Research
Interests
I have three primary areas of research. The first is enterprise governance and the changing face of employee participation, I have been active in this area since the 1970s undertaking key empirical/comparative research that have resulted in a large body of books, journal articles and research monographs. I have been used as a European expert in the field particularly by the ILO, European Commission, the European Foundation and SALTSA.
The second area of research has been that of work organisation, and changing labour market and employee relations. The studies here have again had both a domestic and international dimension. I have been the rapporteur on cross-national European studies for the European Foundation, led joint research of an Anglo-French nature and undertaken long-running extensive studies of the restructuring of the British banking industry.
The final research theme relates to changes in work organisation and organisational learning. I was European Scientific Co-ordinator of a large multi-national Leonardo project on The Role of Social Partnership in the development of Human Resource Development. Also commissioned by CEDEFOP (the EU training Agency) to edit a book on European Developments in Organisational Learning. Founding Director and currently Chair of the UK Work Organisation Network this is a European Commission funded network of leading work organisational academics and practitioners.
Current
Funded Research includes a
Knowledge Transfer Project BANES/PCT ‘From the ground Up’ Developing new employee performance
measures with BANES Primary Care Trust.
European Social Fund (UK Work Organisation Network -
Development of South West Learning Network and funding for research on
partnership and work life balance. Undertaking a large scale survey of Bristol
City Council on Work Life Balance.
Previous Funded Research
ESRC/DTI Teaching Company Scheme 2002-2004 BANES/PCT Developing a Learning Culture in a Primary Care Trust. Funding £96,0000 (2002-2004)
European Commission
Academic Coordinator and Lead
French Ministry of Labour. Industrial Relations and
Innovation in Services;
with
ESRC /CNRS The Introduction and Use of New Technology in
European Foundation Role of the Parties
concerned in the Introduction of New Technology: Phase
I.
Rapporteur for Multi-National
Research Project (1986-1988)
(
ESRC The
Development of Industrial Relations in the British Clearing
Banks 1975-1985 (with John Eldridge and John MacInnes) Funding £60,000. (1983-86) (
British Department of Employment Consultation
and Employee Participation Practices in 50 Scottish Enterprises. (with John
Eldridge and John MacInnes) Funding
£250,000. (1979-1984) (
Teaching
SP20048 Understanding Industrial Behaviour
The module intends to give students a historically-based sociological understanding of industrial behaviour, interrogating the main competing paradigms and theories that describe industrial relationships, institutions and social structures.
SP30054 Power & Commitment in
Enterprises
This module addresses some of the central recent and current debates in industrial sociology concerning power, legitimacy and authority within organisational settings.
SP30070 Social Issues in Contemporary
Tthe course was intended to allow students to focus on issues of interest to them that have a distinct European dimension.
SP50075 Social and Employment Regulation in
This module introduces students to some of
the current debates and directives being pursued within the EU in the social and
employment realm.
Recent Publications
Books
(2006) Productive reflection and learning at work. (Edited with David Boud & Peter Docherty) Routledge. (Manuscript submitted February 2005 for publication November 2005.) Sole author of two chapters and joint author of two others.
(2003) Learning Organisations: European perspectives, theories and practices ( with M.Kelleher & Rob Poell ) 2 Volumes. CEDEFOP Imprint, Publication Office of the EU. Both English and French editions. Luxemburg.
(1995)
Work and Employment in
(1991) Agreement and Innovation: The International Dimension of Technological Participation. (with Vittorio Di Martino) Prentice-Hall / Simon Schuster.
(1991) Industrial Sociology and
Economic Crisis Wheatsheaf
Press. (with
John Eldridge and John MacInnes.)
(1985) Just
Managing: Authority and Democracy in British Industry. Open University Press,
Chapters/Articles
(2003) ‘The Influence Of
the European Union’
in The Handbook of Employment Relations, Law
and Practice. (Ed) B. Towers.
Kogan Page. Pp 22-41.
(2004)’ European Perspectives on the Learning
Organisation’ ( with B.Nyhan, M.Kelleher, M Tomassini & Rob Poell ) Journal of European Industrial Training.
28(1) pp 67-93. Emerald.
(2002)
‘Women and Atypical Working in the
(2000) ‘The active roles of learning and
social dialogue for organisational change’, in Vocational Education, No 21 September -December
2000. pp 41–49. European Journal of CEDEFOP. Translated in four community languages.
(2000)‘ ‘Employment,
employment, employment: is
(1999) ‘Social
Europe: National initiatives and responses.’
with Gill, Colin; Gold,
Michael. Industrial
Relations Journal, Oct/Nov 99, Vol. 30
Issue 4, p313, 17p; (33% with Michael Gold
and Colin Gill.)
Forthcoming
(2007) Cressey, P. Gold, M. & Leonard. E. Whatever Happened to Social Dialogue? From Partnership to Managerialism in the EU Employment Agenda. European Journal of Industrial Relations. Sage.
Other
Currently Independent Academic Evaluator of the European Foundation’s Four Year Rolling Program. In conjunction with Price Waterhouse Cooper. Undertaking case study of the use of trend data by the four European Observatories within the Foundation. (2006-2007)
National Chair of the UK Work Organisation Network (UKWON) a ESF funded national network of British Universities and practitioners (DTI, TUC, CBI, CIPD, IPA, HSE amongst others) The network undertakes research, publication and learning activities in the area of work organisation and workplace learning. The network is is involved in numerous national and international forums and research events.
Invited British Expert European
Foundation Creating Common
Industrial Relations Indicators across
British Academic Correspondent for the European Monitoring Centre on Labour Market Change. A body funded by the European Foundation to monitor changes in European labour markets. (2004 – 06)
Invited Expert and editor of volume on Productive Reflection in the Workplace for SALTSA (a joint Swedish Working Life Institute/Swedish Trade Union funded international Group) (2003-2005)
Invited Expert developing thinking and research around Sustainable Work Systems for SALTSA (a joint Swedish Working Life Institute/Swedish Trade Union funded international Group) (1999-2002)
Project Evaluator for
European Commission/TUC Project. Women and flexibility: the times of our lives. 2001.
Independent Expert commissioned by UNIFI (Banking Trade Union). Independent report on
the benefits and drawbacks of TUC affiliation. 1997.
Elected Member of Editorial Board of Work, Employment and Society. A Journal of the British Sociological Association. 1994 –1998.
Academic Referee
For numerous
Journals and bodies including ESRC, European Commission, British Government
Departments, European Foundation and the following:
·
British Journal of Management
·
British Journal of Industrial Relations
·
European Journal of Industrial
Relations
·
European Journal of Social
Policy
·
Industrial Relations
Journal
·
Human Relations
·
Human Resource Management Journal
·
New Technology Work and
Employment
·
Work Employment and
Society