Strategic alignment in SMEs: a major challenge (#2/3) "Mid-management"
- Olivier Forlini
- Feb 10
- 3 min read
The concept of alignment within SMEs/mid-sized companies and the resulting managerial challenges (#2/3)
"Mid-management"
Mid-management:
Translator or vision deviator in SMEs / Mid-sized companies
Introduction
In any growing organization, there is a critical point where a vision can either spread or fragment :
mid-management.
Team managers, business unit managers, department heads, site directors…
They are the ones who translate or distort the CEO's vision.
In SMEs/mid-sized companies with 50 to 5,000 employees, the majority of execution problems do not stem from a lack of will, but from a lack of managerial translation , coherence and prioritization.
1. The central role of middle management: transforming a vision into concrete actions
The role of middle management is twofold:
1) Translate the vision into local priorities
An industrial director, a sales manager or a marketing manager cannot repeat the vision “as is”.
He must transform it into:
3 to 5 local objectives,
a concrete action plan,
visible arbitrations,
expected behaviors.
2) Synchronize priorities between departments
Mid-management is the point of friction where the following meet:
marketing vs. sales
finance vs operations
headquarters vs. sites
international vs local.
This is often where disagreements arise.
2. The 4 recurring causes of mid-management misalignment
2.1 Priority Overload
Managers receive too much:
projects,
reporting
of contradictory injunctions.
Everything becomes important → therefore nothing is.
2.2 Lack of training in strategic translation
Many are excellent technicians or salespeople… Who became managers through internal promotion.
But translating a vision is not intuitive.
2.3 Conflicting KPIs between departments
A classic for SMEs/mid-sized companies:
marketing wants the image,
Salespeople want volume.
Finance wants the margin.
operations want stability.
The middle manager has to make decisions without a clear framework. This leads to discrepancies in execution between business units or sites.
2.4 Daily pressure
Middle management is constantly absorbed by the short term:
operational risks,
Customer emergencies,
internal requests.
These emergencies consume strategic energy.
3. Concrete examples — French SMEs/mid-sized companies
🔎 Michel & Augustin (~300–400 employees)
Rapid growth, diversification, internationalization.
The challenge:
Maintain a consistent message between marketing, production and sales teams.
The lever:
Refocus managers on 3 cross-functional priorities to stabilize execution.
🔎 Lacroix Group (~4,000 employees)
A clear vision of the industry of the future.
Challenge: digital maturity levels vary greatly depending on the sites and business units.
Impact: Uneven execution, slowed projects.
Solution: management training programs + strategic playbook.
🔎 Paredes (~1,200 employees)
Major cultural and commercial transformation.
Challenge: to translate a value-add strategy into field practices.
The turning point: standardization of marketing messages + synchronization rituals.
4. How to make middle management truly aligned
4.1 Provide them with a clear “translation framework”
A short document that specifies the:
3 annual priorities,
Key messages to disseminate,
Decisions already made,
Limits of maneuverability.
Without a framework, each manager reinterprets according to their own style.
4.2 Train managers in communicating the vision
Objective :
To make them capable of "cascading" vision without distorting it.
Key content:
Clarification,
Consistency,
Arbitration,
Internal communication
Managing paradoxes (quality vs. volume, innovation vs. costs…).
4.3 Structurally reduce the number of priorities
A simple rule:
Never more than 3 priorities per quarter .
If each service has 7 departures in parallel, execution is impossible.
4.4 Synchronize KPIs between departments
To avoid contradictions:
a common set of KPIs aligned with the vision,
additional indicators by profession,
removal of “toxic” KPIs (which encourage behaviors contrary to the strategy).
4.5 Implementing cross-functional alignment rituals
Examples:
Monthly Marketing-Sales Committee,
Headquarters-site synchronization,
Quarterly strategic alignment review.
These rituals reduce differences before they become systemic.
5. Results observed in aligned SMEs/mid-sized companies
Smoother internal communication.
Faster and more consistent execution.
Less inter-professional tension.
Best customer quality.
A more consistent brand image.
An organization less dependent on the CEO to clarify priorities.
Conclusion
Middle management is the main amplifier — or weakener — of the leader's vision.
When trained, guided, and equipped with a clear framework, the organization progresses coherently.
When left alone to face internal contradictions, the CEO's vision becomes fragmented, and execution deteriorates.
The challenge for any SME/mid-sized company is therefore to equip its managers so that they become not just hierarchical relays, but true strategic translators .
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