unfreezeGabriel Lopez

The Atlas of the Middle

Every study we could find on middle managers and change, nearly all first published from 2007 to 2018: 117 studies across 24 journals, each summarized in plain language and placed on the five parts of the Unfrozen Loop.

Each dot is one study. A study that informs several parts appears in each one. Hover or tap a dot to read it.

  1. 1Surface both ways23
  2. 2Make sense together30
  3. 3Start it close to the work52
  4. 4Review, then hold still5
  5. 5The middle's own weather26
  6. ·About the middle, not one part27
Supports the partMixedChallenges itAbout the middle, not one partBigger dot = stronger evidence

Read the evidence part by part

Part 1Surface both waysBad news and good ideas move up as easily as plans move down.23 studiesPart 2Make sense togetherManagers and their teams work out what the change means for their work, instead of just receiving it.30 studiesPart 3Start it close to the workThe people who do the work shape how the change lands in it.52 studiesPart 4Review, then hold stillShort, regular reviews, then a deliberate pause so the change can set before the next one lands.5 studiesPart 5The middle's own weatherWorkload, competing initiatives and strain on the managers carrying the change.26 studies

What the research says

Why do middle managers resist change?Why doesn't bad news reach senior leaders?Should change be top-down or bottom-up?What do middle managers actually do during change?How does change affect middle managers themselves?How long should a change settle before the next one?

All studies

How the Atlas was built

The studies come from the Unfrozen Research Index, a database of about 35,000 articles from 29 management and organization journals. A search for middle-manager research on change first published from 2007 to 2018 found 196 candidates; 117 were judged to be about middle managers. One of them, Noda and Bower, turned out on checking to be a 1996 classic that the index had dated 2007; it stays in. Each was coded for which parts of the Unfrozen Loop it informs, whether it supports, complicates or challenges that part, and how strong its evidence is.

Every summary was written in plain language by Unfrozen, not copied from the publisher, then checked twice by independent reviewers against the study's abstract or full text. Coding is exploratory and AI-assisted, pending verification by a human second coder. Studies after 2018 are not yet coded, so the coding of the next wave can be preregistered first.

Found a mistake? Email info@unfreeze.us. Corrections are made and noted.