I'm a great networker: exploring the activities of male and female training managers in English public sector health and social care agencies.

This paper develops work from the ‘Training to Communicate’ research project (1999 – 2001) which explored ‘communication’ training needs and provision in health and social care agencies in London and South East England. Seventeen interviews were conducted with male and female managers who were responsible for key aspects of training (workforce development) in health trusts or social services departments in England.
Previous analysis (Bell, 2005) suggests while interviewees clearly identified with ‘new (managerial) occupational knowledges and identities’ some appeared in a marginal or ambiguous position between ‘new’ occupational knowledges and identities, and ‘old’ identities based on occupational /practitioner expertise (Clarke & Newman, 1997). Aspects of this positioning appeared to be gendered, with female interviewees embracing the ‘new’ managerialist identity(ies) more readily as they produced interview narratives of how training ‘came to be as it was’ in their organization (Bell, 2005). This mirrors work by Morley (2003) or Deem (2003) on gendered performances in higher education contexts.
This paper further examines potentially gendered aspects of how interviewees discussed collaborative processes such as networking, managing relationships with other ‘senior’ and ‘middle’ managers within the organizational hierarchy, and broader ‘political’ awareness to justify their own positions, responsibilities and performances as ‘training’ experts.