆle. Middle line management is often described in terms of what it is not. It is neither scaled-down senior management (Torrington and Weightman, 1987), nor an enhanced form of supervision (Hales, 1986). Middle managers are removed from the shop floor and are accountable for a range of outcomes beyond detailed work elements. They hold a vicarious position on behalf of senior managers, playing a co-ordinating roˆle, but with procedurally-limited autonomy (Della-Rocca, 1992). Their “middleness” comes from their position in the organisational hierarchy (Kanter and Stein, 1979), the time-scale and scope of decision-making processes (neither strategic nor routine), and in terms of their impact on the working of the organisation (Livian, 1997). Middleness also derives from career patterns, for middle management is a place where nobody really wants to be (Dopson et al., 1992) being either a staging post on the road from supervisor to executive or an equally undesirable cul-de-sac for those whose careers will progress no further. Being organisation-specific, the work of middle-line managers is equally difficult to delineate, but has been classified into three broad areas (Torrington and Weightman, 1987). Administrative work, the routine, visible and comfortable activities concerning the collection and distribution of information, is easily identified and quantified. Technical work relates to a manager’s original trade or profession. It is important, not only for appreciating and detecting operational problems, but it allows them to be seen as authorities (although no longer experts) rather than simply being in authority. The most risky category is managerial work (Torrington and Weightman, 1987), persuading others into a particular opinion or course of action. It demands confidence from middle managers to deal with uncertainties, from seniors to delegate appropriate authority, and from subordinates to follow a manager’s lead. None of this work takes place in isolation, but especially over the last few decades, within increasingly turbulent environments. Externally, organisations have been threatened, by economic difficulties, volatile markets (or quasi-markets), and, aggressive competition. Internally, change has become the normal state of affairs. The nature of line management means that middle managers are the agents of change processes but, as employees, they are often also the foci of change. As a result of the ambiguity inherent to the roˆle, this study took an agnostic approach, determining that middle managers were the people identified as such within the organisation, provided that they were part of a clear chain of management and involved in the delivery of an end service, being responsible for at least two subordinate levels with the hierarchy, and with at least one superior between them and the organisational executive. Devolved HRM responsibilities 639 The study The initial study, which forms the basis of this further work, was undertaken within two National Health Service (NHS) hospital trusts. The details of that research, its methods and findings, are reported in an earlier paper (McConville and Holden, 1999). Within a case study strategy, structured questions were used to assess the extent to which human resource management was incorporated into the middle managers’ roˆles; how far such incorporation represented change; and its perceived importance in the achievement of organisational objectives. Richer evidence was collected, using unstructured questions, to assess attitudes towards HRM and the extent to which middle line managers were equipped to take on such responsibilities. It was from these outcomes that the notion of roˆle dissonance (see below) emerged, indicating the need for wider exploration. During 2000-2002, possibilities arose to advance the original research within other, uniformed, public services where middle managers were readily identified due to their codified rank structures. The earlier NHS survey was used as a model. Questions were put to serving military officers holding the rank of major or lieutenant colonel (or equivalent) on post-graduate courses at the Royal Military College of Science (n ¼ 64). As these officers were effectively, if temporarily, non-operational their contributions were supported by a series of unstructured interviews with ten Royal Air Force (RAF) and twelve Royal Navy (RN) officers during the formation of the Joint Force (Harrier) (JFH) programme. Additionally, all participants were asked to comment on the notion of roˆle dissonance and the framework, presented in Figure 1. The means was a series of focus groups, involving all but five JFH officers. These group interviews began with discussions centred on comments from the questionnaires and individual interviews. Next, the framework was presented, with explanation, before groups were asked for comments. The framework also further tested by presenting it to officers in the Fire and Rescue Services. On these occasions, group interviews, of the same format (above), were held in order to gather a range of opinions from ten fire fighters ranked as sub- officers and station officers. The aim was to gather further evidence to support, or otherwise, the 1999 study and to test the tentative concept of roˆle dissonance. The choice to study public sector organisations was deliberate as it was assumed that recent, politically imposed, changes in the governance and funding of public services would emphasise the difficulties and paradoxes of the managerial roˆles and functions. Over recent years, public