unfreezeGabriel Lopez

What the research says

How do middle managers drive innovation?

The short answer

In the studies we mapped, mostly by finding and connecting what already exists. At one ICT multinational, middle managers ran intense, cross-silo searches that pieced together answers to unusual problems, and another study found such searches sometimes modified or created routines. In two multinationals, middle managers bundled scarce resources from inside and outside to work around short-term profit pressure. A conceptual paper argues firms survive technology shifts when middle managers link new-tech teams to existing assets. In one study, early results raised or lowered middle managers' enthusiasm and top managers' confidence in them. Most of this evidence comes from case studies, and none is rated high strength.

Based on 7 studies from the Atlas of the Middle: 0 rated high strength, 4 medium, 3 low. Designs: qualitative case (5), conceptual (1), survey (1).

Searching for knowledge across silos

At an ICT multinational built on replicating standard solutions, a loose structure and no central knowledge store went with middle managers running intense, cross-silo searches for answers to unusual problems. A second study found that when middle managers hunted for knowledge to solve unusual problems, they produced new fixes and sometimes modified or created routines.

Tippmann et al. (2014) · qualitative case · LowStimulating Knowledge Search Routines and Architecture Competences: The Role of Organizational Context and Middle ManagementAt Gamma, an ICT multinational built on replicating standard solutions, a loose structure and no central knowledge store went with middle managers running intense, cross-silo searches that pieced together answers to unusual problems.Tippmann et al. (2013) · qualitative case · LowThe Two Faces of Knowledge Search: New Solutions and Capability DevelopmentWhen middle managers hunted for knowledge to solve unusual problems, they produced new fixes and sometimes modified or created routines; the authors argue firms that organize for knowledge to circulate are better able to build capabilities this way.

Working around the constraints

In two multinationals, middle managers trying to build business models for poor markets worked around short-term profit pressure and unit-based incentives by creatively bundling scarce resources from inside and outside, which the authors call intrapreneurial bricolage.

Halme et al. (2012) · qualitative case · MediumInnovation for Inclusive Business: Intrapreneurial Bricolage in Multinational CorporationsIn two multinationals, middle managers trying to build business models for poor markets worked around short-term profit pressure and unit-based incentives by creatively bundling scarce resources from inside and outside, which the authors call intrapreneurial bricolage.

Linking the new to the existing

A conceptual paper uses IBM and NCR to argue that firms survive technology shifts when middle managers link new-tech teams to existing assets. In a survey of 144 Chinese manufacturers, a teamwork-oriented HR system for executives was linked to firms better balancing new and existing business, more so where middle managers shared more knowledge upward.

Taylor & Helfat (2009) · conceptual · LowOrganizational Linkages for Surviving Technological Change: Complementary Assets, Middle Management, and AmbidexterityIBM and NCR are used to argue that firms survive technology shifts when middle managers link new-tech teams to existing assets.Chen et al. (2016) · survey · MediumHow Does Executive Strategic Human Resource Management Link to Organizational Ambidexterity? An Empirical Examination of Manufacturing Firms in ChinaIn a survey of 144 Chinese manufacturers, a teamwork-oriented HR system for executives was linked to firms better balancing new and existing business, partly through a more effective top team, and more so where middle managers shared more knowledge upward.

Early results shape the bet

Firms facing similar new-business opportunities ended up with different commitments, as early results raised or lowered middle managers' enthusiasm and repeated funding rounds escalated or wound down the bet. After IBM's plasma display bet failed, middle-level champions recast the case for LCDs in business terms for senior managers, and IBM went on to lead LCDs.

Noda & Bower (1996) · qualitative case · MediumStrategy making as iterated processes of resource allocationFirms facing similar new-business opportunities ended up with different commitments: early results raised or lowered middle managers' enthusiasm and top managers' confidence in them, and repeated funding rounds escalated or wound down the bet.Eggers (2016) · qualitative case · MediumReversing course: Competing technologies, mistakes, and renewal in flat panel displaysAfter IBM's plasma display bet failed, middle-level champions recast the case for LCDs in business terms for senior managers, and IBM went on to lead LCDs.

What I take from it

My read is that innovation from the middle looks less like invention and more like stitching things together across boundaries. I would be wary of structures that make that stitching harder, and I would not judge a new bet only on its first results.

This is my reading, Gabriel Lopez's, not a finding of the studies above.

Common questions

Do middle managers innovate?

In the studies we mapped, yes, often by searching for and recombining knowledge. At one ICT multinational, middle managers ran intense, cross-silo searches that pieced together answers to unusual problems.

How do middle managers innovate with limited resources?

In two multinationals, middle managers building business models for poor markets worked around short-term profit pressure and unit-based incentives by creatively bundling scarce resources from inside and outside, which the authors call intrapreneurial bricolage.

Free guideThe 12 core answers in one 15-page PDFWhat the research says about change in the middle, with how strong the evidence is.Get the guide

Every summary on this page was written by Unfrozen from the study's abstract or full text and checked twice by independent AI reviewers. Loop coding is exploratory and AI-assisted, pending human verification. Spot an error? Email info@unfreeze.us and it gets fixed.

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