Abstract: This paper seeks to shed some light on the field of organizational learning in public organizations. More specifically, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of the middle manager in organizations operating in the Greek public domain. Our main finding is that middle managers are, in fact, far from fulfilling the role of knowledge engineers in Greek public organizations, succumbing to old style operational duties. Middle managers are merely conduits, translating plans into action, monitoring and controlling activities to keep things on track. In other words, their role in public management is completely internal, because they have lived their lives within the functional corridors of an organization's hierarchy.
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