Influence of executive turnover on middle management’s vertical codeswitching in South African organisations

Abstract

Middle managers represent a unique position in the organisation, as they can switch vertically between the contrasting positions of follower and leader. This implies that the middle manager engages in a power play by adopting multiple personas. The objective of this study was to gain an understanding of the challenges that the middle manager experiences when engaging in vertical code-switching and adopting a variety of power roles during the internal organisational pressure caused by executive level turnover. Research was undertaken using a qualitative, exploratory and interpretivist approach to obtain new insights into the phenomenon of vertical code-switching. Fifteen in-depth, semi-structured interviews were performed with middle managers to explore how they balanced power during an internal organisational pressure event, such as turnover at executive level. The key findings support the role transition theory and provide insight into the influence of executive turnover on the middle manager’s ability to switch between different organisational roles. The findings extend the current literature by demonstrating how the middle manager is left powerless during executive turnover by experiencing role overload due to the excessive demands placed upon them by the high-power strategic level. Furthermore, it was proven that external stimuli exist, and internal stimuli do not play a role in determining behaviour under pressure. The researcher developed a framework of vertical code-switching behaviour in the presence of executive turnover, and offered recommendations based on this framework. The findings are a theoretical and practical addition to the topic by offering an enhanced understanding of how vertical code-switching functions under internal organisational pressure and will help leaders adjust to changes in their environments. This paper makes use of hyperlinks across various sections for the ease of crossreferencing for the reader.