Gatekeepers of public leisure: a case study of executive leisure managers in the UK
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ABSTRACT:
This paper examines the social antecedents, occupational experiences and problems currently challenging executive managers within the public leisure services in Britain. It describes those processes involved in an historic development which has seen leisure managers moving from the margin to occupy a more central role in local government, and explores the major difficulties currently challenging senior managers who have experienced this process of status transition, including: power conflicts with established professional groups, difficulties associated with one's role, mission, occupational identity and philosophy. All of these problems are addressed by different types of managers in different ways. The paper identifies four characteristic types of managerial executive in leisure: 'The Traditionalist', 'The Sports Centered'. 'The Generalist Graduate' and 'The Second Chance Careerist', and related each of these to different class, cultural, gender and occupational experiences. It suggests that, whereas in the past, work in leisure management was conventionally perceived to be a low status and marginal occupational largely colonized by the aspirant working class, this pattern is now rapidly changing. A new type of confident middle class generalist graduate who extols the virtues of 'the amateur' and 'the good all-rounder' is rapidly colonizing elite roles in leisure management. These people provide a new cohort of leadership which will face both the professional and social problems challenging the public leisure services in the 1990s. Examines the social antecedents, occupational experiences, and problems currently challenging executive managers within the public leisure services in Britain. Describes the processes involved in an historic development which has seen leisure managers moving from the margin to occupy a more central role in local government. Explores the major difficulties currently facing senior managers who have experienced this process of status transition: the power conflicts with established professional groups, and the difficulties associated with one's role, mission, occupational identity, and philosophy. Identifies four characteristic types of managerial executives in leisure - traditionalist', 'sports centred', 'generalist graduate', and 'second chance careerist' - and relates each of these to a different class, cultural gender, and occupational experience. Suggests that the conventional perception of leisure management as a low status, marginal occupation, largely colonized by the aspirant working class, is rapidly changing.
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