Building Research Capacity in the UK

1. Building Research Capacity in the UK EDAMBA Conference 2008 Richard Thorpe Leeds University Business School

3. Business and Administrative Studies staff age profile for 2003/04

12. Views from across the pond - AACSB • Doctoral faculty production globally has not kept pace with increasing student demand in business education • Where there are increases these are not at schools accredited by AACSB – more likely to be from for-profit institutions (quality) • Little variability or innovation in the doctoral programme offering of AACSB schools

13. Some conclusions of their review • Little evidence of business schools across the world increasing their capacity • The growth in business schools has created a global market for well trained faculty already in short supply • Limited financial support has reduced the attractiveness of training with graduates opting for industrial careers • Doctoral programmes have changed very little over the years • There is a need for more flexible programmes to attract untapped resources (for example mid-career professional)

14. In the US • Bridge programmes • Post Doctoral Programmes • DBA programmes • Consortia programmes • Tulane University Latin Americam Partnership

15. In the UK • There is concern surrounding the provision of academics in the field of Management and Business and a need to increase the number entering the profession and retain them over time. • There are approximately 450 academics (ABS and ESRC) being recruited into business schools each year and this presentation deals with the research active group. • The ESRC demographic reviews showed a very different pattern of entry into the profession from other social science disciplines. • There is a need to provide a diversity of pathways and inputs into the system – one size doesn’t necessarily fit all in management and business field and….. • Academics need support over the life course

16. Objectives of the current proposal • To build of the success of the AIM initiative • To continue to develop and retain academics within the profession, particularly in areas where AIM hasn’t focused • To support and improve the quality of those academics who wish to be research active as they enter the profession • To retain a critical mass of British and European academics within doctoral programmes. • To focus training on recognise centres of excellence. • To develop a new cadre of academics in new areas of expertise particularly practice relevant aspects • To develop academics in Management and Business across the life course

17. Research Careers for a New Strategy Professorial Fellowship On-going Training and Development Centres Priority Networks/ Groups Late career fellowships Mid-career Fellowship Large Grant Small Grant MBS Fellowships First Grant Scheme Postdoctoral Fellowship Research Opportunities +3 Studentship + case awards Research Masters Advanced Quantitative Methods -undergrads

18. In the UK – a six stream approach • Better Undergraduate quantitative methods • ‘Ring fence’ a certain number of management and business scholarships • ‘Ring fence’ a certain number of management and business postdoctoral fellowships • Establish a new early career fellowship scheme • Develop a ‘beefed up’ late career fellowship scheme • Fund business engagement clusters

19. And ………. • An infrastructure of research training support • RDIs one to be presented later today • ESRC centres for research methods • A new gateway to training provision

20. Gateway of Support • All components backed by a national professional training infrastructure • ESRC, RDIs and National Centre for research methods • Relevant professional bodies • Capacity engagements with AIM fellows • Training workshops through current and future BAM and AIM events • Connecting the participants by creating cohorts and adding value through managed networking and inputs that will improve career development • Regional collaborations? • Specialist nodes of the NCRM • Access to materials e.g. JISC/ESRC/AHRC etc • Access to ESRC strategic initiative for advanced quants

23. Careers

24. Two Definitions of Career • Verb -To rush in an uncontrolled way – ‘to barrel along’ • Noun – A choice to dedicate your life to a particular profession – calling, vocation, livelihood, employment • A series of jobs in a profession or occupation that a person has through their life • Latin – Carrus – a two wheeled wagon

25. Can you plan it? • Yes • But you need to be clear what you want to achieve

26. Career purposes and anchors • Discipline /Domain/Sector/Theme The notion of Schien’s ‘career anchors’ • Entrepreneur • Manager • Technician • Innovator

27. Some ‘facts’ about the context • Undergraduate, postgraduate, post experience • 110 UK business schools • Ancients, red brick, plate glass, post ’92 • Research elite schools • MBA league table elites • Post experience elites • Size: 10 to 100? • 10% of University activity?

28. Jobs, roles and career structures • Lectures, Senior Lecturers, (Principal Lecturers) Readers & Professors • Research assistants, research fellows etc • Teaching fellows • Heads of departments, deans, assistant deans etc • Teaching vs research • Academic work vs management / administration / leadership

29. My own career • No first degree – management career at Clarks • MSc Strathclyde • RA 1978 and RF 1980 • International Teachers Programme and PhD - Lancaster • SL 1986, Prof 1994, Director of Graduate School 1996 • Chair of BAM, 2005

30. Issues and mistakes • Too much teaching too early! • Too few publications after SL and failure to convert PhD and conference papers into good journals • Lack of focus for the chair and unrealistic • Failure to understand the ‘rules of the game’

31. Luck (or chance) plays a part • John Goodman – Rule Making and Industrial Peace • Diary studies and a move to Strathclyde • ITP – and a research supervisor • Joint publications and ‘the book’ • Maintaining contacts • Taking a role in BAM

32. Some suggestions • Lecturer – teach and publish • SL – get better known, publish in good journals and work in a team • Chair – you will now need international referees, book(s) and focussed publications • Deans – demonstrate the ability to do tough managerial jobs and have good outside networks – OK researcher

33. Suggestions (2) • Relationships build and sustain. Supervisors, mentors, collaborators, protégés and reputation. Remember you will be judged by those you judge • Develop your intellectual project(s) – five year time periods • Growing importance of metrics - REF

34. How to get on – social capital • Within the University • Informal networking – outside the university • Cultivate collaborative relationships • Have a subject? • Publish and present at conferences • Become indispensable

35. How to Make a Mess of the RAE - from a past panel member • Do: • Have unresolved goal conflict between teaching, research, practitioner-led activities, and outreach • Appoint capable young academics and give them heavy teaching and administrative loads • Run the School as a cash-cow for the University • Increase research output at the expense of quality • Be seduced by the halo effect (despite your best efforts, your research is usually not as good as you think)

36. How to Make a Mess of the RAE • Don’t: • Get adequate development funding to support your strategy • Appoint Professors who are committed and supportive research leaders • Convert practitioner-based output into refereed journal articles

37. Training for research

38. Research Methods Training • Research philosophy • Alternative epistemological positions to provide to context for theory construction. • Research design • research design and the choice of appropriate techniques. The formulation of researchable problems and appropriate alternative approaches to research • Research methods • Data collection and analysis, quantitative and qualitative, including appropriate skills • Specialist methods • Advanced methods in techniques appropriate to the specialist areas being researched

39. General and transferable skills • General Research Skills • Bibliographic and computing skills • Teaching skills • Language skills • Ethical and legal issues • Exploitation of research and Intellectual Property Rights • Personal development and employment related skills • Communication skills: writing and dissemination and media skills • Research management and team working skills • Personal and career development (QAA requirements for postgraduate skills audits)

40. Research Career – Funding Pathway On-going Training and Development Professorial Fellowship Centres Priority Networks/ Groups Mid-career Fellowship Large Grant Small Grant First Grant Scheme Postdoctoral Fellowship +3 Studentship Research Masters Research Opportunities

41. Funding across the lifecourse – Track funding – think of 5 years projects and chains • Research studentships • Post doctoral fellowships • Early career fellowships • Ring fenced small grants for career researchers (includes all academics early in their careers) • Small and medium sized grants in response mode, perhaps targeted at different Boards for different types of grants e.g. resources, training • Mid career fellowships • Clear opportunity for very large grants • Professorial fellowships