Strategic alignment between senior and middle managers in local government and health

The North West Change Centre at Manchester Business School has been developing collaborative programmes aimed at public sector middle managers. Evaluation recently completed, using follow-up interviews, studied the affect of the programmes on individuals, their organisation and their work intra-organisationally. Reference is made to management theories on strategic alignment and cultural change. The results suggest that middle managers have been highly satisfied resulting in changed attitudes, greater confidence and worked-through project ideas being developed. However, a sense of being "out of alignment" with their organisation remains manifested in poor support for inter-agency working. A model of strategic alignment between middle and senior managers is demonstrated which illustrates the affects of strong and weak alignment and the implications for implementing modernised services. Recommendations are made on contextualising change, how managerial signalling can be improved, how pathways to changed organisational systems can be identified and how barriers to change can be overcome.