As has been shown throughout the book, portrayals of managerial life justify a critical approach to many of the popular management theories, models and concepts which have taken root among managers, often with unfortunate consequences. Against this it can and should, of course, be said that theories and models often encourage reflection and act as a source of inspiration and a deeper and broader understanding of organizations and ways of working. They can make it possible to problematize existing organizational environments – strategies, structures, routines, control and other ways of working – and contribute to a more varied and nuanced view of management and leadership. In this respect, a development of the intellectual repertoire in organizations often has clear benefits and should be accepted and encouraged. However, this requires active reflection and consideration. Models and concepts have, as we have seen, a seductive, enticing side, which means that people want to identify with them quickly and often, without always giving much thought to their deeper significance and the relevance for their own work situation. In addition to the feeling of control, overview, power and identity, there is something aesthetically pleasing about formulations such as strategic leadership, which makes it difficult not to accept and adopt them at least on a symbolic level. There is a superficiality and an idealization in this which sometimes makes the managerial work more difficult. You adopt an idea about something which works well (initially) as an identity marker in certain contexts but which is difficult to work with and which therefore also undermines your identity. It is frustrating when you cannot work seriously with what you believe expresses part of who you are as a manager.

One alternative might be to attempt to develop a more reflective and distanced managerial style, in contrast to modern management models and concepts. This requires you to think carefully about what the various concepts and models represent – what they mean – in and for the individual managerial work and your own organizational environment. Tengblad (2012b) stresses, for example, the importance of experimenting and developing a kind of critical learning attitude which involves testing and cautiously trying out new ways of looking at managerial work and management based on local conditions and challenges.