A Study of the Role of Education in the Relation Between Managers and Subordinates

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of education in the relation between managers and subordinates, as well as the impact of education on the leadership style of managers. Also, the role of education in the relation between subordinates was also examined as a secondary priority. A qualitative approach was used, in which representatives from four organizations were interviewed. In all of the organizations, a manager was interviewed. In addition to this, between one and three subordinates were interviewed in each organization. The organizations featured were a primary school, an upper secondary school, a bank office and a congregation of an independent church. All of the organizations were physically based in the Gothenburg region. The results were then compared to each other and previous research in the fields of management and social psychology, primarily regarding leadership, education and social identity theory. It was found that education seemed to affect social status within professional groups in the workplace, as well as in itself being a component in the formation of such professional groups and their identities. Education seemed to mostly affect the leadership of the interviewed managers through an increase in self-esteem and confidence related to their practicing of their professions, though it only did so on a small scale. This view was also held by subordinates, both in regards to the leadership of their managers, as well as their own professional lives.