University lecturer joins Mayvin director on HR’s “most influential” list following success of joint impact projects

A LIST of the 30 most influential thinkers in HR has featured an academic from the University of Chichester thanks to his celebrated work with organisation development and design business Mayvin.

Dr Rob Warwick, a Reader in Management and Organisational Learning, was named on the rankings alongside Mayvin director James Traeger following a number of joint projects which challenged the traditional building blocks of organisation development, including across the civil service.

The acclaimed list of 30, compiled by HR magazine, celebrates practitioners and academics pushing the field of people management further. Dr Warwick, who teaches at the University’s Business School, and Dr Traeger were specifically praised by judges for their co-written book, Organisation Development: A Bold Explorer’s Guide.

The 2018 publication is aimed at practitioners who want to develop their practice from the ground-up, and are looking for inspiration to ‘take their own experience seriously’. A spokesperson from HR magazine said that the book was “one of the most helpful, applicable, and widely read works on organisation develop at the moment.”

Dr Warwick, whose expertise is within strategic development of NHS services, said: “It is a privilege to be considered as one of the most influential thinkers in human resources. During these times of unprecedented change, we are having to rethink how we cope and make good decisions. It is an honour to be recognised as making contributions in this field.”

Dr Traeger, a leadership and organisational development specialist, added: “I am honoured to be included in this category of most influential thinkers. The context of our work of late has been predominantly in building Organisation Development and Design capability the UK Civil Service.

“At a time when they have been under unprecedented pressure whilst in the uncomfortable spotlight of public attention, these public servants have remained resilient and effective in the midst of all of this politically-lead uncertainty. I am glad that our work of practice-based learning, supporting their development edge, close to the grain of their work, has been instrumental in enabling them to do so.”

The two experts are continuing to work together to explore practice-based learning, which delves into ‘artful knowing’, and explores how taking an imaginative creative approach to work can help people to meet organisational challenges.

More about the list of most influential figures in HR, including details of Dr Warwick and Dr Traeger’s distinguished work, can be read at www.hrmagazine.co.uk.

Find out more about Dr Rob Warwick and his academic expertise at the University of Chichester at www.chi.ac.uk/staff/dr-rob-warwick. For more on Dr James Traeger and his role at Mayvin visit https://mayvin.co.uk.