Understanding ‘Vulnerability’ and ‘Political Skill’ in Academy Middle Management During Organisational Change in Professional Youth Football

ABSTRACT

The use of political skill to further employees’ self-interests and their ability to cope with ambiguity and employment vulnerability during periods of organizational change is an important yet under researched phenomenon. Taking a middle management perspective, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the experiences of Richard, a newly appointed professional youth football Academy Manager during the process of organizational change. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, formal academy team meetings, co-worker interviews, and informal observations and conversations, which were analyzed through the process of narrative analysis. Findings highlighted the hierarchical sensemaking challenges of vertically ‘managing up’ (e.g. Chairman, Board of Directors, 1st Team Manager) and ‘managing down’ (e.g. academy employees), and horizontally ‘managing across’ (e.g. Head of Coaching) during the process of organizational change. Importantly, managing expectations and influencing significant others, through skilled micro-political activity, was central to successfully negotiating the ambiguity and vulnerabilities of organizational life during change.

MAD statement

This study is the first to examine the micro-political actions and behaviours of middle managers as both recipients and deliverers of organizational change. The self-interests of middle-managers tend to influence strategic change; however, we do not understand how middle-managers make sense of the micro-political nature of such interests during change. This study highlights the complexity of coping with employment vulnerability when negotiating and influencing the actions of senior management whilst also supporting subordinate staff with resistance and uncertainty during change. Furthermore, the micro-political actions and strategies of a middle-manager to develop ‘trust’ amongst colleagues, both vertically ‘above’ and ‘below’ them, and horizontally ‘across’ from them in the organizational hierarchy, are evidenced.

KEYWORDS:

• Organisational change
• middle management
• sensemaking
• micro-politics
• professional Youth football

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Luke Gibson

Luke Gibson is a Senior Lecturer in Sport Coaching in the Department of Sport, Outdoor and Exercise Sciences at the University of Derby, UK. He also regularly contributes to the executive postgraduate education courses at the Business School at Manchester Metropolitan University, and supervises postgraduate research projects for the Masters in Sporting Directorship programme. Drawing upon qualitative methods, his work is based on understanding organizational change in professional football. Working within interpretive and interactionist ethnographic frameworks, his work explores micro-political activity, identity construction and change management.

Ryan Groom

Ryan Groom is a Senior Lecturer and Postgraduate Programme Director in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. He also regularly contributes to the Masters in Sporting Directorship executive education programme at the Business School in Manchester. Theoretically and methodologically, his work is based at the intersection of interactional sociology and psychology, predominately, working within interpretive applied naturalistic and ethnographic frameworks within elite sport. He has published widely in journals examining organizational change, mentoring, and learning. He has also co-edited Research Methods in Sports Coaching (2014, Routledge) and Learning in Sports Coaching (2016, Routledge) with Lee Nelson and Paul Potrac.