Tags

  • Published on

    Research update: the demands of pedantry

    Phd Research Update
    A question posed at a faculty seminar held at Massey University recently has set me thinking. My supervisor was the primary presenter, and I was there as one of his protégés that had been asked to make a contribution. My task was explore the importance of access (to make first-hand observations of what actually happens in boardrooms) and, given access, to discuss the implications for both research and knowledge. The seminar was a low-key affair. However, one of the questions gripped me. In asking, the person demonstrated that their understanding of business was quite different from mine. The question was valid and needed to be answered (and it was), despite my judgement that is was rather inconsequential given my worldview.
    This brief exchange highlighted one of the main challenges of doctoral research: communication. How does one summarise their ideas and findings into a cohesive story that will be read and accepted by three learned people (examiners!) with a critical mindset? I have a fair idea of what I want to say, but what is the best way to get the message across?
    The answer seems to lie in one word: pedantry. And therein lies the challenge, for me anyway. While I know my  topic pretty well—having lived and breathed it for nearly three years now—an examiner will arrive at the cover page of the thesis document 'cold'. Researchers need to take readers on a journey, starting with a descriptive title and ending with a solid conclusion. The question taught me that the journey is probably as important as the destination. The introduction should simply state the problem and position the research. The historical view of the research literature, the approach taken by me and the findings all need to be revealed in the pages that follow. The summary of findings should be reserved for the final chapter. Positioning the research is also important. The question reminded me that every term that is subject to multiple interpretations needs to be defined, to avoid misinterpretation. I've had to go back to the literature many times in recent weeks, to check things and to make adjustments. Finally, the spelling, grammar and referencing needs to be 'perfect'.
    While the going has been tough of late, the good news is that I am stepping closer to the goal with every passing day, even though my arrival is now more likely to be in January. But I'm relaxed about that.
  • Published on

    ECMLG2014: Closing reflections

    Conferences Governance Management Performance Phd Research
    The 10th European Conference on Management, Leadership and Governance is over. The conference organiser, Academic Conferences International, and the host, VERN' University, did a great job hosting the event in Zagreb, Croatia. I now have returned to London, ahead of some meetings with researchers and business people before flying home later in the week. Some reflections on the conference:
    • Conference numbers were steady when compared to the last couple of years. However, the quality of the papers, and the quality of the questions and informal discussions was up on recent years.
    • Notwithstanding the generally high standard, several papers should never have been accepted on to the programme. The session that I chaired was one of those that suffered in this regard: one speaker mounted a personal crusade on the topic of corruption. He vehemently rebutted questions and comments from the floor during question time even though those asking the questions and making the comments had supporting references (and the presenter did not). I hope the organisers work a little harder on the review process in the future, to ensure this type problem does not occur again. It lowers the tone of the conference unnecessarily.
    • The divide between what researchers know and what practitioners think they know is wide. It seems academic researchers continue to be quite cautious in terms of their approaches to knowledge creation, and practitioners are quite cavalier (making claims without any robust supporting evidence). This is particularly apparent in the corporate governance space, where practitioners are quite happy to claim a causal link between various structural responses (women on boards, number of independent directors) and company performance, even though the research community has produced conflicting evidence in each case.
    • Personally, I was able to test several aspects of my current research, both in the paper that I presented, and informally over food and drink. The feedback was really helpful to the refinement process. Also, I received several approaches to collaborate on some projects in the future which is quite exciting.
    • I was pleasantly surprised at the state of the Croatian economy, the openness of the people, and the general condition of Zagreb. The Berlin Wall came down 25 years ago, signalling the fall of communism in central and eastern Europe. While the Croats have embraced western ways in the cities at least, they seem to have done so without losing their rich heritage. The resultant meld appears to be quite rich.
    Sharp-eyed readers will notice that I have not reflected on my own paper, or on the session that I chaired. The reason for this is straightforward. It's pretty hard to offer anything approaching an objective critique of one's own paper, and the prospect of making comprehensive notes (to inform the blog summary) when also chairing the session is 'too hard'. If you would like a report on the session or my paper, or would like any other information about the conference, please contact me.
    Next year, the conference is being hosted by the Military Academy in Lisbon, Portugal. I met Luis and Carlos when they announced the location and the date (12–13 November 2015). They are great guys and, if the professionalism and commitment they demonstrated in Zagreb is any indication, the 11th edition of the conference promises to be a fantastic event.
  • Published on

