Manager's Tale

What does being a manager mean to those who do managerial work and why has becoming a manager become so attractive for so many people? How does pursuing a managerial career fit with the wider project of constructing a life and a sense of self? How do management careers relate to the economic and social history of the post-war period?This fascinating book answers these questions by considering the extended life histories of ten managers, taking an empathetic approach to their lives, and so allowing their own voices to be heard.Utilising a broadly existentialist approach to make sense of the manager's stories, the book uses the ideas of Heidegger, Sartre and Ricoeur to show that who a person is can be seen as a narrative accomplishment, a result of the stories we tell ourselves and others. Within this framework the manager's stories are revealed - both as a collective tale of a particular generation's experiences and also as archetypal folk tales. Such interpretation highlights the complex ways in which the dominant expectations of what it means to be a successful individual in the modern world influence what sort of person we strive to be. Illuminating and thoughtful, this book offers a unique insight into how we understand management work and careers 'from the inside'.