THE MANAGERIAL CAREER AFTER DOWNSIZING - CASE-STUDIES FROM THE LEADING-EDGE

This paper sets out to investigate whether the recent wave of organisa tional restructuring has contributed to the further decline of the int ernally promoted manager or produced a new model of managerial employm ent in large organisations. Our research, which is based on in-depth c ase studies of eight major British-based employers, finds no evidence of the kind of transformational change associated with the introductio n of a new model. Instead, we find that the traditional model of manag erial employment has been eroded rather than replaced. The most notabl e changes include less job security - especially for those older than fifty - more emphasis on 'managing your own career', fewer opportuniti es for upward promotion, and an increased emphasis on lateral career m oves. We conclude by arguing that this restructuring adds further impe tus to the decline of the internally promoted middle manager.