Centre for Professional Work and Careers

The very nature of professional work and careers is being contested and reconfigured by the demands and opportunities created by globalisation and by the sweeping changes in public policies in the wake of the current economic crisis. The increasing disaggregation of work environments, which is evident in phenomena such as offshore outsourcing, public-private partnerships, mobile careers and teleworking have important strategic implications for organisations, governments and individuals. The research conducted by the Centre for Professional Work and Careers addresses these compelling challenges.

Given the complexity of the changes currently afoot, it is evident that meaningful scholarly inquiry into the key issues at the heart of these emerging arrangements needs to transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries. The Centre comprises internationally reputed scholars and practitioners working from a range of disciplinary perspectives, including Organisational Behaviour, Human Resource Management, Information Systems, Sociology of Work and Enterprise and Innovation.

We aim to deliver new, multi-disciplinary insights to the highly complex and rapidly changing landscape of contemporary professional work and careers and are committed to seeing our work through from “blue skies” theorising to contexts of application.

Academics
Associate Members
Researchers
Visiting Academics

Academics

Associate Members

Stephen Ackroyd
Emeritus Professor of Organizational Analysis, Lancaster University Management School

Professor Peter Ackers
School of Business and Economics, Professor of Labour Relations and Business History

Professor John Arnold
Professor of Work Psychology at the Institute of Work Psychology (IWP), University of Sheffield. Fellow and Chartered Psychologist of the British Psychological Society, and a Registered Psychologist with the Health Professions Council

Dr Caroline Axtell
University of Sheffield, Institute of Work Psychology

Professor Jenny Bimrose
Professorial Fellow, The Institute for Employment Research, University of Warwick

Dr Sara Bosley
School of Business and Economics, Research Associate and National Institute of Adult and Continuing Education Research Officer

Dr Crispin Coombs
School of Business and Economics, Senior Lecturer in Information Systems

Professor Brian Corbitt
Pro Vice-Chancellor Research and Professor of Information Systems,
College of Business, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

Dr Joanne Duberley
Senior Lecturer in Organization Studies, Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham

Dr Janet Harvey
Department of Sociology, Leicester University

Daniel Muzio
Professor of Leadership and Organization, Manchester University

Wolfgang Mayrhofer
Professor of Organizational Behaviour and Management, WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business)

Dr Cheryl Travers
Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management

Researchers

Amanda Harrington (Research Associate)

Visiting Academics

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Research Themes
Publications

Research Themes

The Centre is dedicated to conducting research on contemporary professional work and careers, investigating important dimensions of globalisation-led transformations in professional work settings and their consequences.

In particular we will be developing projects and engaging with key partners in the following areas:

Offshore outsourcing of professional work
Health and social care (e.g. primary and secondary care providers in the NHS and private sector
Mobility and remote working arrangements amongst knowledge workers
Career meaning making, development and management
Professional work and careers in entrepreneurial organisations and high tech growth industries

Publications

Some recent journal publications

Arnold, J., Cohen, L., Harpley R., Atkin, L., Hodges, V., Mellors-Bourne, R., Pearce, E. and Haynes, K. (2012), Straight talking: the role of non-specialist advice and networking in career conversations for researchers (published by The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited

Hislop, D. and Axtell, C. (2011) ''Mobile phones during work and non-work time: A case study of mobile, non-managerial workers'', Information and Organization, 21(1), 41-56.

M.N. Ravishankar, Pan S.L. and Leidner, D.E. (2011) “Examining the strategic alignment and implementation success of a KMS: A subculture based multi-level analysis,”Information Systems Research,22(1), 39-59.

Zimmermann, A. and M.N. Ravishankar (2011) “Collaborative IT offshoring relationships and professional role identities: Reflections from a field study,” Journal of Vocational Behavior,78(3), 351-360.

Zimmermann, A. (2011) “Interpersonal relationships in transnational, virtual teams – towards a configurational perspective,” International Journal of Management Reviews, 13(1), 59-78.

Duberley, J. and Cohen, L. (2010) ''Gendering career capital: An investigation of scientific careers'', Journal of Vocational Behavior, 76(2), 187-197.

Loan Clarke, J., Arnold, J.M., Coombs, C.R., Hartley, R. and Bosley, S.L.C. (2010) ''Retention, turnover and return - a longitudinal study of allied health professionals in Britain'', Human Resource Management Journal, 20(4), 391-406.

Tyler, M.J. and Cohen, L. (2010), ''Spaces that Matter: Gender Performativity and Organizational Space'', Organization Studies, 31(2), 175-198.

Bosley, S.L.C., Arnold, J.M. and Cohen, L. (2009), ''How other people shape our careers: a typology drawn from career narratives'', Human Relations, 62(10), 1487-1520.

Daniels, K.J., Boocock, J.G., Glover, J.L., Hartley, R. and Holland, J. (2009), ''An Experience Sampling Study of Learning, Affect, and the Demands Control Support Model'', Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(4), 1003-1017.

Hislop, D. and Axtell, C. (2009), ''To Infinity and Beyond? Workspace and the Multi-Location Worker'', New Technology, Work and Employment, 24(1), 2009, 60-75.