services have undergone profound and continuing structural reorganisation with consequences for management processes. Because of their specialist natures, there is no typical public service. However, in all cases, the imperative of reducing public spending, and a desire to shed images of vast bureaucracies have led to dramatic restructuring, tightly controlled budgets, and closer liaisons with private sector organisations as contractors or as partners. The organisations National Health Service As the original study contributes to this paper, it is appropriate to offer a brief review of changes that were occurring at the time of that study. Throughout its short history the National Health Service (NHS) has been subject to numerous reforms and PR 35,6 640 Figure 1. Roˆle dissonance and the middle line manager Devolved HRM responsibilities 641 reorganisations. Notable among such changes was the creation of “internal markets” and hospital trusts. As a result the NHS was transformed into a multi-dimensional amalgam of self-governing units, although most hospital trusts elected to follow similar patterns of organisational structure and managerial processes (Audit Commission, 1999, p. 13). Autonomy did not mean carte blanche, however, for health care is a major political issue. Trust directors found that their objectives were hindered by, often unpredictable, government interventions and constraints, including the setting of efficiency and quality targets and compulsory competitive tendering for ancillary services. While it may be tempting to generalise about the introduction of private-sector management practices, NHS management is a complex area (e.g. Currie and Procter, 2001; Sheaff and West, 1997). In the face of widespread public and professional criticism, trust boards have responded cautiously to new opportunities and uncertainties. They have needed to balance the desire for management control of resources with long-standing professional syndicalism (Strong and Robinson, 1990). Armed forces The Armed Forces also experienced large-scale restructuring during the 1990s. The end of the Cold War forced reassessment of the nation’s defence priorities while the so-called revolution in military affairs (RMA), resulting from advances in technology and informatics, required a re-assessment of procedures and structures. The drive for efficiency, flexibility, and parsimony in the use of public resources, reduced its strength by 107,100 over the decade (Alexandrou, 2001). There have been large-scale movements towards private-sector partnerships and increasing establishment of joint-service (purple) organisations. A widening range of demands on the Forces (e.g. peace-keeping, aids to civil powers) and the increasingly expeditionary nature of operations has led to severe stretching of human resources, compounded by recent demographic trends. The forces have tried to be pragmatic in their approach to change but have maintained that in order to serve society they have a need and a right to be different from that society (Dandeker, 2000). Meanwhile, the impact of high profile legal challenges over equal opportunities has threatened many fundamentals of military culture (Wildman, 2002). The twenty-first century “serviceman” is increasingly likely to be female or gay; well-educated; and in a stable relationship with a partner who has a separate career. There is a double rank structure as candidates for commission are normally selected and trained separately from other ranks. The employment contract is unique, for service personnel carry the right to external violence on behalf of society. They cannot leave their employment (without severe financial penalty); they are not allowed to strike but have no independent representation; and might legitimately be ordered to their deaths. Following the Strategic Defence Review of 1998, the Ministry of Defence worked toward a more strategic approach to the management of service personnel and the Armed Forces Overarching Personnel Strategy (Ministry of Defence, 2000) was devised in order to provide an integrated cradle-to-grave strategy to people management. The fragmentation of functions between numerous agencies, and the absence of HR representation on the Defence Management Board, suggests that the Armed Forces are further away from strategic HRM than their rhetoric might suggest. PR 35,6 642 However, forthcoming changes in the education and careers of officers (Army, 2003) identify a definite career path in HRM (alongside combat, defence policy, logistics and technology) suggesting a firm intention toward further developments in this area. Fire and rescue services Like the armed forces, the Fire and Rescue services have a strong culture of disciplined, tightly formed teams. Besides the obvious duties, fire brigades are required to assist with civil emergencies; to conduct safety inspections of buildings accessed by the public; and to conduct fire safety education. Co-ordinated from the Home Office, 51 individual fire brigades in England andWales are funded by local government. In rural areas a system of “retained” (paid volunteer) fire-fighters supplements the full- time services. Despite local management of fire brigades, terms and conditions of employment are determined through a central negotiating body where, unlike their armed services counterparts, fire fighters are represented by trade unions with retained and full-time fire fighters belonging to separate organisations. There is a single portal of entry for recruits into the service and promotion is achieved only after