EXCAVATING THE PATHS OF MEANING, RENEWAL, AND EMPOWERMENT - A TYPOLOGY OF MANAGERIAL HIGH-PERFORMANCE MYTHS

Although myths have been comprehensively examined at a cultural or mac ro level in organizational studies, they have received little attentio n at an individual level of analysis. This article uses Campbell's ''h ero's journey'' as an analogy for understanding managerial performance myths. The article begins with a review of the literature on individu al myths and the hero's journey and then turns to an empirical explora tion of managerial high-performance myths. A typology of managerial hi gh-performance myths is derived from data on high-performance experien ces. Each of the four myths assumes a different meaning structure. The findings suggest a model for the construction of individual meaning s ystems in organizations. They also provide important insights on empow erment, leadership, and high performance.