Copengauging: Toward a grounded theory of middle-managerial coping

Despite the move towards flatter organisations, middle managers continue to play a pivotal role. The thesis offers insights on how middle managers cope with shifting realities and unrelenting pressures. In-depth interviews revealed that middle managers undertake an iterative and dynamic psycho-social process through which they reflexively gauge their environment and then cope by varying their levels of engagement. Thus the thesis, somewhat counter-intuitively, puts forth 'disengagement' as a legitimate coping mechanism. The findings inform organisations on how they might lower the stress levels and enhance the mental health and well-being of their employees in general and middle managers in particular.