    ECMLG 2014: Welcome function tonight, sessions from Thursday morning

    Conferences Governance Leadership Management Phd Research
    The 10th European Conference on Management Leadership and Governance starts tonight with a welcome function for delegates. This year the conference is being hosted by VERN' University, in Zagreb, Croatia. I am rested after the long flight from New Zealand via London, and am looking forward to hearing about the latest developments in management, leadership and corporate governance research over the next two days. 
    Please check back regularly if you are interested in the discussion. I will post session summaries here during the conference, and use the #ECMLG2014 hashtag on Twitter to announce new postings. The full conference programme is available here. If you are interested in a particular session, please let me know and I will do my best to attend and report on it for you.
  • Published on

    Research update: a new dimension?

    Governance Performance Phd Research Research Update
    I've been deep in thought in recent days, lost in the depths of my research; trying to get to the bottom of something that has been troubling me—to the extent that I neglected to post a research update last week. Sorry! Thankfully, some clarity started to emerge in the last two or three days.
    The concept that has been troubling me has been behaviour, or more specifically, the necessary behaviour of directors as they seek to make meaningful contributions to effective board practice and business performance. Several researchers—including, notably, Larcker and Tayan—have suggested that the behaviour of directors in the boardroom is crucial to the achievement of performance outcomes. Various attributes have been described. However, that is where the research seems to stop: at description. I'm still working through the literature, but am yet to find anything approaching a robust, explanatory argument.
    The question that I've been pondering builds on this: Does a link exist between the social mechanisms that my research seems to suggest are important, and certain fundamental (personality level) behaviours of directors? Further, might the link be such that these crucial behaviours are yet another layer in the stratified view of reality that is emerging from my research? The tentative answers seem to be yes and yes. This is exciting because it could mean that a couple of disparate threads of corporate governance research can be brought together. However, I am not confident enough about this new dimension yet, to know whether it is credible or not. Notwithstanding this, if you have any experience, or can point to any research to guide me, I'm all ears.
  • Published on

    European Conference on Management Leadership and Governance: Just around the corner

    Conferences Governance Phd Research
    The 10th European Conference on Management Leadership and Governance (hashtag #ECMLG2014) is almost upon us. This year, the conference is being held in Zagreb, Croatia on 13–14 November. I have a session to chair and a paper to deliver. Also, I hope to renew some acquaintances and get some feedback on my latest research while there.
    A copy of the full conference programme is available here. As with other conferences I have attended, I will post updates and reflections throughout the conference, right here on this blog. Please contact me if there is a paper that you are particularly interested in, so that I can attend and provide a report.
    My journey from New Zealand to Croatia is via London, to attend some meetings (although I still have a few gaps, so please contact me if you wish to meet) and, hopefully, sneak another peak at the poppies at the Tower of London.
  • Published on

    Research update: labouring away

    Governance Phd Research Research Update
    It's Labour Day in New Zealand: notionally a statutory holiday to recognise and remember the struggle (fight?) for the eight-hour work day. While it's a worthy marker peg in our nation's history, I've never really subscribed to the notion of an eight-hour work-day nor a 40-hour work-week. Blame it my farming heritage or madness if you wish, but I think in terms of working until the work is done. Today is no exception. The thesis writeup is very much to the fore of my mind every day of the week just now.
    In the last seven days, I have been working on the Discussion and Theory Development chapter, hoping to assemble a cacophony of ideas into the first complete draft. A couple of days were really slow going, but the great news is that the first draft is complete (save a series of diagrams)! Having laboured away on this chapter for a couple of weeks, I can now look back and see that, while the distance has not been great, some of the insights that have emerged could be quite significant in the overall scheme of things.
    I also received three pages of notes, suggestions and comments from my second supervisor during the week: her review of two chapters that I'd asked for feedback on back in August. While the slow turnaround has been frustrating, and some of the comments quite 'left-field', the overall tenor of the commentary has been helpful. Thanks Kate.
    Where to from here? The DTD chapter needs more work (this week's job), as does the Conclusions chapter (next week). Once these two pieces are done, the focus will move from creating content to refining that which has already been written—a significant milestone, in my mind anyway!