Brocklehurst, Michael, Grey, Christopher and Sturdy, Andrew. (2010) Management: the work that dares not speak its name. Management Learning, Vol.41 (No.1). pp. 7-19. ISSN 1350-5076

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Abstract

The status of management and managers has fluctuated over the years, arguably reaching its high point in the mid-20th century but since declining. This article explores how managers respond to this decline in status. It presents and discusses the findings of a study of managers (who are also Executive MBA students) who unanimously avoided describing themselves as 'managers'. The article argues that this response reflects both the overuse of the designation 'manager' as well as derogatory connotations of the term. This derogation is rooted in the nature of managerial work and its associations with bureaucracy and inflexibility. But while features of bureaucracy such as hierarchy remain, then these managers find justification for their status in alternative self-descriptions such as 'professional', 'entrepreneur' and 'project leader'. The article concludes by considering some of the implications for management education and learning.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School
Journal or Publication Title:	Management Learning
Publisher:	Sage Publications Ltd.
ISSN:	1350-5076
Date:	February 2010
Volume:	Vol.41
Number:	No.1
Number of Pages:	13
Page Range:	pp. 7-19
Identification Number:	10.1177/1350507609347590
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/6458

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