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In this paper we argue for the need to develop a gendered understanding of processes of organizational change. However, this should not simply be seen as a question of the proportions of women and men at different levels in the hierarchy. Organizational culture and the gendered metaphors and rhetorics that are used within the organization are also shown to be significant. Our analysis focuses upon a single case, a historical and sociological study of Relate, formerly the National Marriage Guidance Council. This case is especially interesting in that issues of gender inevitably enter into its primary task, the treatment of matital difficulties, and that as a voluntary organization it has employed a high proportion of unpaid women in the key activity of counseling, while the managerial positions have been dominated by men. This organization experienced a period of crisis in the 1980s culminating in the commissioning of a report from a firm of management consultants. We argue that the analysis of organizational difficulties at this time was considerably weakened by the failure to develop an understanding of complex issues of gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the attitude of managers toward their careers in the context of restructuring processes which limit opportunities for hierarchical advancement and which also reduce job security. For managers in large-scale organizations, careers have traditionally provided a set of organizing principles around which they have been able to structure both their private and professional lives. Through them, they have been able to experience a sense of security, stability, and order. Personal feelings of growth and advancement have been achieved through jobs which provide not only the opportunities for the completion of specific tasks but also a mean whereby longer-term personal goals can be achieved. The article presents a survey of managers employed in six major corporations in Great Britain. In all, 374 managers completed questionnaires. A representative group of 80 men and women were then chosen for further in-depth interviews which were conducted in the respondents' homes, tape recorded, and later transcribed. The article found among other things that, for men and women in every age band and for men at all levels of seniority, the promotion gap represents the most significant potential source of job dissatisfaction.