successful completion of professional training and examination. All senior officers have, then, begun their careers as first level fire fighters and have experienced working at all intermediate levels of management. Because of restrictions on local government spending, fire brigades managers have had to juggle budgets to maintain an adequate service, and meet performance targets (Davis, 1997). This has largely been achieved through re-organisation of areas of operation (the firegrounds) and close co-operation between neighbouring brigades. Although the Fire and Rescue Services have been praised by the Audit Commission (1999) for strong governance and good management, it has recently been criticised (Bain Report, 2002) for failing to change structures, and terms and conditions of employment, to keep pace with changing demands. During 2002 there was a high-profile national dispute, involving the Fire Brigades Union, employers and central government, over this and pay-related issues. The combined effects of government pressures and financial imperatives have increased the need for strategic approaches to resource management throughout the public sector. Attempts to introduce greater transparency and accountability, and the movement toward private finance initiatives have had far reaching effects on how public services are run, and on how they are, perceived, to be run, both by the public and by staff. However, successive failed initiatives have left British public service managers sceptical about further change, especially where it is perceived to be politically imposed rather than being essential to service delivery. Managers have been required to develop new skills and knowledge; to accept new goals; and to support new standards and values (Virtanen, 2000). Where professional values are compromised, or when the public service ethos is brought into confrontation with market principles, it is reasonable to assume that the effects of new working practices will be more marked than in other, more commercially orientated, settings. In many respects change can be exciting, presenting new opportunities for middle managers to broaden their expertise, to take on new challenges and to innovate (Keen and Scase, 1996). But, it also leaves them vulnerable as they must develop new competencies (Virtanen, 2000) at the same time that their work is increasingly reified Devolved HRM responsibilities 643 by HRM and other initiatives, and familiar administrative or technical tasks are subordinated to riskier managerial work. For those with a strong professional identity, change threatens their roˆle; while a market orientation is seen as antithetical to the values of public service, and threatens the integrity of the psychological contract (Dopson and Neumann, 1998). Small wonder, then, that middle managers (and others) have become resistant to further change and reluctant to give their full commitment to new initiatives. As change agents middle managers are responsible for implementing new initiatives, and causing the resulting uncertainty or distress for their staff while, as employees and therefore a focus of change, they are simultaneously suffering such effects themselves. The evidence from this study that managers’ resistance arises from attempts to protect themselves and their staff from the harmful stresses of change programmes that could prove to be as fruitless as any that have gone before (Colling, 1997). Outcomes Although middle line managers had varying degrees of responsibility for HRM issues it was clear that in all three cases, they were actively involved in the management of their staff. The findings from these studies suggest that middle line managers wanted to be involved in the management of their staff but that they were frustrated by lack of autonomy and resources, especially time; and that, in the isolation of their middleness, HRM exacerbates the tensions inherent to their roˆle. Ownership In contrast to other evidence (Rowley, 1999), the middle line managers in these studies welcome an involvement in HRM, viewing it as a natural part of their roˆles. As all of these services have had traditions of professional groups managing their own staff, this was possibly less surprising than it might at first appear. Additionally, or alternatively, it may be an outcome of these particular organisations, which exist to respond to personal and public crises. All groups reported a belief that being able to manage their own teams was a basic requirement in building and maintaining group cohesion: [Having direct responsibility for HRM] would allow me to develop my staff in line with the requirements of my department (Major: Royal Anglian Regiment). The manager is the only one who knows what the team does. She [sic] must be able to develop the team from the start (NHS Departmental Manager). NHS managers had some influence over the appointment and training of their staff, within tight fiscal constraints. They were able to draw up job and person specifications, select and interview candidates and to influence grading decisions. These managers welcomed such responsibilities and rated them as important (mean score 8.51 on a ten point scale) in meeting departmental objectives. Only one of the managers interviewed claimed to have authority to dismiss unsatisfactory staff. Within the uniformed services, middle line managers were frustrated by, although somewhat pragmatic about, institutional constraints: PR 35,6 644 If I had responsibility for staffing, it would empower me to make a real difference in the interests of