Conferences
Research Seminars
Journal Editorships

2012

Academy of Management, Boston, USA

Professor Laurie Cohen is the organizer of a Research Symposium sponsored by the Careers, Research Methods (RM) and Human Resources (HR) Divisions. The symposium titled ‘Researching Careers: Current Approaches and Future Trajectories’ will feature presentations from Professor Wolfgang Mayrhofer (University of Vienna), Professor Lotte Bailyn (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Professor Michael Humphreys (University of Durham) and Dr M.N. Ravishankar (Loughborough University) (Program Session #1655).

‘Knowledge transfer in offshoring arrangements: Social capital, efficacy and outcome expectations’, a paper authored by Dr Angelika Zimmermann and Dr M.N. Ravishankar has been nominated for the International Management (IM) division’s Gustavson School of Business Award for the Best Qualitative paper in International Business (Program Session #1249).

Dr M.N. Ravishankar is a convenor of the stream ‘Critical perspectives on the globally mobile professional and managerial class’ within the Critical Management Studies (CMS) division’s annual paper development workshop (Program Session # 88).

European Group of Organization Studies (EGOS), Helsinki, Finland

Dr M.N. Ravishankar is a convenor of the sub-theme (#19) ‘(Re) designing and broadening the study of mobility, movement and migration’.

Dr Donald Hislop and Dr Angelika Zimmermann are convenors of the sub-theme (#54) ‘ Information and Communication Technologies and the work-life boundary’

Seminar, 24 April 2012: “An alternative approach to ethical HRM through the discourse and lived experiences of HR professionals”. Presenter: Professor Steve McKenna (York University, Toronto)

Seminar, 26 January 2012: “Careers of Skilled Migrants: Towards a Theoretical and Methodological Expansion”. Presenter: Professor Akram Al Ariss.

Seminar, 8 December 2011: “’Undressing’ employability: a different way to look at the taken-for-granted”. Presenter: Katya Chertkovskaya

The British Academy of Management Research Methodology Special Interest Group Third Annual “SHARING OUR STRUGGLES” workshop, 25 November 2011: The School of Business and Economics hosts this BAM workshop on RESEARCH IN KNOWLEDGE-INTENSIVE, GLOBALISED ORGANISATIONS. Speakers with extensive experience of research in knowledge-intensive, globalised organisations will discuss their experiences, challenges they have faced and the ways they have sought to address them.

Launch Event, 28 September 2011: Seminar highlighting the current challenges and key debates in the field of professional work and careers, and setting the agenda for future work and collaboration.

Journal Editorships

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Current PhD Students
Recent PhD Graduates
Thinking of doing an MRes or PhD?

Current PhD Students

David Achtzehn
Tentative title of dissertation: Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial identities in the IT sector.

Christine Blackie
Tentative title of dissertation: How church ministers navigate careers in the context of organizational ambiguity.

Marc Bollbach
Tentative title of dissertation: Country-specific barriers to implementing lean production systems in China.

Katya Chertovskaya
Tentative title of dissertation: The role of identity during graduate job search.

Maxine Clarke
Tentative title of dissertation: The impact of overseas study/work-based placement experience on individuals’ entrepreneurial career behaviour.

Aparna Gonibeed
Tentative title of dissertation: Social Networks and it's psychological impact on employees in Indian I.T. Organizations'

Amanda Harrington
Tentative title of dissertation: How participants make sense of multi-source feedback.

Stephanie Lambert
Tentative title of dissertation: Career anchors and professionals working in shared service centres.

Sandeep Mysore
Tentative title of dissertation: Outsourcing public information systems: The interplay of culture and control

Ramya Parthasarathy
Tentative title of dissertation: Global talent management in multi-national enterprises.

Matthew Salter
Tentative title of dissertation: E-HRM and Outsourcing: Issues and Trends

Sarah Todd
Patient and public involvement (PPI) in NHS service design: exploring power, roles and identities.

Clive Trusson
Tentative title of dissertation: The IT service support worker

Sara Turner
A Poststructuralist Analysis of Creativity, Power and Trust in the Inter-Organizational Collaborations Between Entrepreneurial Small and Medium Sized Firms and Large Bureaucratic Organizations in the Video Games Industry.

Xiaozheng Zhang
Tentative title of dissertation: Understanding Chinese and Western cultures: An exploration of the academic working environment in internationalised higher education

Recent PhD Graduates

Dulini Fernando
Title of Dissertation: The careers of highly skilled Sri Lankan women.

Martin Gubler
Title of Dissertation: The applicability of boundaryless and protean career concepts to IT professionals in Europe.

Thinking of doing an MRes or PhD?

Doctoral students join a lively and supportive community of research students, becoming an integral part of the School’s research culture. We welcome approaches from suitably qualified graduates, particularly those with a relevant Masters degree and sufficient funding, who may wish to undertake research projects in the specialist areas of the group, leading to a PhD. As a research student, you will be encouraged to attend conferences to present your work and develop joint publications with your supervisors.

The Group has great supervisory experience and is keen to supervise high quality research students in members’ specialist research fields. Recognition of the quality of supervision offered by Group members has resulted in funding for doctoral students from Research Councils. For students interested in further information on potential PhD projects and supervisors, please look carefully through our webpages.

For an online application form click here

and for full details of the our PhD programme click here

For those interested finding out about our MRes in Business and Management, which is a 12-month full-time programme, please click here.

School of Business and Economics