Identifying and assessing an enabler for achieving high performance : middle management support for improvement

Uden, LG

Abstract

"From Wall Street to Washington, from boardrooms to union halls, -what
anybody with power is most scared of is change. Any kind of change. "
Lee lacocca, Former President, Ford Motor Corp. and Chrysler Corp.
(Quoted in O'Toole, 1995)
The aim of this research is to develop a scale to measure middle management support
for organisational improvement. Middle management support for improvement is
critical to the achievement of high performance, and can therefore be described as an
enabler of high performance. The EFQM Excellence Model, the primary organisational
excellence award in Europe, also describes enablers of high performance, but it does not
include middle management support for improvement.
Although the literature includes many articles on the importance of middle management
support for improvement, there is a lack of information on methods for measuring it.
Research is undertaken to identify the primary attributes of middle management support
for improvement. The resulting questionnaire is used to collect data on middle
management support for improvement in four organisations in the US and the UK. The
reliability of the questionnaire is evaluated, and the questionnaire is revised based upon
the findings. The revised questionnaire is shown to have strong validity and reliability.
The relationship between organisational performance and middle management support
for organisational improvement is discussed. A shortened version of the EFQM
Excellence Model self-assessment is developed. Data are collected using this
questionnaire at the four participating organisations. The results of the EFQM and
middle management support questionnaires are compared. There appears to be a
correlation between middle management support for improvement and the EFQM
enablers, but more research is needed in this area.
The primary contribution of this research is the development of a reliable and valid
scale to measure middle management support for improvement. Recommendations are
provided for further research opportunities.

Citation

Uden, L. Identifying and assessing an enabler for achieving high performance : middle management support for improvement. (Thesis). Salford : University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Oct 3, 2012
• Award Date: Jan 1, 2005