the individual and the service. But it would never happen and only adds to an already over-heavy workload (Lt. Col.: Royal Logistics Corps). Systems of posting personnel to defined positions disrupts established teams, and takes no account of managers’ needs, or preferences. One fire service Station Officer told of when a new leading hand (supervisor) was assigned to his watch. The newcomer was that officer’s next-door neighbour but neither man had been consulted over the posting. Maintenance of personnel records (leave, sickness and training) proves to be a time-consuming undertaking, which is often carried out in managers’ own time. One NHS clinical manager remarked: I sometimes feel that I’m doing someone else’s job – for their benefit. This is, however, an exercise that all agreed was important. For at least one RAF Officer, it was his only source of control over a predominantly civilian staff. Another Army Officer told of how civilian contractors’ staff were subjected to appraisal only at the Army’s insistence. Frustrations Public sector organisations are, by their nature, labour intensive. The organisations involved in this study all rely on skilled, motivated professionals for successful outcomes. Middle line managers are clearly aware of this and endeavour to compliment staff contributions by careful and competent management. Their efforts, though, are often frustrated by fiscal and procedural constraints. Organisational restructuring and financial parsimony have, of late, severely limited the available resources: time, money and people. Most of the managers interviewed felt that a lack of control over rewards, financial or otherwise, was a major obstacle in being able to get the best from their staff and was a factor in recruitment and retention problems. In the face of increasingly low-trust relations between public service workers and their senior management, the interviewees felt powerless to exert any real influence. Time pressures added to their problems as much of their available time was spent on paperwork associated with performance indicators, ISO 9000 standards and Investors in People. Pressure of work was clearly demonstrated during workplace interviews in hospitals where most sessions were interrupted. Middle line managers were in constant demand to deal with a range of problems, from broken equipment to clinical emergencies. Although exigencies of the services demanded that fire fighters and armed forces officers were interviewed outside of their duty time, both groups reported constant interruption as a regular feature of their working days. When asked to rate their workload on a scale of 1 (not at all heavy) to 10 (impossibly heavy), NHS managers gave a mean score of 8.56, and JFH officers 8.74. For middle line managers involved in this study, the reality of devolved HRM tarnishes the visions so often described in the literature. First, the ways in which services are administered is tightly controlled by initiatives from central government, in the form of performance indicators, and by financial targets, which often lead to perceptions of under-staffing and over-stretch: Devolved HRM responsibilities 645 . . . we used to have four pumps at this station. Now we have two, and we are often short-crewing them. Sure, we get to the fire-ground on time for the targets, but we can’t do a proper job when we get there because there aren’t enough of us. If anything needs more than two pumps or anything special, we have to wait for another station to turn out (Sub-Officer: Fire and Rescue Service). This over-stretch also undermines the positional power of managers who are often forced to rely upon the goodwill of their staff in order to get through the daily workload and/or maintain safe staffing levels: You have to keep on the right side of your crews because sooner or later you’ll have to ask them to do something as a personal favour to you (Sub officer: Fire and Rescue Service). For middle managers, who must be pragmatic in their daily work, the finer points of managing their staff were simply something to which they aspired – a Utopian goal, which might never be achieved. Middle managers’ work occurs amid a general busyness where the imperatives of the moment must take priority over rhetorical and aspirational ideals: When people are busy they have to concentrate on the “now” issues. You always lose the luxuries - HRM is one of them; but when it goes wrong you’re suddenly a bad manager (NHS clinical manager). Second, despite their different backgrounds, functions and services, all interviewees emphasised the intermediate nature of their positions and the resultant stress. For them, the distinguishing feature of the middle line managers’ roˆle is pressure from both sides, roˆle ambiguity and powerlessness: [Middle line managers are] very much piggy-in-the-middle. They have little power – only what senior managers are allowed to give them. They have to deal with ‘now’ problems but are constrained by policies they have no control over (NHS clinical manager). You get caught from both sides. The men think you’re toadying up to the bosses and the senior officers say that you identify too much with the men. You can’t win (Station Officer: Fire and Rescue Service). While competing theories have been developed about the roˆle of middle managers, the experience of participants in these studies was of being “piggy in the middle”: caught between the directives of their seniors and the exigencies of the service on the one hand, and the demands and problems of their staff and ‘customers’ on the