Newcastle University

Introduction

Over the last ten years I have been involved in multi disciplinary research which I find to be a stimulating environment for examining the complexities of large projects concerned with major change in inductry or the public sector. We have sought to move the agenda away from first order, positive frameworks to explore the richness of the multi agency organisational environment.

Research Interests

I have two, convergent areas of interest. First a study of crtical management approaches to the management of long term, service led projects and in particular the way in which participants make sense of their engagement and the intended outcomes.

Second, following involvement in the AMAS and FAME projects, the relationship between practice, governance and infromation systems in multi agenct services. here, I am particularly interested in studying the implemenbtation of the Children Act 2004 and its emphasis on information sharing.

To an increasing extent, the second area is seen as an example of the first. There is a sense in which the study of long term projects (which enter the mainstream) has to embrace the governance of second order change and this is a challenging area of management.

Other Expertise

My background is in senior roles in industry and more latterly in the public sector.

Current Work

I am currently a part of ODPM's FAME (Framework for multui agency environments) project helping to develop the generic framework (which looks across all kinds of public sector services to envisage new forms of infrastructure) and the readiness assessment tool (which is there to help agencies get started on the path to operating multi agency partnerships. The legal framework of governance for multi agency partnerships is at present an interesting puzzle.

Future Research

This is likely to be an extension of my current work.

Esteem Indicators

'Best of Stream' paper at EURAM 2004 for paper on sensemaking - see below.

Funding

From ESRC for the work on Learning across business sectors'
From EPSRC Systems Integration programme for the AMASE project
From ODPM for the FAME project

Industrial Relevance

The Centre for Social and Business Informatics has a particular interest in action research and the research that we undertake is by definition at the forefront of the interest of our sponsors in the public sector.

Projects

• AMASE Advanced Multi-Agency Service Environments
  Project Leader(s): Ian McLoughlin
• Centre Local E-Communications (CLEC)
  Project Leader(s): Rob Wilson
• EPICs - E-Portfolios (JISC Regional E-Learning Pilot)
  Project Leader(s): Rob Wilson
• FAME (Framework for Multi-Agency Environments)
  Project Leader(s): Rob Wilson
• FAME 2
  Project Leader(s): Rob Wilson
• FAME 3 - Towards Partnership Networking Architecture (PNA)
• FAME Framework - 3 day workshop
  Project Leader(s): Rob Wilson

Postgraduate Teaching

I work with colleagues to team teach a module 'Managing Complex Projects' for the MBA programme.

• Vaughan R, Bell S, Cornford J, Mcloughlin I P, Martin M, Wilson R. Information systems development in public sector organisations – working with stakeholders to make sense of what information systems might do. In: 19th EGOS Colloquim ‘Organization Analysis Informing Social and Global Development Sub-Theme 25: Challenges faced by action researchers in bridging the gap between micro-sociological processes and desired macro-changes.2003,Copenhagen, Denmark
• Wilson RG, Baines S, Martin MJ, Vaughan R. A case study of governance in public sector virtual organisations: The emergence of children's trusts. In: Camarinba-Matos, L, ed. Virtual Enterprises and Collaborative Networks. London: Springer, 2004, pp.541-550.
• Wilson R, Vaughan R. Integration of services for children and young people in the public sector: What are the information issues for new forms of organisation - the case of Children’s Trusts. In: European E-Government Conference (ECEG). 2003, Como, Italy.
• Ivory C, Vaughan R. Managing projects through making sense of project discourses: the case of long term service-led engineering projects. In: EURAM, Governance in Managerial Life (Governance of Projects Track). 2004, St. Andrews.
• Alderman N, McLoughlin IP, Ivory CJ, Thwaites AT, Vaughan R. Trains, Cranes and Drains: Customer Requirements in Long-term Engineering Projects as a Knowledge Management Problem. In: von Zedtwitz, M; Haour, G; Khalil, T; Lefebvre, LA, ed. Growth through Business, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 2003, pp. 331-348.
• Wilson R, Vaughan R, Bell S. Use of Participatory Design (PD) in the development of an Electronic Social Care record (ESCR) for Social Services. In: Healthcare Computing (HC). 2003, Harrogate, UK.
• Alderman N, Ivory C, McLoughlin I, Vaughan R. Sense-making as a process within complex service-led projects. International Journal of Project Management 2005, 23(5), 380-385.
• McLoughlin IP, Martin M, Vaughan R, Wilson R, Bell S, Cornford J, Skerratt S. EPSRC Systems Integration Initiative. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Newcastle Centre for Social and Business Informatics, 2004. AMASE Final report.
• Norris S, Kondeatis E, Collins R, Satsangi J, Clare M, Chapman R, Stephens H, Harrison P, Vaughan R, Donaldson P. Mapping MHC-encoded susceptibility and resistance in primary sclerosing cholangitis: The role of MICA polymorphism. Gastroenterology 2001, 120(6), 1475-1482.