This graphic on the link below shows how the constructive (blue) leadership ideals of management decay as they trickle down the organisation. How these ideals are seen by middle managers is shaped by senior leaders actual behaviour. In turn middle managers’ behaviours are a direct reflection of the senior managers ‘impact’ on them. There is an increasing tendency to passive (green) and aggressive (red) by middle managers, which in turn has an impact on the organisational culture as a whole. This clearly identifies the critical role of middle managers in shaping organisational culture.
Source – Quentin Lawler, Human Synergistics, 2012