Diane Phillps

Biography

For a few years before commencing my PhD my research interests have been centred in organisational studies space. Since commencing my PhD my research has been more focused on the changing research environment and universities as organisations, in terms of education, governance and research practice. More recently defining my research direction and brand, my research narrative revolves around 'What happens inside organisations, specifically universities, when the external environment changes: people, practice, processes and philosophy'. From a philosophically position, senior colleagues tell me my research is underpinned by critical realism explaining how and why certain results emerge from the changing environment in an institutional context. As a critical theorist in the making, Foucault's work on Power, Governmentality, Surveillance and Self-Care and Self- Technologies fit in with the broad research narrative above. With a background in educational psychology: thinking and specifically critical and creative thinking in my always play a role in my research identity. As a research manager, I have undertaken large quantitative research; however, since working in the organisational studies space my preference is qualitative methodologies such as ethnography, phenomenology and action research. I take a planned, systematic and strategic knowledge engagement approach to research.

Research Interest

Areas of Research Interest Organisational Studies The Impact of Neoliberal Ideas on Institutions Research Governance and Practice Collegiality and Leadership Educational Research Critical and Creative thinking Work integrated learning Research Philosophy Socratic Thinking- Freedom To And From Practice based ontologies Research Theories / Models of Interest Critical Theory Michel Foucault Power, Governmentality, Surveillance and Self-Care And Technologies Educational Psychology Critical and Creative Thinking Theories Research Methods of Interest Qualitative or Mixed Methods -Empirical based methods – Interpretive Action Research Critical Social Research Ethnography - Critical institutional ethnography Phenomenology Preferred methods of data collection Interviews Focus groups Visual materials Discourse analysis