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July 15, 2026Management Communication Quarterly

The Structural Squeeze: Middle Managers’ Communicative Navigation of Tensional Knots

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Authors

LOLeah M. Omilion‐HodgesJPJennifer K. PtacekMRMolly Reed

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Overview

Qualitative study explores middle managers' role amid competing communicative demands, indicating practical implications for strategic communication.

Key Points

  • This study aims to understand the role of middle managers in navigating the paradoxes they face in communication between leadership and operational teams.
  • In-depth interviews with 66 middle managers
  • Utilized abductive thematic analysis to identify themes
  • Applied organizational paradox as a metatheory
  • Identified three core paradoxes: Authority (enable/constrain), Information (ambiguity/transparency), and Performance (task accomplishment/relationship management).
  • Demonstrated that the middle manager's role is structured as a communicative tensional knot.
  • Proposed a shift towards a paradox mindset for addressing role challenges through strategic communication.

Cite This Study

Omilion‐Hodges et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a57236f88b21df8754801eahttps://doi.org/10.1177/08933189261464635
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