Impact and engagement

We work with a broad range of national and international stakeholders across the public, private and voluntary sectors.

Our research has informed the work of international corporations, charities, government departments, local communities and individual workers. This includes NHS England, World Health Organisation, CIPD, Diageo, Hewlett Packard, European Space Agency, Samaritans, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and the World Bank.

Featured research

Wellbeing and public sector workers

Dr Jane Suter and Dr Tina Kowalski

We're working with an NHS trust to study the impact of changing from an 8-hour to a 12-hour shift pattern.

By measuring factors like staff absence and sickness, quality of patient care and patient violence, we can establish what might have happened had changes not been introduced.

Coupling this research with qualitative interviews with staff allows us to understand the impact on staff, and how they have responded to the change.

Black Snow

Professor Stephen Linstead

Our research into England's worst industrial accident has led to an award-winning film.

In 1866, an explosion at The Oaks colliery in Barnsley killed 361 people. The incident was largely forgotten until a group of ex-miners, trade unionists and local historians began a campaign to erect a memorial to mark the 150th anniversary.

Black Snow shows the struggles of a historical community devastated by disaster, and of a contemporary community rediscovering itself by memorialising its lost industrial past. In 2018 it was named AHRC Best Research Film of the Year.

LGBT employee networks within the NHS

Dr Anna Einarsdottir

Our research into LGBT networks in the NHS aims to discover more about how these groups operate. We aim to map network membership and explore ways to address insufficient representation of different groups.

We're exploring the support and barriers to networks' visions, and examining how to effectively address negativity towards LGBT employees.

Working with NHS Employers, Stonewall and the Employers' Network for Equality and Inclusion, alongside academics and and artists, we will engage with key groups to create more inclusive environments.

Soccer-Mad Boffins

Dr Kevin Tennent and Dr Alex Gillett

Our research into football tackles questions of management, marketing and history to find lessons we can learn from the beautiful game.

From the history of the World Cup to the working lives of referees, we explore how football has evolved as a sport and an industry. We investigate how local and national governments have intervened in clubs and competitions to score political goals.

Our findings have important implications for those involved in organising sport at amateur, local and elite levels.

The history of management

Professor Bill Cooke

Our research into the history of management explores what the past can tell us about the future.

Management is at work in all aspects of our lives, so it's important to learn where management ideas come from and how they affect us today.