Embarking on a Collaborative PhD Project as a Mature PhD Student
I had joined the LSE Management Department for a master’s degree back in 2011 as a mature student after 20 years of experience in the fashion industry. I had reached a point in my career where I craved change and initially I saw the master’s degree as a kind of gap filler, an opportunity to try out something new. It proved to be a good experience, leading me on to do a PhD at the Management Department which I started in 2013. As my PhD research focused on pension decision-making, I needed access to data on people’s pension choices. I had thought that I could best access the data I needed by entering into a collaborative relationship with a commercial benefits management company in the UK. I chose this particular company because I already had a connection with them (I had done a paid study for them) thanks to a professor from the Management Department. Also, they initially responded favourably to my project idea which encouraged me to collaborate with them. However, the collaboration turned out to be unsuccessful and very nearly jeopardised my PhD project.
Encountering Challenges: Not All Research-Business-Collaborations Turn Out Fruitful
Although this was not the main problem, I had made things more difficult for myself by choosing to work on pension choices, an area I had no prior affiliation or connections with. This choice had arisen from my desire for a complete break from my previous career. But with hindsight I’d say it would have been much easier and probably more fruitful to pick my home field for collaboration and tap into my existing networks. For instance, exploring a topic related to the fashion world might have resulted in a far more successful collaborative project. However, my emotional desire for change led me elsewhere.
The greatest stumbling stone was probably a lack of honesty on the part of the company concerning their commitment to support me in carrying out my research project. The CEO had initially presented himself as being truly in favour of the collaboration but this did not translate into actual commitment in practice. Instead of gaining access to data and key contacts, I was constantly held in limbo and delegated to people who were not invested in the project. I wasted much time and energy on endless, ultimately unproductive meetings and email conversations which led nowhere. My supervisor tried to mediate but to no real avail. To be honest, there was probably also a misunderstanding or communicative disconnection concerning the meaning of “research” and the scope of a PhD project. Companies may easily think that collaborations with a PhD researcher might amount to nothing more than a survey, whereas researchers and academics clearly envision something far more rigorous and sustained when it comes to PhD research. Also, when starting on the project, I had somewhat underestimated the sensitivity of the data and the difficulties involved in gaining access to data via a company. The tipping point came when the company I was collaborating with entered into a process of being sold and taken over. At that point, I decided to draw a line and finish the collaboration to save the PhD project.
Advice for Other PhD and Early Career Researchers to Prevent or Navigate Collaboration Challenges
I navigated those challenges and finished the PhD in the end by changing my methodological approach which made me independent from the company. As sensitive quantitative data about salaries and pension choices was hard to get, I shifted methodologically to qualitative interviews (mostly with people outside of the company) which yielded new insights and valuable contacts. This should have been my starting point for the project, I realised! I also shifted methodologically to a series of experiments which allowed me to regain control and get data for analysis.
Research-business collaborations can definitely be fruitful for some projects but they might not be equally relevant for all disciplines. My key advice to those who are interested in such collaborations would be as follows:
- If existent, tap into existing connections and industry links instead of starting from scratch. There is much to be gained from picking one’s “home ground”.
- Things might work out differently from what you expect. The partnership may not unfold as desired or the company you are collaborating with might enter into a phase of institutional instability. Always have a Plan B and even a Plan C!
- Do qualitative research early on to grow your network. Running a series of experiments is also a good starting point to discover and explore the underlying dynamics in the field.
- Finally, do make use of LSE resources when reaching out to partners and building your network.
Ultimately I can say that, notwithstanding the difficulties I encountered, the PhD was a rewarding process which created new opportunities for me and enabled me to launch an encore career in academia.