Much of my research looks at the important role that emotion plays in leading, managing and organising.  It helps us understand the different types of emotions used, why they are used and what their impact is on relations, workers and their organisations.   Working with colleagues we have come to define important concepts such as emotional neutrality, emotion switching and emotional dirty work.  These developments have helped inform the functioning of organisations from the Department of Health to Samaritans, and involved everyone from City Bankers to Refuse collectors.

The other dominant theme running through my research is a concern with how we better manage and organise our health care systems.  Our health care professionals are amazing - COVID 19 has only served to reinforce that.  But to work effectively they need systems that help rather than hinder their work.  They need multi-agency collaboration that stops people falling through the gaps, and they need the 'right sort' of change.  My research explores these key issues in respect of inter-organisational collaboration, leadership, entrepreneurialism, professionalisation, change, ethics and patient views.  

Beyond the two themes above, I also undertake research in the following areas: 

• Health Workforce Planning  - WHO, NHS

• Well being - North Yorks Moors National Park

• Dirty work - nursing, death work, banking & beyond

• Risk & Regulation - following the financial crash

• Gender & Academia - Women Writers Series

• Violence & Edge work - police, bouncers & prison officers

• Death work - family funeral directors

• Visual methods - research & photography

All of the above work is concerned with how we improve wellbeing within business and society.   It is about helping us to better understand other people.   My research expertise is in the use of qualitative, ethnographic and visual research methods (though I did once design an RCT of incontinence pads!). You can find out more about my research by looking through the publications page.

I supervise PhDs in all of the above areas.  Among the doctoral works that I have supervised to completion topics include: 

• leadership in nursing, medicine and healthcare

• emotional labour 

• collaboration in health and social care

• emergence of modern matrons

• innovation & decision making

• Education learning and approaches

• novel research methods