My research is primarily about how organisations and institutions deal with uncertainty. This is relevant for all areas of management and organisation studies but I am particularly interested in 'surprises' - events that defy our expectations because they are wholly unanticipated.

I am currently focusing on: (1) government agencies that are responsible for emergencies and disasters, whether natural, industrial, financial or otherwise; (2) healthcare organisations such as the UK National Health Service; and, (3) the use of statistical and probabilistic knowledge in research.

My own fieldwork is ethnographic but I am interested in a broad range of qualitative methods and I have a critical sociological interest in quantitative methods, especially their relationship to ethics.

I have a long-standing interest in researching other areas, including but not exclusively limited to the music industry, craft manufacturing (e.g. food, beer, coffee, fabrics, etc.), city governments, schools and higher education, architecture and design.

I teach a second-year undergraduate module titled "The organisation of business" and a postgraduate research module titled "The evolution of management and organisational research".

BUSU9OB: The organisation of business (short description)

There has been a worldwide expansion of organisation since the industrial era. It is almost impossible now to do anything without relying on, or at least interacting with, an organisation. Try to think about how many different organisations have entered your day-to-day activities just today and how many of them were necessary for you to get something done. This makes the study of organisation more important than ever. In this module we will be looking into the world of organisations, scrutinising it with questions that matter for the people who inhabit organisations as well as those who are affected by the consequences of their activities. What are the different ways by which business can be organised and is business the only, or best, way to organise? From the early days of the railroads to the recent rise of new technologies of automation, we will be challenging the mistaken assumption that everything organisational is ultimately about profit. The Organisation of Business therefore provides students with a starting point for making informed and responsible judgements when managing people and technologies in contemporary work organisations.

MRMP006: The evolution of management and organisational research (short description)

This module offers students the opportunity to develop a broad understanding of the historical evolution of the field known as management and organisational research whilst also requiring students to develop extensive knowledge about their specific area of research interest. It is intended to help support students to develop their literature review.