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The malady of mediocrity

Swati Sengupta (State Bank of India, Mumbai, India)

Journal of Organizational Change Management

ISSN: 0953-4814

Article publication date: 9 August 2022

Issue publication date: 1 September 2022

121

Abstract

Purpose

Managerial mediocrity – that characteristic of being somewhere in the middle in terms of capability or aptitude – is an understudied phenomenon and yet has significant impact on organizational effectiveness, performance and goodwill. Organizations must therefore be able to identify mediocrity, and take prompt action to eradicate it. What are some of the symptoms of mediocrity, and what are the steps that an organization can take? These are the questions that this article attempts to answer.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a paper expressing viewpoint.

Findings

While the managers are not are expected to be excellent in all aspects, being consistently in the average bracket has far reaching consequences. Companies who have a sizeable number of employees in this category struggle when it comes to pursuing organizational vision and goals. Most performance management systems revolve around the top performers and the non-performers, rewarding the former and penalizing the latter. More often than not, the mediocre populace is largely untouched.

Social implications

Future researchers can study the highlighted gaps in regards to commitment to change. Further it provides researchers a brief summary of 55 research studies on commitment to change.

Originality/value

This is an original article.

Keywords

Citation

Sengupta, S. (2022), "The malady of mediocrity", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 35 No. 4/5, pp. 713-717. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-05-2022-0143

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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