Support for middle managers of human services in the public sector

Middle managers in the public sector will have to find the balance between the push for efficiency and meeting their targets as well as fulfilling the long term goals of the department they work for. They will need support from their workplace to minimise the challenges and maximise their motivators in order to be fully engaged (Fitzgerald, 2000). Middle managers of human services in public sector organisations need a clear vision, goals and roles (Fitzgerald,

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2000); access to resources and information (Cook, 2004; Hughes & Wearing, 2013; Matheson et al., 1997; Robinson, 2012), training and supervision; and salary review and financial remuneration (Paine Schofield et al., 2008) from their organisations to effectively implement strategies to deal with their challenges.

5.3.1 Clear vision, goals and roles

Participants described how they felt their organisations were not clear about their vision and strategy and do not use this as a guide when making decisions or setting priorities. The participants believed that a clear vision would guide and support decision making, resource allocation, priority setting, and set clear guidelines around expectations and behaviour. Stoker (2006) agrees that middle managers need to be supported by getting clear directions from their senior managers. When public sector managers are proud to work for their organisation they are willing to go the extra mile if they feel their organisation is behaving in a socially and environmentally responsible way (Buchanan et al., 2013). Hughes and Wearing (2013) add that professionals need to feel committed to the values and skill base that will improve the lives of their clients and facilitate change within the organisation. If this is not met by the organisation it could impact on the feelings of belonging and motivation for middle managers in the public sector. Participants explained that they expect their organisation to make the needs of the clients and staff a priority and to ensure the strategic vision reflects this. By communicating openly and discussing the vision and strategy of the organisation and explained the motivations and reasons behind decisions, senior managers can support their middle managers and keep them involved (Rock & Rock, 2016).

5.3.2 Access to resources, information, training and supervision

Participants explained that their organisation was not guided by a strong strategic vision but was focused on meeting short term goals. As these goals change pending funding criteria, it was difficult to adequately resource them. Participants described how their funding was based on statistics and figures they cannot access as the systems are not geared up to produce these. Accurate and up to date information is essential to implement and review

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decisions and resources (Cook, 2004; Matheson et al., 1997: Robinson, 2012). Participants explained that without the accurate resources or information they cannot fulfil their role efficiently.

Another support need the participants identified was access to training and supervision. Participants expected their organisation to offer training and ongoing performance development to enable them to fulfil their role. Fitzgerald (2000) agrees that professional development and training is a central factor to ensure middle managers can fully engage in their role. The participants stated that the lack of training when appointed into the role was a challenge and that little other training has been offered. The main reason for wanting training was the opportunities it presented for networking. Paine Schofield et al., (2008) add that a strategy for professional development for managers needs to be in place with resources allocated to individual learning and development plans of middle managers. Organisations also need to invest in developing a next generation of leaders. None of the participants stated they had a personal development plan or a succession plan or receive supervision.

5.3.3 Salary review and financial remuneration

Middle managers need job security (Pain Schofield et al., 2008) and intrinsic and extrinsic incentives and sanctions to ensure full engagement (Cook, 2004). None of the participants complained about their salary and the research in the UK by Paine Schofield et al., (2008) identified most middle managers were satisfied with their salary. However, participants stated that they want appraisals and salary reviews and financial remuneration attached to their goals and outcomes. None of the participants mentioned that they received performance appraisals or discussed financial rewards with their senior managers.

Discussion

Senior managers should support middle managers to ensure strategies can be utilised to deal with challenges (Stoker, 2006). The participants highlighted the importance of a strong strategic vision as a guide for the organisation, their managers and the staff. Organisational clarity around the goals and priorities and around the roles and expectations will ensure the correct goals are met and

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the appropriate resources are in place. Middle managers expect their senior managers to ensure this strong strategic vision is in place. However, it is unclear how much influence the senior managers have in the setting of the strategic vision and the funding requirements as the scope, scale and direction of the public sector is determined by the institutional power of the central government (Gatenby et al., 2015). It seems that middle managers believe senior managers do not advocate for their staff and clients and families. As staff did not recognise that middle managers advocate and negotiate on their behalf, it could be that middle managers do not recognise the efforts of their senior staff either (Stoker, 2006). This can be alleviated by improving the communication between senior management, middle management and staff and to be open and transparent in the decision making processes (Rock & rock, 2016).

Participants stated they want to be properly resourced to enable them to fulfil their role. As the literature clearly identified, public sector organisations have to do more with less (Hughes & Wearing, 2013), and so it is probably realistic for middle managers to feel under-resourced. Participants feel that resources are cut to save costs without a long term strategy on what resources are needed and when and how to resource the organisation more effectively. Participants are confident about their own abilities to deal with the information and communication systems if they had access to them. This is not supported by the literature, which identified skills and knowledge gaps in the public sector especially around the implementation and use of new technology (Eggers & Bellman, 2015).

Participants also expected training, supervision and mentoring from their organisation, mainly due to the networking opportunities that this can bring. However, training was not made a priority by the organisation or the participants themselves. The participants did not identify any outstanding training needs or management courses that they wanted to undertake. It is unclear what needs they specifically have and if they have requested training or supervision that was declined. It seems that these are seen as opportunities to network with other managers, share ideas and receive and give support. If this is indeed the reason, informal networking groups or peer supervision might be able to meet this need (Hyrkäs et al., 2005). This may ensure that middle managers receive

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the appropriate support without having to request funding or use supervision resources.

Middle managers need support and recognition from their organisation (Milosavljevic et al., 2015). However, as the conflicting demands mean goals

are unclear and probably never meet everyone’s needs, this is a difficult

requirement to meet. Participants expressed that it does not matter how hard you work as there is no reward attached to the behaviour. It seems that performance reviews and financial remuneration is one of the few ways middle managers expect to feel valued and supported by their organisation as they do not feel valued otherwise (Milosavljevic et al., 2015).

Organisational support for middle managers in the public sector is not just aimed at ensuring full engagement. As this group is at a higher risk for burn-out (Milosavljevic et al., 2015), work related stress needs to be addressed to achieve a healthy work-life balance. The lack of vision and strategy for middle managers and the lack of professional support seemed to increase the stress levels of managers (Hyrkäs et al., 2005) which might impact on the commitment of the middle manager to the organisation.

Summary

This chapter compared the data from the literature review and the participants’ responses to identify the challenges of middle managers of human services in the public sector. The strategies that they have developed to deal effectively with these challenges are identified and what support is needed to implement these strategies effectively.

A range of challenges for middle managers of human services in the public sector were identified: staff management issues, increased by unclear roles and expectations, lack of training, lack of ICT and administrative support and lack of information and information systems. These middle managers felt isolated, unsupported and undervalued by having to be funding and output focused. The challenges that middle managers of human services in the public sector encounter seem to be strongly linked with the lack of strong strategic vision and mission statements of the organisation.

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There are a number of incentives and motivators identified for middle managers in the public sector. Participants explained how they are using their people focused strategies to increase these motivators and deal with challenges. Participants would like to utilise mentoring and supervision more often but believe there are funding and other practical barriers preventing this. They have developed a range of personal strategies that support them to deal with their challenges.

A number of incentives and motivators for middle managers can turn to challenges if organisational support is not present. Public sector organisations ideally need a strong strategic vision and clarity around the goals and priorities and therefore clarity around the roles and expectations. The resources and information systems need to fit with these goals and priorities. Participants also expected training, supervision and mentoring from their organisation as well as salary and performance reviews.

The last chapter will summarise this thesis, review the main points from the previous chapters and highlight the key results. It will discuss the research aims and objectives and makes recommendations for further research and for the public sector stakeholders.

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