Global Journal of Management and Business Research, A: Administration and Management, Volume 23 Issue 10

Global Journal of Management and Business Research ( A ) XXIII Issue X Version I Year 2023 45 © 2023 Global Journals We chose this theoretical approach specifically to identify the temporality of professional integration for young managers, particularly their experiences as they begin their management role and navigate the ecosystem of a new workplace (Fuchs, 2011). The concept of experience, on the other hand, considers dimensions relating to the way in which individuals live through different events contextualized over the course of their lives (Craig, 2008) and the content of the experience lived as inseparable from the effects it engenders (Jodelet, 2006). b) Living Work Theory Living work theory provides a particularly inventive and relevant theoretical perspective for understanding the human side of work, namely through the lens of the employee’s workplace experiences, including visible and invisible dimensions of work (Dejours, 2009, 2018; Giguère et al., 2022; Molinier, 2004; St-Arnaud & Giguère, 2018).The living aspect of work refers to the notion that as the employee changes their work, they are changed in turn. This theory makes it possible to interpret the gap between objectives set by the organization of the work ( prescribed work ) and what needs to be done to achieve them ( actual work ) (Dejours 2009). It also allows to grasp, using the employee’s lived workplace experiences, the invisible part of work and what this involves on the subjective level, namely the way people mobilize their actions, skills and ability to feel, think and interpret. Also considered in this theory are dynamics underpinning employee relationships and cooperation, power relations in and through work, and new forms of work organization (Dejours, 2009; Dejours et al., 2018). In this regard, living work theory can examine persistent gender issues in men’s and women’s relationship to work (Galerand & Kergoat, 2017; Hirata & Kergoat, 2017). Also crucially important in this theoretical perspective are the individual’s own words, the rebuilding of meaning they attribute to their experience as well as an examination of the subjective and inter subjective dynamics experienced (Dejours, 2009). Overall, our analytical framework of a life course approach combined with living work theory makes it possible to capture the workplace experiences of young managers as they integrate into their professional roles. IV. M ethodology To identify and examine the workplace experiences of young managers as they integrate professionally and how this impacts their career progression, a qualitative study design using narrative inquiry (Lieblich et al., 1998) was employed. Narrative inquiry is an effective strategy for researchers to get participants to reveal through rich stories the meaning they give to events they have experienced (Bujold, 2004). An interview guide was created to outline and inquire about various themes, including career paths, managerial experiences and links between work and life- planning, without resorting to formulating specific questions. Lasting about 90 minutes each, one-on-one interviews began with a broad opening question to help participants ease into the interview themes (e.g., career paths, workplace experiences, balancing different spheres of life). These interviews were carried out in stages so that materials could be analyzed throughout the collection process in an iterative loop between fieldwork and theory (Paillé & Mucchielli, 2016). This process made it possible to analyze the new material as it was produced, in particular to clarify certain aspects that would help direct subsequent interviews and open up new questions (Paillé & Mucchielli, 2016). a) Recruitment To ensure diverse participation in our study, the strategy used was to contact different organizations and relevant players in the field of early-career managers. The methodological principles of data saturation and diversification were employed in order to create a homogenous sample for individual interviews (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Saturation allowed to delve deeper into the research subject and consider criteria comparable to all participants. These criteria were: 1) holding a managerial position in the service sector and 2) having been in a managerial position for at least 2 years but no more than 10. Diversification fine-tuned the “internal diversity” of the sample based on a range of criteria to maximize the intensive study of the research subject within the group of female participants. These criteria included gender, hierarchical level, initial training, conjugal status and family situation. In all, 61 participants- 37 women and 24 men- took part in the one-on-one interviews. b) Processing and Analysis Inspired by Paillé and Mucchielli (2016),a phenomenological examination of the materials collected was carried out by attentively listening to the interviews and carefully reading and rereading the interview transcripts. Concurrently with this material immersion, analytical work using conceptualizing categories (Paillé & Mucchielli, 2016; St-Arnaud & Giguère, 2018) was undertaken to better abstract the workplace experiences of young managers during their professional integration. The conceptualization of categories allowed to gradually classify phenomena directly from the interviews, by comparing them with each other, as well as carrying out iterative step-by-step “theoretical constructions” (Paillé and Mucchielli, 2016). More specifically, categories were created dynamically through analytical description, interpretative deduction and inductive theorizing (see Annex 2 of St-Arnaud & Giguère, 2018; Paillé & Mucchielli, 2016). The notable contribution of the present study lies in this iterative Navigating Early Career Management: Workplace Experiences and Career Impact