Breaking Through the Frozen Middle: Why Innovation Thrives Outside Permission

When I first started in business, I believed that the best ideas naturally rose through the ranks. But the longer I’ve worked inside large corporations, the more I’ve seen how often innovation stalls in what’s often called the “frozen middle.”

Middle managers aren’t necessarily obstructive people, they’re often caught between corporate strategy and day-to-day delivery. But the result is the same: ideas get rejected, not because they’re bad, but because they’re perceived as risky.