other. They lacked clear roˆle definition, adequate training and resources, and consistent support from seniors. Consequently they felt ill-equipped to take on the demands of continual change: If he [the mid-rank officer] is ever to stand a chance of achieving the promotion he seeks then he must deliver his superiors’ directives. But how does he maintain the support and confidence of his subordinates throughout what might be a very unpopular change process? (RAF Squadron Leader: JFH). This perception was compounded by a logical separation from those with whom they worked and physical isolation from their peer group. When circumstances prove to be difficult, middle managers cannot merge into the relative anonymity of “the workforce” to avoid their seniors, nor can they retreat behind office doors from the animosity of PR 35,6 646 frustrated staff. Lack of opportunities to share their feelings and frustrations deprived these people of an appreciation that they are not alone in their problems, leading to feelings of inadequacy and increasing roˆle conflict. The research interviews, it transpired, were cathartic for most informants. Many ended meetings by thanking the interviewer for the opportunity to air their problems. It became apparent that a clear understanding of the middle line managers’ roˆle in HRM (and other initiatives) required an adequate appreciation of their position within organisations, and of the true nature of this under-reported roˆle. To be truly effective in managing their staff, introducing change and maintaining quality of service, these people needed the training and support which is in the gift of their seniors but so often absent as features of their day-to-day work. As managers they are the agents of HRM policy and operations; but they are also part of the human resource so, apparently, valued by their organisations. Middle line managers, too, need to be managed. Roˆle dissonance For many public sector workers, who consider themselves to be professional, recent and on-going changes within their organisations represent a shift in focus – a movement away from the public service ethos towards commercial interests. Middle-line managers have been obliged to realise much of this change; to implement policies dictated by governing bodies, and strategies determined by seniors managers, while simultaneously being required to conform to standards laid down by professional bodies and public watchdog organisations, and to meet government performance targets. The managers themselves had few, if any, opportunities to influence the decision-making processes, their autonomy was restricted by virtue of their position within their various organisations, and yet they were held accountable for the outcomes of those imposed systems, while personal values could be compromised by shifting standards. Devolution or, indeed, responsibility seem to be inadequate words to describe such impotent obligation, for both terms imply a degree of authority; perhaps liability would be a more appropriate appellation. Like their Civil Service counterparts (Merchant and Wilson, 1994), the middle line managers in these studies must bear the brunt of change and, because of career stagnation, they are likely to be involved in several (possibly contradictory) processes. Responsibility for HRM, possibly more than any other strategic initiative, has the potential to enhance middle line managers’ roˆles and to produce real improvements in team performance. However it adds to what is already a substantial workload, while the collation of performance statistics reify their activities. Often professionally qualified, middle line managers work closely with their staff, to whom they represent management, and who they must represent to senior management. Their roˆle carries a huge workload and brings increasing conflict at both personal and professional levels. Trying to achieve government targets and maintain personal standards, within their departments, means that managers are doing more with less. Fewer people, tightly controlled budgets and time pressures force middle line managers to rely on the goodwill of their staff, which undermines their power base. Compromise is a fundamental feature of the effort-reward bargain and the conflict between public service ethos and the call to competitive efficiency, faced by latter-day public services, is a stark exemplar of such rapprochement. In a traditional industrial relations interface, any conflicts between employers and employees would be managed Devolved HRM responsibilities 647 by negotiation between personnel (industrial relations) specialists and employee representatives. In organisations where HRM is being “devolved” to the line, where personnel specialists are taking an increasingly advisory roˆle, or where such services are out-sourced, that avenue for negotiation and conciliation is becoming eroded and middle-line managers may be brought into direct conflict with their staff, as one Royal Navy officer explained: When they brought in Pay 2000 [a restructuring exercise over service pay] – we knew before it was published that there’d be problems, and the men knew that there’d be problems – but we were the ones who had to face the men and say “no, it’s all fair and straightforward – there’s just a few teething problems because it’s new”. We knew we were wrong and they knew we were wrong. And when it went wrong, we were the one’s still facing a load of angry Jacks [sailors]. Whether or not they agree with imposed policies, middle managers must convey and justify directives