Dr Barry Rogers, Professor in Practice, PBS.

This course is available on the MSc in Behavioural Science, MSc in Organisational and Social Psychology, MSc in Psychology of Economic Life, MSc in Social and Cultural Psychology and MSc in Social and Public Communication. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

The aim of PB424 is to equip students with the knowledge, mindset and skills necessary to bridge the gap between theoretical and practical perspectives. The course seeks to achieve this by critically making sense of on a range of emerging issues facing those that work for, and with organisations. 



Our world has been turned upside down in recent years. On the one hand, disruptive technologies challenge taken-for-granted assumptions and long-standing business models. At the same time, existential issues such as climate change,  sustainability and Covid highlight the fragility of the system, questioning the usefulness of many traditional approaches.



These dynamics beg a simple but fundamental question - how do we make sense of this fast-moving context and equip ourselves to shape, lead and enable change? PB 424 seeks to provide a tool box to answer this question. 



The course will address a range of emerging questions including:

• How do we manage and lead organisations in an increasingly volatile and uncertain  world?

• Why do we work…let alone engage five generational cohorts at work?

• What does the post pandemic (hybrid) workplace mean for sustainable working lives?

• How do we navigate multiple distractions and interruptions,  equipping ourselves for the diminishing gap between stimulus and response?

• Where now for organisational learning, training and coaching?

• How do organisations meaningfully relate to wider societal stakeholders?

• How do we navigate organisational relationships and mobilize resources to get things done?

• What constitutes ‘showing up’ as a leader in challenging times?

• How can we move beyond the 'ivory tower’ and  bridge organisational theory to practice?

10 hours of lectures and 10 hours of seminars in the WT.

There will also be 5 hours of 'Theory/Practice' guest sessions in the LT.

One formative piece of coursework to be submitted in the LT.

Berg, J. L. (2015). The role of personal purpose and personal goals in symbiotic visions. Frontiers in Psychology, 6.

Choi, S. (2019). Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling: Social Capital Matters for Women’s Career Success? International Public Management Journal, 22(2), 295–320.

Hoffman, A. J. (2016). Reflections: Academia’s Emerging Crisis of Relevance and the Consequent Role of the Engaged Scholar. Journal of Change Management, 16(2), 77–96.

Leroy, S. (2009). Why is it so hard to do my work? The challenge of attention residue when switching between work tasks. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision  Processes, 109(2), 168–181.

Moran, C. (2015). Time as a social practice. Time & Society, 24(3), 283–303.

Paoli, D. D., Sauer, E., & Ropo, A. (2019). The spatial context of organizations: A critique of ‘creative workspaces.’ Journal of Management & Organization, 25(2), 331–352. 

Weick, K.E. (2003). ‘Theory and Practice in the Real World’ In: Tsoukas, H. & Knudsen, C. (eds.) The Oxford Handbook or Organizational Theory. London: OUP, pp 453-476.

Wood, M., & Dibben, M. (2015). Leadership as Relational Process. Process Studies, 44(1), 24–47.

Essay (100%, 3000 words) in the ST.

The essay is structured in three parts. The first part involves the choice of a practical, emerging area of interest by the student. This is followed by a theoretical exploration of that issue and finally, a ‘translation’ of the theoretical perspective back to a real-world ‘solution’ setting.  The logic of this approach is to equip  students with the skills necessary to bridge theoretical and practiacal persepctives in ways that are rigorous, relevant and connect with real world needs.