| This interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) dissertation reveals the results of an exploration into the middle managers' perspective of what it is like to be both a leader and a follower simultaneously. As symbolized by the Roman god Janus, with two faces, middle managers face simultaneous roles as leaders and followers with implicit and explicit expectations. Middle managers are members of at least two dyads encompassing three levels within a hierarchy. The middle managers' perspectives of their simultaneous roles within these dyads suggest their challenges might complicate the more widely known leadership-followership dyad in leader-member-exchange (LMX) research. Similarly, the interrelated nature inherent with cognitive self-schemas, implicit leadership theory (ILT), and implicit followership theory (IFT) studies related to cognition psychology must contend with the additional simultaneous perspectives when applied to the middle manager. Sparse scholarly attention has focused on these challenges. Nine senior middle managers ensconced within the middle of a large hierarchical organization participated. All nine participants, their leaders, and most of their followers were knowledge workers. The findings reveal six themes common among all nine participants: acquiescence, balance, communication, self, empathy, and expectation. Findings suggest the point of acquiescence was reached after the participants balanced dissonance contributors, such as their self-schemas, expectations, and empathy for others. Communication was found to have an active and passive component that along with empathy emerged as middle manager tools to discern expectations, inspire, and engage innovation effectively. Theoretical research insights and practitioner suggestions are offered. |
