Managing Like a Man: Women and Men in Corporate Management by Polity Press (10 September 1998)

Why canxe2x80xb2t a man be more like a woman? seems to be the catchcry of modern management gurus. They claim to be revaluing feminine soft skills as qualities necessary for corporate success. This book looks behind the rhetoric and investigates the gender relations of senior management in a postxe2x80x93equal opportunities world. The proportion of women managers has risen dramatically in the last twenty years, yet there are still very few women getting to the top. Based on a major study of five multinational corporations with model equality policies, this book takes a critical look at womenxe2x80xb2s and menxe2x80xb2s experience in a changing corporate climate. Wajcman brings to bear feminist theories on equality and difference in employment, together with organisational analysis, in her assessment of whether women really do bring a distinct feminine style of management to tomorrowxe2x80xb2s organisations. The main focus is on the process of masculine organizational culture that sexualizes women 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 of managers and looks at the interconnections between home and work for men as well as women. The author reveals how relations between the sexes are negotiated in the corridors of power and at the kitchen sink. The book will be of interest to undergraduates, postgraduates and academics in the fields of sociology, gender studies and management.