My doctoral research lies at the intersection of philosophy of management, philosophy of emotions, organizational studies, and occupational psychological health. It seeks to develop a theoretical understanding of the managerial role through the lens of lived emotional experience in organizations, with a particular focus on policing and public safety contexts.
The central research question is: How can the role of the manager be understood, through lived emotional experience in organizations, as a practice of hermeneutic and moral mediation of organizational axiological tensions, and how might this understanding contribute to the renewal of psychosocial risk prevention?
The project is grounded in the premise that emotions are not merely subjective reactions but meaningful experiences that reveal underlying tensions concerning values, expectations, norms, and organizational priorities. Drawing on contemporary work in the philosophy of emotions, emotions are approached as interpretive signals that make visible what matters to organizational members and where conflicts or misalignments emerge.
Within this framework, managers are conceptualized not only as decision-makers or coordinators but also as interpreters of organizational reality. The study explores managerial interpretation as a central managerial practice through which emotional experiences are recognized, understood, and translated into organizational action. This interpretive role is examined through the concept of phronesis (practical wisdom), emphasizing the manager's capacity for context-sensitive judgment, ethical discernment, and responsible action in situations characterized by ambiguity and competing values.
Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative and interpretive orientation informed by hermeneutics and supported by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Empirical material serves as a foundation for developing a broader theoretical conceptualization of management as an interpretive and moral practice.
The expected contributions are threefold. First, the project aims to enrich philosophy of management by proposing a hermeneutic understanding of managerial work centered on practical wisdom and responsibility. Second, it seeks to advance theories of managerial responsibility by highlighting the manager's role in interpreting and mediating organizational tensions. Third, it proposes a novel perspective on the prevention of psychosocial risks, viewing emotions as valuable indicators of organizational conditions and as resources for organizational regulation and healthier workplaces.
Ultimately, the research seeks to position management as a fundamentally interpretive, practical, and moral activity through which organizations can better understand and address the human consequences of organizational life.
