IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jomstd/v36y1999i7p999-1012.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The National Health Service Manager, Engineer and Father? A Deconstruction

Author

Listed:
  • Mark Learmonth

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of deconstructing a short extract from a report written by a National Health Service Trust chief executive. Changes in National Health Service management since the early 1980s are briefly discussed. This is followed by a theoretical discussion of deconstruction and metaphorization. The text is analysed focusing on the ‘binary opposites’ reason and emotion. It is argued that reason is given hierarchical pre‐eminence and that emotion is hidden or marginalized but that both concepts are central in order to arrive at an understanding of the text. The chief executive appears to constitute his role in ways which might be characterized as engineering (reason) and as traditional fatherhood (emotion). Metaphors in the text are used in order to provide evidence to support these characterizations. One implication which is particularly highlighted is that management in this text is seen as a distinctively masculine practice – perhaps surprisingly within what is presumed to be the caring and supportive environment of a health care organization. The paper ends with some reflexive reflections on the analysis.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark Learmonth, 1999. "The National Health Service Manager, Engineer and Father? A Deconstruction," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(7), pages 999-1012, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jomstd:v:36:y:1999:i:7:p:999-1012
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-6486.00167
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00167
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1467-6486.00167?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:jomstd:v:36:y:1999:i:7:p:999-1012. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0022-2380 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.