Organization men: A qualitative study of personal and professional issues among male MBA students

This qualitative study explored the ways that male MBA students entering highly demanding careers envision their personal and professional lives. The purpose of this research was as follows: (1) to begin filling gaps in a literature that offers few studies on male MBAs---especially those in the anticipatory stages of their careers---and their orientations to personal and professional life; (2) to highlight salient issues that clinicians may face in working with this population; and (3) to ascertain themes that can serve as a foundation for additional research with men like those in the current study.; Participants included a group of 12 male MBA students, ages 26--35, enrolled in the first or second year of a top-ranked, full-time graduate business program. Subjects had either received a job offer or intended to obtain positions in various segments of the financial services industry, including investment banking and management consulting. Data were collected using an in-depth, semi-structured interview designed to elicit narratives from each participant regarding his vision of personal and professional life. These narratives were analyzed using grounded theory methodology to discern patterns in the ways subjects conceptualize work and personal life and how they anticipate negotiating these two realms in the future.; The narrative analysis yielded a number of themes that clustered around three general domains: the participants' work histories, influences on their career choices, and their visions of future personal and professional life. The most salient of these themes included the subjects' desire to make an impact at work, the opportunistic nature of their job selection, and their recognition of the demanding aspects of their future jobs. Despite that most participants expressed some desire for balance between their personal and professional lives, none offered specific plans for how to negotiate between these domains in the future. In fact, subjects made a number of contradictory statements in describing their hopes for work and personal or family life. These contradictions and the potential underlying psychodynamic issues they illustrate were also addressed.