Becoming an International Man: Top Manager Masculinities in the Making of a Multinational Corporation

Citation:

Tienari, Janne, Eero Vaara, and Susan Merilainen. 2010. “Becoming an International Man: Top Manager Masculinities in the Making of a Multinational Corporation.” Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal 29 (1): 38–52.

Authors: Janne Tienari, Eero Vaara, Susan Merilainen

Abstract:

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to address gender and management in contemporary globalization by focusing on the ways in which male top managers in a multinational corporation (MNC) construct their identities in interviews with researchers.

Design/methodology/approach - Qualitative analysis based on interviews with virtually all top managers in the Nordic financial services company Nordea (53 men and two women).

Findings – It is found that becoming international induces a particular masculine identity for the top managers. In becoming international, however, their national identification persists. The instability of the MNC as a political constellation leaves room for questioning the transnational identity offered.

Originality/value - This paper's findings suggest that in the global world of business, national identity can also be interpreted as something positive and productive, contrary to how it has been previously treated in feminist and men's studies literature.

Topics: Economies, Gender, Masculinity/ies, Femininity/ies, Globalization, Multi-National Corporations, Nationalism Regions: Europe, Nordic states

Year: 2010