Research
Research Strategy 2024–2028
Brenkley Doctoral College's research strategy sets out our vision for practitioner-led doctoral inquiry — what we aim to produce, how we aim to produce it, and the impact we intend to have on professional practice and organisational life.
Vision
Our Research Vision
Brenkley Doctoral College's research vision is to be the leading institution in the UK for practitioner-led doctoral inquiry — research that originates in professional practice, is executed with academic rigour, and returns knowledge to the professional communities that need it.
We are not aiming to replicate the research model of traditional universities. We are building something different: an institution where the research questions come from the inside of organisations, where methodology is selected for fitness of purpose rather than fashion, and where the test of a study's value is not only whether it gets published but whether it changes how organisations work.
This does not mean abandoning academic standards. Brenkley Doctoral College research is peer-reviewed, theoretically grounded, and methodologically defensible. We hold our researchers to the same standards of rigour, integrity, and critical thought that any doctoral institution should expect. What we add to those standards is a commitment to relevance — to producing knowledge that matters beyond the academy.
Practitioner-Led
Research questions originate in professional experience. Our researchers bring the questions; we provide the frameworks, methods, and rigour to address them properly.
Academically Rigorous
All Brenkley Doctoral College research meets the standards expected of doctoral-level scholarship — theoretical grounding, methodological justification, ethical integrity, and critical analysis.
Impact-Oriented
We measure success not only by academic output but by the practical consequences of our research — changed practices, improved systems, better outcomes for organisations and the people within them.
Priorities
Research Priorities 2024–2028
Leadership and Governance
Support a significant body of doctoral research examining leadership effectiveness, board governance, strategic decision-making, and the management of organisational complexity across private, public, and third sectors.
Technology, Organisations, and Work
Build a cluster of research examining how digital transformation, AI adoption, and platform-mediated work are changing organisations — and what leaders need to know and do in response.
Sustainability and Responsible Practice
Develop research on sustainability strategy, climate-resilient leadership, responsible innovation, and ethical business conduct — connecting organisational practice to wider societal responsibilities.
Professional Education and Development
Advance knowledge on how professionals learn, develop, and maintain expertise over careers — including leadership development, professional identity, and the design of effective development interventions.
Practitioner-Research Methodology
Continue to develop and disseminate methodological knowledge specific to practitioner-research — insider positionality, the ethics of organisational research, and the design of rigorous professional doctorate studies.
Workforce Wellbeing and Human Capital
Support research on employee wellbeing, talent management, diversity and inclusion, and the management conditions that enable people to flourish and perform in professional environments.
Impact
Our Impact Goals
Doctoral completions
Target: thirty or more doctoral completions by 2028, contributing original knowledge across our six research priority areas.
Peer-reviewed publications
Fifteen or more peer-reviewed journal articles from Brenkley Doctoral College-affiliated researchers, including supervisors and doctoral graduates, by 2028.
Policy contributions
Five or more documented instances of Brenkley Doctoral College research informing policy, professional standards, or sector-level practice by 2028.
Be part of the research community
Join a growing community of practitioner-scholars generating knowledge that matters. Explore our research themes or apply to a Brenkley Doctoral College programme.