Organizational Psychology and Management Departments Celebrate PhD Research
A report from the conference for PhD students, hosted jointly by the Organisational Psychology and Management Departments.
On 21 October, students and academics from the Departments of Organizational Psychology and Management at Birkbeck came together in celebration of PhD student research. Professor Kevin Ibeh, Head of the Department of Management, described the conference as one of the most important events in the School’s academic calendar: “PhD students represent our future and must remain our focus when we discuss the sustainability of our profession. The conference provides our PhD students a chance to put into practice the skills they need to excel in their research. When they do well, then not just the students, not the departments and Birkbeck as a whole can reap the rewards.”
The theme of this year’s conference was “Research Impact”, a topic discussed in great detail by keynote speaker Dr. Melanie Knetsch. As the Strategic Lead in Interdisciplinary and Innovation for the Economic and Social Research Council (ESCR), Dr. Knetsch provided an insightful analysis on the contentious theme of the social impact of research. Her lecture, entitled “Do People Really Care about Academic Research?”, emphasised the importance of academic engagement as an enabling force for research impact and social change. Over the last decade, the ECSR has diversified, facilitating a growing number of events to appeal to a broad non-academic audience. “The feedback we get shows a real desire among our audiences to understand academic research and to get together with people with common interests to build networks”, she told the audience. “What people often forget is that impact is a two-way conversation – it is not just about dissemination, but collaboration and co-creation too. That is what is so special about a joint PhD conference like the one you are holding here today: it demonstrates an inspiring desire to put interdisciplinarity into practice.”
Following the keynote, it was over to the PhD students to showcase their work. Three sessions comprised of four quick-fire 15-minute research presentations were run in parallel, both before and after a networking lunch and poster exhibition. The fast-paced format drove the event forward and encouraged students to apply inventive methods to enhance a succinct and exciting delivery. Mark Panton, who presented his recently completed PhD research on “How do stakeholders influence stadium-led generation?”, used just one slide, featuring a graphic he had designed to highlight the findings of his research. The insightful questions that followed each presentation tested each student to defend his or her research, providing a great platform to develop the skills required for viva examinations, for future conferences and for teaching. All those who took part confirmed the value of feedback from an interested, supportive yet candid audience.
In her closing words, Dr. Rebecca Whiting praised the diversity and originality of the postgraduate research within both OP and Management, with research titles ranging from “Women and Leadership: The “Internal Glass Ceiling”, to “Supporter Ownership in Football: The Way Forward or a Missed Opportunity”. The OP and Management collaboration can certainly be seen as a model for innovation: a day dedicated to support and develop future scholars. As Melanie Knetsch highlighted at the start of the day, “excellent engagement is learned, transferrable and, above all, rewarding. There is nothing like seeing the results of collaboration and co-creation, which can lead to better research and a more diverse impact”.
Further Links:
The Economic and Social Research Council:
Department of Organizational Psychology:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/orgpsych/
Department of Management
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/management/