Autonomy and Empowerment for Middle Managers in Jamaican Local (Municipal) Authorities: A Positioning Strategy for Change Leadership/Management

Introduction

In times of crisis decisions need to be made quickly. Yet, too often, decisions in municipal corporations that could have been made by middle managers are stalled for a seemingly exorbitant amount of time waiting for review and the final decision of senior managers. Decisions can sometimes be made by junior leaders when given the latitude by their senior managers to be autonomous. Autonomy given to middle managers brings about change, freedom to make effective decisions on the manager’s behalf in accordance with the operating procedures, ethical principles, and effectives of the organization. Thus, the need for autonomy and empowerment to bring about change in the organization. According to Buchanan (2013) “middle managers in general hold a wide range of responsibilities, from ‘keeping the show on the road’ to contributing to strategy, innovation and change, with a profile that sharply contradicts the ‘pen-pushing bureaucrats’ imagery” (p.1). Such a view places middle managers’ highly on a change management continuum, whereby autonomy and employment are solutions for organizational effectiveness, and efficiency to deal with any crises that may arise in the organization.

The reality is, organizations cannot function without change, and middle managers based on their roles and functions have to influence others to support the change. Within the wider context of the change management/leadership, this can be quite challenging because the pace of change is constantly evolving and requires quick action regarding decisions. The paradigm shift requires extremely flexible schedules and programs, as well as efficient human resource capacity. There is no greater need for this shift in management processes than in times of crisis such as natural disasters (hurricanes and the pandemic are prime examples).

Autonomy and empowerment of employees in organizations result in a motivated workforce, effective performance, job satisfaction and commitment (Bass, 1990; Burns, 1978; Deci & Ryan, 2017; Northouse, 2013). Research has indicated that leaders in organizations have encountered challenges with middle managers (subordinates) failure to be informed about policy decisions as they are not empowered with authority to act (Gilbert, 2009, Kolzow, 2014; Steinmann et al., 2018; Stoker, 2006). The general problem is change is needed within local government authorities and senior managers have to initiate that change by empowering their junior managers. Within the literature of organizational transformation, managers’ capacity to influence, manage, and plan change for the strategic direction of the administration is instrumental (Abramson & Lawrence 2001; Fernandez & Rainey, 2006; Kotter 1995). Change is inevitable in organizations and senior managers are critical in bringing about such change (Burke 2002, Fernandez & Rainey, 2006; Yukl, 2002).

The specific problem is that middle managers need empowerment and autonomy from their chief executive managers to make certain decisions in their absence without relying too much on the control and command approach. This has stifled the growth and productivity of employees. Hence, the study explores how autonomy and empowerment of middle managers in Jamaican municipalities, acting as local government authorities, as a positioning strategy for change leadership/management in times of crises.