Management, Work and Organisation

Management, Work and Organisation research draws on disciplinary and inter-disciplinary research in the sociology of work, organisational analysis, innovation/entrepreneurship and operations management.

Our research

Working Lives

Building on a long tradition of research on societal influences on the quality of working life and the consequences for employee experience and well-being. This includes research on:

  • The labour process examining changes in skill formation and organisational control systems, new technologies (including social media) and their influence on employment relations and worker voice.
  • The labour market exploring access to work, skills and employability, and patterns of labour market exclusion with a policy-oriented focus on improving opportunities for disadvantaged groups.
  • The impact of workplace and social change on professional, occupational and other social identities; and divisions of age, gender, socio-economic status and ethnicity in access to and experiences of work.

Management and Organisation Studies

Our research investigates the ongoing significance of management and organisation for present-day democratic societies through research on:

  • Policy processes and governance; healthcare management and operations and the ethics of care with respect to commercialisation and financialisation in health and social care settings.
  • Scenario planning; top management teams and strategic learning and inter-organisational dynamics; reappraisals of classic management texts and debates on ethics in management learning; education and research.
  • Innovation and management in SMEs, especially high growth firms, through policy-orientated outputs relating to government, university and industry interactions and to regulation, business support programmes and entrepreneurial finance.

Featured project

escalate logo

Coordinated higher institution responses to digitalization (ESCALATE)

An EU ERASMUS+ funded project – increasing levels of digital competences for employability and upskilling.

Find out more

PhD opportunities in Management, Work and Organisation

Conducting a PhD in Management, Work and Organisation at the University of Stirling will put you at the heart of a vibrant environment which facilitates the development of world-class research. Research in the Division covers a range of business and management topics and supports knowledge exchange, research impact, as well as the development of young scholars. In REF 2021, 80% of our research impact in Business and Management Studies was classed as world leading or internationally excellent.

The Management, Work and Organisation Division is comprised of two Groups – Business and Strategy, and Working Lives. Staff in these Groups have international reputations for the quality of their research, which is published in leading journals such as the Journal of Management Studies, Human Relations, Journal of Business Ethics and more.

As a PhD researcher, you’ll benefit from all of our expertise and make your own key contributions in a supportive, collaborative environment.  

Read more about how to apply and see entry requirements What's the difference between a PhD and an MPhil?