Embracing relational vulnerabilities at the top: a study of managerial identity work amidst the insecurities of the self

Suvi Satama, Hannele Seeck and Lucia Garcia-Lorenzo

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: This study aims to revitalise the concept of relational vulnerability in advancing the theory of managerial identity work. Drawing on 35 semi-structured interviews and 12 podcast interviews with top managers in Finland, we identify two entwined themes through which top managers practise identity work by negotiating their vulnerabilities in the workplace. Our study illustrates the embodied subtlety of relational vulnerabilities in top managers’ identity negotiations by showing they can function as a tool for the managers’ professional development. Our study contributes to the broader discussion on a more humane working life by investigating the ways in which top managers can foster workplaces in which vulnerabilities are used as a starting point for improvement rather than as a tool for disparaging the self and the others. This is an aspect of managerial identity work that deserves to be more profoundly considered in both academic debate and managerial practice.

Keywords: embodiment; humane working life; Managerial identity work; managerial vulnerability; relational vulnerability; top managers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J50 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 20 pages
Date: 2023-12-25
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Published in Culture and Organization, 25, December, 2023. ISSN: 1475-9551

Downloads: (external link)
http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/121149/ Open access version. (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:121149

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library LSE Library Portugal Street London, WC2A 2HD, U.K.. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by LSERO Manager ().