The making of managers : identity and relations to knowledge

Abstract : This thesis explores the making of managers, as a social experience. The method of investigation carries on 39 managers’ life and training stories and an online survey with 563 managers and encompasses macro, meso and micro perspectives (A).

This making is situated in the managerialization  context which affects the averall society. With theses mark changes, the « manager stereotype » tends to idealize itself and make concurrences « French cadre stereotype ». Ways of making managers are examinated with the regard of education, career path, organisational learning, and vocational training. This ways lack to explain human skills development required   by a managerial function. Essentially this is by informal training that managers develop self directed learning competencies and learn their job (B).

The processes noted in the thesis are relevant of socio-anthropological, status and ritual, relational, social, bio-historical, axiological, socio-cognitive, identity and emotional making (C).

The thesis establishes the idea of a manager emerging from  maturation processes rather than an inborn manager, exclusively endowed with singular ability. The main contribution is the outstanding of  ties between relation to knowledge and identities for various manager paths like initial education, vocational training, apprenticeship or validation of acquired vocational skills (D).