Linley Lord

Peer to peer support: the disappearing work in the doctoral student experience

This paper reflects on the importance of study groups in contributing to a positive postgraduate experience and explores specific concepts, such as ‘disappearing behaviours’ in contrasting the ‘official’ languages of universities with the beneficial behaviours found through study groups. Additionally the paper advocates the systematic inclusion of strategies such as study groups in the postgraduate experience. Funding arrangements and research frameworks for higher education in Australia focus on student progress and completion, as well as comparison of research quality within and between universities. As a result, there is a significant emphasis on timely completion of postgraduate degrees. This paper posits that there is an apparent contradiction between the indicators of success in this area, such as completion rates and annual progress reports and the positive contribution that study groups can make to the doctoral student experience.

Understanding leadership experiences: the need for story sharing and feminist literature as a survival manual for leadership

This paper uses an auto‐ethnographic storytelling approach to connect an individual’s experience in leadership with the literature on women in leadership as a way of further exposing and understanding gendered organisational practices. Whilst the paper details only one women’s experience it was through the connection to the literature that most ‘sense making’ occurred and a realisation (on the part of one of the authors) that the experience was not unique or individualised but, rather, systematic of masculine, gendered, organisational cultures. The paper offers some ‘strategies for survival’ for other women who may find themselves in similar situations. It concludes with a call for programmes and strategies to bring about fundamental change. Although the setting is the higher education sector in Australia the paper’s findings and recommendations have much broader applicability.

Creating an oasis: some insights into the practice and theory of a successful academic writing group

Academic writing groups are acknowledged as a successful approach to increasing research publication output and quality. However, the possible links between the formation and ongoing utilisation of writing groups and improvements in scholarly written research outputs remain relatively undertheorised. In this article, we draw on academic writing group literature, structuration theory and an analysis of the literature on characteristics of effective teams to explore the experiences of one successful academic writing group. By referring to these areas of literature and theory, we provide insights and tentative lessons that may be relevant to other academics in similar organisational contexts.

Institutional influences on women's representation on corporate boards : an Australian case study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to interrogate changes to womens representation on boards from an institutional perspective in a particular national context (Australia). Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on institutional theory at the legal, political and social levels the paper identifies the factors through which womens underrepresentation on corporate boards in Australia gained traction over the period 2009-2012. Findings – Through the analysis of the Australian context over the period 2009-2012, the paper proposes a framework to represent the multiple, differentiated and often conflicting spheres affecting womens representation on boards and how this may have wider application internationally. Research limitations/implications – In focusing on the institutional factors, the paper does not mean to underplay organisational factors relevant to womens access to board positions; rather the authors seek to draw attention to how the organisational factors may be shaped by changing institutiona...

Bridging the gap: the challenges of employing entrepreneurial processes within university settings

ABSTRACT In Australia and elsewhere, universities face increasing pressure to improve research output and quality, particularly through partnerships with industry. This raises interesting challenges for academic staff with considerable industry experience who are ‘new’ to academe. Some of these challenges were faced by the authors who have been successful in generating research, consultancy and executive education funds since joining academe and been somewhat surprised at being described as successful researchers and entrepreneurs. Taking a reflexive look to identify and make explicit our practice through the lenses of social capital and the entrepreneurial process, we identified 10 practices. However, we remain troubled by the dissonance between organisational rhetoric and its rewards for entrepreneurial activities. We offer some considerations for universities to help bridge this gap.