8: Reflections and conclusion
Many of government’s most important programs require effective horizontal communication and management, yet too much of government still operates within vertical silos that hinder horizontal collaboration. The government increasingly suffers from what we call an advanced case of bureausclerosis, caused by increasing administrative layers and walls between policymakers and the administrators charged with carrying out policy. (National Academy of Public Administration, 2017: 10)
This final chapter brings the book to a conclusion with a summary of, and reflections on the main themes, arguments and perspectives examined in this book. It aims to place this contribution within the existing literature, as well as setting out a future research agenda on this topic of study in terms of research questions, themes, methodologies and areas of study. This book has explored the implications of the changing face of public management, policy and governance on a particular cadre of public managers – the ‘middle managers’. It has not been a straightforward task to clearly demark and categorise this group of actors. The term ‘middle’ suggests a positional perspective that locates these managers in a particular tier within a traditionally organised bureaucratic organisation – sandwiched between a top tier of executives, and a bottom layer of primarily frontline professionals, administrative, support and clerical staff. However, middle managers can also be categorised by role, nature of work and activities. It has been argued that they represent a potentially influential group of actors who wield power and influence through their position and control over financial resources and staff. Their power is invariably underpinned by a professional grounding in a specific area of knowledge and expertise.
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