Strategic alignment between senior and middle managers in local government and health
International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance
ISSN: 0952-6862
Article publication date: 1 April 2001
Abstract
The North West Change Centre at Manchester Business School has been developing collaborative programmes aimed at public sector middle managers. Evaluation recently completed, using follow‐up interviews, studied the affect of the programmes on individuals, their organisation and their work intra‐organisationally. Reference is made to management theories on strategic alignment and cultural change. The results suggest that middle managers have been highly satisfied resulting in changed attitudes, greater confidence and worked‐through project ideas being developed. However, a sense of being “out of alignment” with their organisation remains manifested in poor support for inter‐agency working. A model of strategic alignment between middle and senior managers is demonstrated which illustrates the affects of strong and weak alignment and the implications for implementing modernised services. Recommendations are made on contextualising change, how managerial signalling can be improved, how pathways to changed organisational systems can be identified and how barriers to change can be overcome.
Keywords
Citation
Clifford, N. (2001), "Strategic alignment between senior and middle managers in local government and health", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 87-96. https://doi.org/10.1108/09526860110386546
Publisher
:MCB UP Ltd
Copyright © 2001, MCB UP Limited