Devolved HRM responsibilities, middle‐managers and role dissonance

Purpose – This paper aims to report a study into the role of middle line managers, in public services, in relation to devolved HRM. The paper notes that the intermediacy of middle management leads to a distinct and unique form of role tension. A model is offered to explain that phenomenon, which is exacerbated by HRM responsibilities, and emphasises the importance of middle line managers within organisations.Design/methododology/approach – The paper shows that focused, qualitative discussions complemented earlier research. The NHS, Armed Forces and Fire Service were investigated to inform and test an explanatory framework for the phenomenon that is here denoted as role dissonance.Findings – The paper found that middle line managers want to be proactive in HRM and are taking ownership of HRM and are exceeding their job requirements to do so. However, while it can potentially enhance their role, HRM adds to what is already a substantial workload. Especially, middle managers need to mediate tensions between ...

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