PhD Scholarship – Alternative Organizations

Leeds University Business School PhD Scholarship A Democracy to Come? Investigating Change in Alternative Organizations

Project Information: Leeds University Business School is seeking a talented and highly motivated doctoral researcher to work on a project related to Dr Martyn Griffin<http://business.leeds.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/staff-directory/profile/martyn-griffin/>’s ESRC Future Research Leaders (FRL) Grant Award. The FRL project is entitled „A Democracy to Come? Investigating Change in Alternative Organizations<http://business.leeds.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/blog/article/a-democracy-to-come-investigating-change-in-alternative-organisations-an-overview/>“ and is running from 1 February 2016 to 31 January 2019. The candidate would begin their related but independent project on 1 October 2016. They will be supervised by Dr Griffin and would join and integrate with the activities of the newly created Workplace Behaviour Research Centre led by Prof. Kerrie Unsworth<http://business.leeds.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/staff-directory/profile/kerrie-unsworth/>.

The ESRC<http://www.esrc.ac.uk/> Future Research Leaders project explores how organizations make the transition from top-down hierarchical workplaces to adopt democratic structures with increased employee power. It considers the opportunities and challenges that organizations face once they have made the transition and are attempting to initiate and pursue change with less hierarchy and more employee freedom and control. The project involves over 20 alternative organizations and hundreds of workers within alternative organizations. It documents the experience of self-proclaimed ‚alternative‘ organizations, their members and coaches as they initiate and pursue change within the workplace. In doing so, it provides a radical exploration of the opportunities and challenges faced by employees, elected leaders, coaches and HR professionals whilst adopting and sustaining democratic organizations. Related to this award, we are offering one funded PhD scholarship within Leeds University Business School. Supervised by Dr Martyn Griffin the proposed doctoral study will explore the challenges and opportunities of establishing alternative organizations that work with democratic and non-hierarchical models of management. The study will be able to draw on their existing contacts and/or those of the supervisory team to build an independent research project in this area. We welcome proposals that utilise innovative qualitative methods and critical conceptual insights to explore an original and inspiring research question within these organizations. While the broad focus of the study should be alternative organizational systems which reject traditional hierarchical management (including but not limited to co-operatives, sociocracies, holacracies and other models of democratic or self-management) the specific focus of the project is entirely open for the candidate to propose. The project might, for instance, explore the intersection of aspects like power, freedom and/or control in alternative organizations. It might explore the challenges of maintaining a culture in an alternative organization or the complexities of gender, ethnicity and/or disability in alternative organizations. It might mix these (and other) themes in new and unexpected ways. The applicant is free to develop a proposal within these broad confines to develop a project that will provide interesting and inspiring insights to the field. Applications are welcomed from any social science (or related) discipline, although candidates must have already achieved the required level of research training (usually by the attainment of a Masters) and should have some training in qualitative methods. Candidates must also have an interest in democratic and non-hierarchical organizations, given the substantive foci of the potential supervisory panel. The scholarship must commence on 1 October 2016. Supervisors Dr Martyn Griffin<http://business.leeds.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/staff-directory/profile/martyn-griffin/> (second supervisor Prof. Virginie Pérotin<http://business.leeds.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/staff-directory/profile/virginie-perotin/>)

How to Apply:

Download the full scholarship advert.<http://business.leeds.ac.uk/fileadmin/public/Student_recruitment/Student_Recruitment_Docs/PhD_forms/Leeds_University_Business_School_PhD_-_A_Democracy_to_Come.pdf>

Download the application form.<http://business.leeds.ac.uk/fileadmin/public/Student_recruitment/Student_Recruitment_Docs/PhD_forms/LUBS_School_Scholarship_Application_Form_-_A_Democracy_to_come_201617.doc>

Closing date for applications: Monday 2 May 2016 (23:59 UK time) Any application received after the deadline date or without a full set of documents as listed will be rejected.