Shaping managerial practice: how a supervising manager articulates her own embodied practices

Corporate leadership training programmes designed for first-level managers generally include sessions on communication. However, these are often limited to themes such as performance management and influencing staff. Experienced first-level managers may also be responsible for developing novice managers yet they generally receive no training in the types of interpersonal and communicative skills that accompany this educational role. This paper asks how this educational role is performed in the workplace. Drawing on interactional data collected from one Global 500 organisation, the paper uses discourse analysis to identify the interpersonal skills and discursive resources deployed by one supervising manager as she prepares a novice for his new role and responsibilities. The paper also examines the supervising manager's own self-reflexive discourse, exploring the characteristics that make her an effective 'educator'. Finally, the paper represents the repertoire of discursive resources deployed by this supervising manager in her educational role as a two-dimensional communicative model to promote interest in discourse-based training and development, and to stimulate further research.