to their work teams – those individuals whom they might need to ask for “personal” favours. The result is a moral dilemma, which can only lead to cognitive dissonance (Festinger, 1957) and increased roˆle strain. Middle line management is a vague term to describe an imprecise set of roˆles, which are complex and often contradictory. The intermediate nature of the roˆle leads to a range of stressors that are well documented (e.g. Miner, 1971) such as roˆle ambiguity, over/under-load and roˆle conflict (or roˆle incompatibility). Such problems are not, however, unique to line management and do not adequately explain the nature of the go-between position so familiar to the middle line managers in this study and which is heightened by their liabilities for HRM. Within the present day public services, boundaries of structure, process, responsibility and purpose are in a state of flux. Change brings new challenges, especially for those who must translate concepts into practice. Realignment of legal, moral and cultural boundaries are a source of tension that is not adequately explained in terms of roˆle ambiguity, overload or conflict. While these phenomena are undoubtedly present, this study identified that a particular form of roˆle strain arises from middle managers being caught in the tensions between the need for change and the continuity of traditional values and systems. For want of a more precise terminology, that tension is named here as roˆle dissonance. Such roˆle dissonance is a distinctive feature of the vicarious, intermediate nature of middle management which exemplifies, as no other position can, the tensions that exist between strata of staff within an organisation. As the linking pin (Currie and Procter, 2001) in the realisation of HRM and other initiatives, middle line managers must translate organisational goals and expectations into terms that are acceptable to their staff (Dew, 2000); while the requirements and expectations of staff need to be put to seniors couched in the rhetoric of performance targets and economic achievement (Thompson and Harrison, 1997). In the process, middle line managers must share both the public service ethos held by their staff, and the precepts of market efficiency that drive new policies and strategies within their organisations. Holding simultaneous but inconsistent cognitions is a major source of discomfort for any individual but unlike Festinger (1957) concept of cognitive dissonance, resolution in this context is beyond the capability of the individual, for this dissonance is inherent to the roˆle. To better describe and understand this phenomenon, and the associated “piggy-in-the-middle” effect so often described by middle line managers within and PR 35,6 648 beyond this study, an explanatory framework has been developed, and is shown in Figure 1. At the top of the diagram is a social mechanism, derived from Poole (1976) work on industrial democracy. The operations and policies of an organisation are constrained by two major sets of variables. Cultural, historical and ideological factors combine to generate its value set (Griseri, 1998); specifically those relating to its services (or products), to the balancing of various needs among client (customer) groups and to employees. These factors are, in their turn, affected by the economic, political and technological context in which the organisation operates. It is these, structural variables that form the power base for organisational control systems. This is the traditional concept of power derived from structural legitimacy and control over rewards and resources. The term cogency is used, firstly, to distinguish organisational power from individual power and, secondly, to denote that this power has a coercive and domineering potential. It is the combined effects of its value set and cogency that shape the nature of the organisation as a specific entity. They are the source of organisational culture, structure, objectives and its expectations of employees. The pattern is reflected at the bottom of the figure where a similar mechanism operates at the level of the individuals. They, too, have some level of power, but this power derives from their personal worth to the organisation (Mechanic, 1962). Their knowledge base, skills and professional standing will delimit their status while labour market conditions will define the degree to which they are disposable. This power differs from that held by the organisation, for this is the power to command attention and consideration, to make demands or to convince seniors. Hence, the term potency is used. Individual value sets derive from a combination of personal factors such as experience, cultural norms and socialisation, that accumulate through life (Griseri, 1998). The combined effects of individual values and potency will shape an employee’s expectations of, and behaviour within, the employing organisation. Between the two is the scalar chain of line management (the Armed Forces insist on calling this the chain of command). It is through this chain that directives will be communicated from the higher echelons to the lower, and – depending upon the balance of cogency and potency – ideas, reactions and demands will be transmitted in the reverse direction. Much of this exchange could be explained in terms of the psychological contract (e.g. Rousseau, 1989) but that concept is concerned with the contractual exchange (albeit implicit) between employer and employee. Here a broader concept is apprehended – concerning fundamental understandings about why particular