Year: 2009
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Within the Managerial Work and Behaviour tradition, researchers have for nearly 60 years studied what managers do in their everyday work. However, these studies have to a little extent acknowledged the emotional nature of managerial work. In this thesis, I examine why and how managers engage in care towards their subordinates. Based on empirical data derived from shadowing four managers for a complete week each, supplemented with interview data from the manager and their co-workers, I show that managers accomplish care through mundane activities like listening and chatting. It is also evident that shadowing is a well-suited method for studying the emotional reactions from managers and others in organizations.\n\nThe research question “Why do managers engage in care?” is explored at three different levels of analysis. On the individual level I find that managers engage in care by observing that it can immediately reduce tension in a relationship. On the interpersonal level I find that managerial care affects co-workers both directly and indirectly through social influence processes. On the institutional level I find that managers engage in care because of authority derived from their formal position. Together these three explanations integrate the phenomena managerial care across micro and macro levels of analysis. I argue that the managerial authority also includes certain duties, which is influenced by the legal framework and more importantly by the employees’ expectations. To manage other people, and especially having personnel responsibility, makes the manager more inclined to perform emotional labour. It is therefore important to recognize the positive aspects of care and also to observe the flip side of this coin.\n\nMy study shows that managerial care can be experienced as burden for those that must engage in it. My findings should encourage managers, management educators, and scholars to acknowledge emotions in organizations and particular to recognize the emotional burdens of being a manager. It is time to acknowledge that managers are human beings with emotions, both positive and negative, and that an understanding of these is necessary to understand the total nature of managerial work.
Source: BIBSYS Brage (BIBSYS (Norway))
Author: Ola Edvin Vie
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W40295466