The thesis explores the idea that the construction of managerial identity can usefully be conceptualised as a narrative accomplishment. The research is framed as itself a story that is made up of interrelated autobiographies and biographies. In my introduction I explain how and why I have used stories, including an account of how I collected and organised the material that forms the empirical content of the thesis. In the following two chapters I present both my own life history and those of a number of managers. In Chapters Four, Five and Six, I develop my theoretical position on narrative identity. I start by evaluating how managerial identities are framed within Critical Management Studies (CMS), offering a critique of CMS as a product of an academic identity project that often unreflexively relies upon positioning managers as 'the Other'. I go on to argue that, as a result, a rather limited bipolar debate between humanistic and poststructuralist conceptions of identity has become characteristic of CMS research. In Chapter Six I argue that the existentialist philosophy of Heidegger, Sartre and Ricoeur might extend thinking about managerial identity through its insistence on the essential narrativity of human existence and its conception of lives as existential quests. I then return to the life histories, thematising them using the theoretical framework developed previously, according to three modes of narrative analysis; those of historical reference, narrative elements, and narrative performance. I conclude that the narrative approach and the use of life histories has much to offer future research into managerial identity and has important ethical and political implications for the CMS 'project'. These implications include the ethical imperative of representing others empathetically and exploring the links between our own identity projects, our representation of others and the pursuit of social justice.

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The thesis presents the results of an investigation into the role of tradition in interorganizational collaboration. The main part of the research was conducted in three collaborative contexts: a regional business network; a network of national science groups; and a European science network. The situations were researched over a period varying from one to three years. The findings provide indications of the role of tradition in the conflicts and complexities of collaboration and therefore contribute to an understanding of the difficulties of collaborative practice. Inferences about the inter-relation of tradition with structures, notions of identity and knowledge are developed and linked to a collaborative interaction in relation to small groups, networks and broad societal patterns. These inferences help to provide a more developed conceptualization of the role of tradition in collaborative situations. Since these points are grounded in the data collected during this research - but are also connected to relevant theories of tradition, identity, social structure and knowledge - they are of direct relevance to the consideration of collaboration, but may be of utility in other areas of organization studies.

Research into emotions in organisations has grown considerably in recent years, inspiring both academic and practitioner interest. This thesis reviews the growing literature on the subject, especially considering Hochschild's (1983) concept of emotional labour and the possible emotional demands and impacts of service work. Concepts such as emotional exhaustion, burnout and desensitisation are often referred to in the literature although relatively few researchers draw attention to any more positive effects. This project sought to widen the study of the emotional implications of service work to include the large, but under researched public house sector of Britain's hospitality industry. This thesis investigates the nature of emotion rules in public houses, how such rules are learnt and identifies a variety of both negative and positive emotional demands of pub work and how workers react to these. A single ethnographic study was undertaken within a large chain of public houses. A mixture of participant observation and in-depth interviews provided a rich variety of data resulting in a broad picture of the nature of the emotions within a number of individual public houses within the chain, with the fieldworker taking on the role of an employee in five such units. When discussing the emotional demands of their work, there was a common assertion among study participants that pubs were rather different to other types of hospitality outlet. This was seen as particularly relevant to the nature of emotion rules, which were influenced by a variety of stakeholders, including management, colleagues, customers and self. The idea that bar staff need to be and be seen to be genuine with customers was often stressed. Although all were able to recall some specific incidents when some surface and deep acting was called for, these were perceived to be exceptions rather than the norm. Some negative emotional aspects were raised by participants, especially relating to dealing with unpleasant customers or situations. More positive 'effects' of emotional labour were also alluded to, with bar staff claiming to enjoy much of their work dealing with customers They described pleasure from satisfying customers and even 'enjoying' dealing with less pleasant ones when they felt they could maintain an element of control over potentially damaging situations. The thesis takes a reflexive approach to the topic being investigated. This is felt to be particularly important given the participatory nature of ethnography and the generally tacit nature of emotions and the management of emotion. The researcher discusses influences, experiences, problems and successes from a personal perspective, helping readers to understand the personal research journey undertaken and come to their own conclusions regarding the value of this piece of work.