organisations exist, why people work within them and the purpose of individual roˆles and functions. Where there is discrepancy between the expectations and understandings of organisations and their employees there is a field of conflict (Boulding, 1964) that is potentially disruptive. This is a dynamic state that is subject to subtle changes in power and social values. However, if conflict and disruption are to be avoided, the organisation needs a mechanism whereby opposing sets of expectations can be held in tension. This is a function that can only fall to line managers. Within public sector organisations first line managers are normally appointed for expertise and competence in their technical work. They are part of the teams that they manage and, being in daily contact, may have intimate working relationships with team members from whom they might draw moral support and influence. While they Devolved HRM responsibilities 649 will possibly experience some degree of roˆle dissonance, they continue to work at the customer interface, which allows them to retain their professional ethos. Hence their own expectations are liable to align most closely with those of the individuals with whom they are in direct daily contact. It is a contention within this framework that, for first line managers, dissonance is most likely to be resolved in favour of professional values, expectations and behaviours. Likewise, senior managers, in order to achieve their position, will need to have acquired attitudes and skills that are consonant with their managerial, as opposed to professional, roˆles. The criteria for appointment, or promotion, are based on a managerialist agenda as this example, from a British university demonstrates: . . . The UWE senior manager will normally require budgetary and resource management skills and, depending on the roˆle, the ability to manage the generation of income for the university and/or to deliver efficiency savings (UWE, 2003, p. 3). A further contention is that, as senior managers must be able to act and reason primarily according to the interests of the organisation, they are able to resolve personal dissonance in favour of the organisation. This assumption has support from private sector studies (Van der Velde et al., 1999; Horlick, 2000), although further research is indicated within the public services. The point of greatest dissonance will then be at the position, which is furthest from each of the opposing sources, and in the centre of the managerial chain is the middle line manager. It has been said that conflict is endemic to the roˆle of middle managers for, within their daily activities, they must deal with “conflicting objectives and demands from above and below . . . [and] distinct subcultures and sectional concerns” (Hallier and James, 1997, p. 703). Middle line managers are, therefore, required to act as buffers between opposing expectations and must bear the strain of the resulting tension, which becomes a source of roˆle strain for the individual manager (see, also King and Zeithaml, 2001; Frank, 1999). A positive outcome of such mediation is the potential for middle line managers to limit the excesses of both organisation and individual. Professional ideals, for instance, can be moderated through pragmatic arguments concerning equality of access, while, overly-parsimonious policies can be countered by principled debate. However this mediating function also undermines middle line managers’ power bases. It exposes their lack of autonomy and influence, diminishing their cogency as employers; while their potency as employees is limited by the implicit requirement that they should align with organisational goals and expectations. This process is exacerbated by the devolution of HR functions. Within conventional structures, with a clear distinction between line and staff posts, much of the conflict that arises from power differentials would be managed through negotiation between employee representatives and industrial relations specialists – each being empowered to speak for their constituents. The erosion of that interface shifts the burden onto individuals and their line managers. During interviews where this framework was revealed to middle line managers, it received overwhelming endorsement. A fire fighter gave a typical comment: . . . because you’re riding on the pumps you have to be able to talk their language so when the DO [Divisional Officer] comes up with some scheme you have to find ways of selling it to the watch (Station Officer, Fire and Rescue Service). PR 35,6 650 although the most succinct was from an RAF Wing Commander: Yeah. I’ve been there. Roˆle dissonance is a very real issue for middle line managers, who, in many respects embody the tensions, which exist between the organisation, as an entity, and the individual workers within it. The framework presented here illustrates this how those tensions arise and, thus, clarifies the poorly understood “piggy-in-the-middle” sensations that middle line managers so often report. 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She is currently involved in research concerning retention of skilled technicians in the armed forces, and the discourse surrounding the debate over women in direct combat roˆles. Formerly she was a nurse tutor and a middle line manager in the NHS. She can be contacted at: t.a.mcconville@cranfield.ac.uk Devolved HRM responsibilities 653 To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: reprints@emeraldinsight.com Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints