The Emergent Manager examines the process of becoming a manager within organizations and considers how people relate the ways in which they 'manage' their lives to their development as managers in the workplace. At the heart of the book is the idea of the individual engaged in a continual process of 'becoming'. Focusing on the reported experiences of managers, the book is richly illustrated throughout with examples drawn from a variety of workplaces, including the civil service, academia, the retail industry, construction and engineering, banking and the prison service. Tony Watson and Pauline Harris together provide a new understanding of the nature of the management role and the ways in which people make sense of their lives as managers. Accessible and innovative, this book will be of interest to students and academics in management and organization studies as well as practising managers.