MANAGEMENT STYLES
BIOGRAPHY Fabrice Cavarretta is a specialist in organisational theory and complexity and a professor at Essec Business School. His current research focuses on managerial doctrines and their substantive applications in leadership, intrapreneurship and ecological transition. This article is based on his recent paper, Weary of the Harsh Realities of People Management? Leadership Development as Cultivating a Taste for Muddy Situations , published by the journal, Organisational Dynamics
leadership. In our contemporary culture, leadership is often perceived as a grandiose activity; its practice should then be a source of fulfilment and satisfaction. In reality, however, few individuals find pleasure in it, or have the patience to devote to supporting others through their difficulties and complexities. Whatever the context, those who have to deal with people are currently experiencing a great deal of frustration. Contemporary issues – the great resignation, the tense situation surrounding telecommuting, the demands of various sectors of society and the need for benevolence to name but a few – are becoming a source of irritation. Ultimately, leadership is often about faking it. This feeling is experienced by those who doubt they are truly capable, those who mistakenly believe they are doing a good job, those who try to help but end up suffering and causing harm – and even those who could in theory guide others but are reluctant to step up. In essence, leadership can often be built on a foundation of pretence and self-doubt, a situation in which many individuals operate with a sense of not truly deserving or fitting the role.
within organisations such as schools and hospitals and certain government departments, the very use of the word is taboo. This does not necessarily constitute a great loss, however, given the ambiguities associated with the term. Indeed, this designation flourishes in certain organisations where it still enjoys considerable momentum. Executives in many companies talk proudly about the concept of leadership; business schools teach it under this name. But what do we find among employees, those who are subjected to managerial hype on leadership, often accompanied by visions rehashed over and over again at endless meetings extolling the organisation’s strategy? Frankly, the term can become a marker of toxic and inflated rhetoric; those who are supposed to have been buoyed up instead end up deeply alienated. The frustrating reality of taking responsibility The situation becomes even more worrying when we look at those individuals who are beginning to rise in responsibility within organisations; those who are, therefore, expected to demonstrate
Ambition • ISSUE 2 • 2025 47
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online