Managing Like a Man

"Why can't a man be more like a woman?" seems to be the catchcry ofmodern management gurus. They claim to be revaluing feminine "soft"skills as qualities necessary for corporate success. This booklooks behind the rhetoric and investigates the gender relations ofsenior management in a post-equal opportunities world. The proportion of women managers has risen dramatically in thelast twenty years, yet there are still very few women "getting tothe top". Based on a major study of five multinational corporationswith model equality policies, this book takes a critical look atwomen's and men's experience in a changing corporate climate.Wajcman brings to bear feminist theories on equality and differencein employment, together with organisational analysis, in herassessment of whether women really do bring a distinct femininestyle of management to tomorrow's organisations. The main focus ison the process of masculine organizational culture that sexualizeswomen and excludes them from senior management. But how comfortable are men with the masculinity of management?This book presents fascinating material on the private lives ofmanagers and looks at the interconnections between home and workfor men as well as women. The author reveals how relations betweenthe sexes are negotiated in the corridors of power and at thekitchen sink. The book will be of interest to undergraduates, postgraduatesand academics in the fields of sociology, gender studies andmanagement.