Telling tales: management gurus' narratives and the construction of managerial identity

Article Abstract:

This paper examines the reasons for the apparently powerful impact of management gurus' ideas (i.e. guru theory) on senior managers. An examination of the limited literature on management gurus and other related literatures suggests three explanations for the appeal of guru theory for senior managers. The first set of explanations relates to various features of management work which may heighten managers' receptivity to guru ideas. The second set focuses on the gurus themselves and emphasizes the form in which they are presented (i.e. public performances). The final set of explanations highlights the importance of the socioeconomic and cultural context within which guru theories emerge and become widely adopted. A number of criticisms of these explanations are offered: that they define the manager as passive, that the flow of ideas in one way (guru to manager), that they rely on an academic conception of knowledge. An alternative explanation of their success is outlined which suggests that their work - their analyses, presentations and theories - offer attractive conceptions of the role of managers which constitute the identity of the modern senior manager as an heroic, transformative leader. Gurus therefore not only constitute the organizational realities but also managers themselves. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Executives, Business consultants, Management consultants

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Management Control as an Employee Resource: The Case of Front-line Service Workers

Article Abstract:

The use of management control by employees to, in turn, control those they work with is examined. Discussion focuses on the roles of self-defined interests and employee experience of management controls in the development of this dynamic.

Methods, Interpersonal relations, Control (Psychology)

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Appreciating Stockbroking: Constructing Conceptions to Make Sense of Performance

Article Abstract:

The article compares and contrasts the perspectives of high performing stockbrokers and low performing stockbrokers regarding their work. It is posited that the differences found may account for variation in performance levels.

Security brokers and dealers, Securities Brokerage, Stock Brokerage, Evaluation, Stockbrokers, Beliefs, opinions and attitudes, Employee performance

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