The role of middle managers in the implementation of national public policy

Cooper, Simon and Kitchener, Martin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6249-557X 2018. The role of middle managers in the implementation of national public policy. Policy & Politics: Advancing knowledge in public and social policy 47 (2) , pp. 309-329. 10.1332/030557318X15296527346801

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Abstract

Recent policy implementation studies have considered the processes by which the top down objectives of policy designers conflict with the bottom up responses of local actors within functional teams. Our paper extends that body of research by analysing the, hitherto underexplored, role of hybrid middle managers (HMMs) who combine their professional expertise with management responsibilities to locally forge compromises when implementing national policy interventions. Drawing from a recent study of the implementation of the Welsh national patient safety programme, this paper presents a detailed analysis of the activities deployed by HMMs to broker policy interventions within their local teams. We provide an analytical model to direct attention towards the varied activities performed by HMMs from different occupations. Our empirical findings reveal how policy implementation processes can be better understood, and planned, if HMMs are differentiated by their occupational background.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Business (Including Economics)
Publisher:	Bristol University Press
ISSN:	0305-5736
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	7 July 2025
Last Modified:	07 Jul 2025 10:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/177893

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