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Unlocking the middle: how to encourage innovation in middle management
4 mins read
Middle management is often blamed for holding businesses back. How can you change that?
Lauren Bacall once said that standing still is the fastest way of moving backwards in a rapidly changing world. In business, this has never been truer. If you fail to innovate with fresh ideas and new ways of working, the competition will soon leave you behind – but, it’s far easier said than done.Unless there’s a safe space for employees to try and fail without it impacting their job prospects, there’s bound to be blockers on change. This inevitably bears down most on those who are most driven to achieve business objectives - middle management. So what can be done to encourage a more forward-thinking ethos from top to bottom, with the all-important middle management tier at the very centre of it? Break down barriers Middle managers are busy people. They’re the intermediaries between the top brass and the shop floor. Their performance is measured on meeting business objectives, controlling resources and keeping the business on target. While those at the top might communicate the need for innovative solutions and those underneath might come up with the ideas, it’s up to the middle management to make sure the wheels of business keep turning."When innovation stalls, companies need to look inward to understand why. It’s all very well to say that innovation is key, but how does that translate to the people running the business on a day-to-day basis?"

Use a holistic approach and the workforce is more likely to embrace it wholeheartedly."It’s not enough to just inspire innovation, organisations need to drive a work culture where innovation is celebrated just as loudly."


By their very nature, new technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics, will help businesses evolve and develop, allowing staff to be more productive but also more creative, which is ultimately more fulfilling. By embracing the entrepreneurial mindset, as this tech becomes integrated, employees will be set on the path for continuous self-improvement. Encourage collaboration"By opening up and learning other skills, middle managers will inevitably discover new ways of thinking, enhancing their ability to find alternative solutions."

Make innovation a way of being Contrary to popular belief, innovation isn’t just a creative pursuit, having a structured and well planned process with thought through incentives is the key for complex organisations to unlock the middle and drive innovation led transformation in face of change. So the reality of unlocking middle management doesn’t stem from an action specifically towards this set of employees; it’s down to a company culture of innovation. If your whole business ethos is based on encouraging staff to finding solutions to things that aren’t working, or ways to improve a process, middle managers will embody this philosophy and with that, inspire their teams to do the same. Read our previous blog post to learn how to make teamwork as effective as possible."Middle managers should make everybody feel like their contributions are welcome, whether they’re submitted verbally or in writing, and even if they don’t ultimately lead to anything."
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