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Project managers on the edge: liminality and identity in the management of technical work
Author(s) -
Paton Steve,
Hodgson Damian
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
new technology, work and employment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.889
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1468-005X
pISSN - 0268-1072
DOI - 10.1111/ntwe.12056
Subject(s) - liminality , negotiation , position (finance) , identity (music) , work (physics) , public relations , space (punctuation) , sociology , value (mathematics) , business , political science , engineering , computer science , physics , finance , anthropology , acoustics , machine learning , operating system , mechanical engineering , social science
This paper explores the consequences of ‘corporate professionalisation’ through an analysis of the experiences of technical specialists adopting the position of project manager. Shifts towards ‘corporate professionalism’ in this and other occupations result in a tension between competing logics, the logic of the traditional profession versus another focused on delivery of market value for clients/employers. Living with this tension places project managers in a ‘liminal’ position in two ways; they find themselves in a liminal position created, first, by the transition from a technical specialist role into a managerial role, and second, as they occupy the space between the often opposing institutions of profession and employing organisation. Drawing on empirical data gathered within a project‐based industry and referring to G ouldner's ‘cosmopolitan’ and ‘local’ typologies, we explore the ‘identity work’ engaged in by project managers as they attempt to creatively negotiate the tensions inherent in the role.