DEVELOPMENT OF THE ADULT LEARNERS’ MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY THROUGH CRITICAL MANAGEMENT STUDIES COURSES by CATHERINE HEATHERMAN MONAGHAN (Under the Direction of Ronald M. Cervero) ABSTRACT Adult education addresses many issues from a critical perspective in both content and pedagogy. Critical Management Studies (CMS) uses a critical perspective in management education questioning the underlying assumptions of power and privilege inherent in capitalism. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand how CMS courses affect adult learners’ management philosophy. The research questions guiding this study were: 1) how do CMS courses affect the adult learners’ management philosophy and 2) what factors in a CMS course contribute to the development of the adult learners’ management philosophy? The primary means of data collection were semi-structured interviews with eleven learners in two CMS courses in the United States and in the United Kingdom. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method. The findings indicate that adult learners enter CMS classrooms with two different management philosophies: mainstream and critical. The course moved two participants to a more critical management philosophy. However, for most of the participants the course simultaneously reinforced their different, even opposing orientations at the same time. Two primary factors emerged in response to the second research question. One factor centered on the way participants linked their prior educational and life experiences to the course content, using prior experience as a guide for the usefulness and validity of the course content. The second factor revealed the importance of the instructor and the role of discussion in the development of the adult learners’ management philosophy. The instructor’s ability to encourage the learners to develop their own beliefs about management was instrumental. The discussion was another important element in helping learners to engage with the course, providing them with other viewpoints that both challenged and affirmed their philosophies. The results of this study revealed that (a) a CMS course can impact the adult learners’ management philosophy in multiple ways within the same course, (b) the outcomes from a CMS course derive from the intersection of course content, course process, the instructor, and the learner’s prior experience and identity, and (c) there can be a contradiction between the use of course content and a pedagogical process in a CMS course. INDEX WORDS: Adult education, Critical management studies, Management education, Critical pedagogy, Qualitative research, Learning, Management Philosophy, Training and development DEVELOPMENT OF THE ADULT LEARNERS’ MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY THROUGH CRITICAL MANAGEMENT STUDIES COURSES by CATHERINE HEATHERMAN MONAGHAN B.A., Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, 1975 M.B.A., Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, 1981 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2004 © 2004 Catherine Heatherman Monaghan All Rights Reserved DEVELOPMENT OF THE ADULT LEARNERS’ MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY THROUGH CRITICAL MANAGEMENT STUDIES COURSES by CATHERINE HEATHERMAN MONAGHAN Major Professor: Ronald M. Cervero Committee: Laura Bierema Ann K. Buchholtz Robert J. Hill Juanita Johnson-Bailey Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2004 DEDICATION This work is dedicated in loving memory to Rosemary V. Monaghan And Robert D. Yuzsczak My aunt Rosemary was also my Godmother and friend. She taught me the value of asking good questions until you found the heart of the matter. She modeled the important aspects of being a qualitative researcher long before I knew that qualitative research existed. She died just before I started this journey and her wisdom was missed as much as her memory is cherished. Bob was a dear friend from Chicago whose lovingly supported my life journey with his understanding and listening heart. His pride in my accomplishments always fueled my humility. His passing during this process left a hole in my life that is filled with cherished memories. Both of them left me one final gift. The use of their gift to fund my research, which involved traveling to England, was the best way that I could honor their memory and their unconditional love and faith in me. I will always be grateful for their final gifts. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I acknowledge with gratitude the support and guidance offered by my major professor and the members of my committee. Ron Cervero invited me to apply to the doctoral program as a means of pursuing my passion. As my major professor, he helped me navigate the journey, providing inspiration, insight, and valuable feedback along the way. His compassionate heart also helped me navigate some difficult times. Juanita Johnson-Bailey was a methodologist par excellence. Her guidance as I crafted my research design and analyzed my data helped me create important work in my field. My other committee members, Laura Bierema, Ann Buchholtz, and Bob Hill provided me with thoughtful and constructive feedback while stretching me to do my best. It was a pleasure to work with all of you. I would like to thank each of my participants for sharing their experiences and insights with me. They provided me with new ways to think about adult education. The instructors who said yes to my requests to use their classroom as my research sites were also important to this project. It was a pleasure and a privilege to work with you. A big thank you also goes to the community of learners in the department who shared their lives and laughter with me as we engaged in this often-monumental journey. You reminded me again and again that I could do it. I would especially like to thank Katie, Diane, Dougie, Janice, Tuere, Wei-Ting, JuSung, Letha, Bernadette, Linda, Judy, Gillian, and Joris. Other unsung heroes that lighted my path are Dave and Fred – it was so nice to know “normal” people in Athens and Denise Collins and Linda Chester, who always had time to talk and check that I had completed all the necessary paperwork on time. v vi Last, but not least, I would like to thank Brad Courtenay and his class on Spirituality which provided me with time each week to come up for air as I worked on my dissertation this spring. In addition, I would like to thank Margaret Holt for sharing her ideas, encouraging me in my work and on occasion for sharing food and friends with me. Outside of the wonderful community I found here in Athens, my family and friends also supported me on this journey. I would like to say thank you to Mary Ann Fischer whose weekly phone calls, especially in the beginning sustained me. My brothers Brian, Sean, and Kevin and my cousins Paul and Ronnie also supported me with their love. And finally, my Aunt Jeanne McKenna, part of a long line of McKenna and Monaghan woman who not only thought about but acted from a Love that embraced social justice as a way of life and instilled in me the desire to do the same. I would also like to thank my best friend Carl J. Ratner, who helped me to internalize what an intelligent and beautiful woman I am and Tom Valentine whose belief in my ability to be successful in this program when I first arrived gave me the confidence to finish. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES...........................................................................................................................x LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 Background ...............................................................................................................2 Research Problem......................................................................................................6 Statement of Problem ................................................................................................7 Purpose of the Study..................................................................................................9 Significance of the Study ..........................................................................................9 2 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .............................................................................11 Critical Management Studies: Background and Principles.....................................11 Critical Management Studies: Current Debates ......................................................23 Teaching and Learning about Power and Privilege.................................................31 Conclusion...............................................................................................................54 3 METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................55 Research Design......................................................................................................55 Data Collection........................................................................................................63 Data Analysis ..........................................................................................................70