In developing high-potential individuals, middle managers must balance short-term and long-term interests and departmental and organizational outcomes. A study reveals four different approaches middle managers use to navigate these tensions.
Middle managers play a key role in implementing the talent management programs of an organization, as they are instrumental in identifying high-potential individuals and supporting the development of their knowledge and skills. Any talent management role is complicated, however, by the position of middle managers as a bridge between the strategic-oriented top leadership and the day-to-day operational focus of those at the lower rungs of the organization.
One study characterized as paradoxes the tensions with which middle managers must deal. A paradox is defined as two contradictory yet interrelated elements that coexist over time, which reflects the difficult position in which middle managers find themselves. Given their major responsibilities tied to both the short-term results of their departments and the long-term performance of the organization, middle managers are navigating two paradoxes: a long-term paradox and a function-organization paradox.
The study based on 147 in-depth interviews with middle managers, HR leaders, and talents explored how middle managers navigate these two paradoxes as they fulfill their talent management responsibilities.
The study showed that middle managers reacted either proactively, accepting or embracing one or both of the paradoxes or defensively, rejecting and resisting one or both of the paradoxes. Based on these reactions, the researchers developed a typology of four middle management approaches for navigating middle management paradoxes:
The Steering Talent Management Approach. This approach is taken by middle managers who respond to both paradoxes proactively. They recognize the synergies between their short-term and long-term responsibilities, as well as the synergies between their departmental and organizational responsibilities. They are thus committed to the organization’s talent management strategy and are not only engaged in identifying and developing talent within their tea but throughout the organization.
The Detached Talent Management Approach. These middle managers react defensively against both paradoxes. These managers focus their attention on their short-term operational responsibilities, dismissing the long-term benefits of developing talent. They thus tend to detach themselves from the organization’s talent management initiatives: they do not engage in talent management efforts within their owams, nor participate in interdepartmental talent management programs. Note that this approach is not always the result of deliberate intent: managers under pressure to deliver short-term operational results, for example, will push aside talent management responsibilities because they have no choice.
The Siloed Talent Management Approach. Some managers embrace the short-term–long-term paradox, recognizing that talent management can impact short-term performance but also yield long-term benefits. However, these managers react defensively to the function–organization paradox. They believe talent management should remain within functions and departments, and reject the idea that they should be involved in organization-wide talent management. Thus, they work on developing talent in their teams, but don’t want to see their talent working in or with other functions; for them, this type of interdepartmental cooperation only leads to loss of knowledge and talented individuals within their department.
The Cross-Functional Talent Management Approach. In contrast to the siloed approach, managers who adopt a cross-functional approach react proactively to the function–organization paradox while resisting the short-term–and long-term paradox. Although they are not strongly committed to the organization’s talent strategy, they will participate in organization-level talent management initiatives, allowing their employees to rotate jobs, for example. They are not, however, actively involved in identifying and developing talent within their teams. Their main focus is on their short-term operational responsibilities.
Organizations need to explicitly identify and help middle managers navigate the paradoxes that complicate the identification and development of high-potential individuals. This effort begins with recognizing the conflicting pressures and demands faced by middle managers.
An important first step is for organizations should create an organization-wide talent management framework, and then clearly communicate to middle managers how the framework works and why it is important to their interests. The next step is to ensure managers understand the expectations of the organization and the support the organization will provide related to what is essentially an organizational priority. Compensation structure can play a role in incentivizing talent management efforts.
One of the barriers to talent management engagement by middle managers, especially in the context of the function–organization paradox, is the fear of losing talent to other parts of the organization. Organizations should focus on creating a culture that recognizes the benefit to all of organization-wide talent management efforts specifically, that functional areas will gain from new talent and new skillsets joining the function through interdepartmental work.
Stefan Jooss’s profile at MIT Sloan School of Management
https://business.uq.edu.au/profile/15565/stefan-jooss
Anthony McDonnell’s profile at Cork University Business School
https://www.cubsucc.com/faculty-directory/Prof-Anthony-McDonnell/
Agnieszka Skuza’s profile at UT Dallas
https://jindal.utdallas.edu/faculty/agnieszka-skuza/
Middle Managers as Key Talent Management Stakeholder: Navigating Paradoxes. Stefan Jooss, Anthony McDonnell, Agnieszka Skuza. European Management Review (June 2024).
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