Invisible Management

Book excerpt: Smart Strategies Series Invisible Management presents eleven empirical investigations into managerial leadership based on the frame of reference called social constructionism. The theoretical conclusions from these disclose a range of previously concealed aspects of management and leadership, which aim to inspire the practitioner and challenge the theoretician. Invisible Management follows the theme that managerial leadership is an interactional phenomenon, that managers are regarded as one of several important constructors and practitioners of organizational leadership, rather than exclusive helmsmen. The novel approach of Invisible Management revises the agenda for the discourse on management and leadership as currently conducted among academics and practitioners. It introduces three ingredients that are not widely recognised in existing research. These are, small talk, 'invisible' or unrecognised arenas and institutional dynamics. These three themes have been brought together in a deliberate attempt to rethink and reformulate both strategic management and (managerial) leadership theory.