Professor Timothy Clark, BA, PhD

Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Chair of BoS
Telephone: +44 (0) 191 33 45416
Fax: +44 (0) 191 33 45201
Room number: 516 Mill Hill Lane

Contact (email at timothy.clark@durham.ac.uk)

Biography

In the last ten years Timothy has conducted a series of research projects into different aspects of the management consultancy industry, including; the factors underpinning the selection and purchase of consultancy; the management of the client-consultant relationship; the role of consultants and management gurus in the diffusion of management ideas. These projects have been funded by ESRC, EU, The Wellcome Trust, industry bodies and consulting firms. The findings from this programme of research has resulted in a number of influential articles in leading international journals and books, the most recent of which are Management Speak (with David Greatbatch), Management Consultancy: Boundaries and Knowledge in Action (with Andrew Sturdy, Karen Handley and Robin Fincham) and Demystifying Business Celebrity (with Eric Guthey and Brad Jackson).

He is currently working on an interdisciplinary project as part of a broader five-year research initiative on Tipping Points funded by the Leverhulme Trust.

He was an editor of Journal of Management Studies (2000-2008) and is a European Editor of Journal of Management Inquiry. He is Chair of the British Academy of Management and in the Business School is the Chair of the Board of Studies.

Research Groups

Research Interests

  • Selection and purchase of consultancy
  • Management of the client-consultant relationship
  • Role of consultants and management gurus

Selected Publications

Books: authored

  • Guthey, E., Clark, T. & Jackson, B. 2009. Demystifying Business Celebrity. London and New York: Routledge. (Additional information) (View publication online)
  • Sturdy, A., Clark, T., Fincham, R. & Handley, K. 2009. Management Consultancy Boundaries and Knowledge in Action. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. (Additional information) (View publication online)
  • Greatbatch, D. & Clark, T. 2005. Management speak: Why we listen to what the gurus tell us. Routledge.

Journal papers: academic

  • Fincham, R. & Clark, T. 2009. Introduction to Point-Counterpoint on Rigour and Relevance in Management Studies: Can We Bridge the Rigour–Relevance Gap? Journal of Management Studies 46(3): 510-515. (Additional information) (View publication online)
  • Clark, T. & Wright, M. 2009. So, Farewell Then….Reflections on Editing the Journal of Management Studies. Journal of Management Studies 46(1): 1-9. (Additional information) (View publication online)
  • Fincham, R., Clark, T., Handley, K. & Sturdy, A. 2008. Configuring expert knowledge: The consultant as sector specialist. Journal of Organizational Behavior 29(8): 1145-1160. (Additional information) (View publication online)
  • Handley, K., Clark, T., Fincham, R. & Sturdy, A. 2007. Researching situated learning: Participation, identity and practices in client-consultant relationships. Management Learning 38(2): 173-191. (Additional information) (View publication online)
  • Clark, T. & Wright, M. 2007. Reviewing journal rankings and revisiting peer reviews: editorial perspectives. Journal of Management Studies 44(4).
  • Clark, T., Floyd, S. & Wright, M. 2006. On the review process and policies of Journal of Management Studies. Journal of Management Studies 43(5).
  • Handley, K., Sturdy, A., Fincham, R. & Clark, T. 2006. Within and beyond communities of practice: making sense of learning through participation, identity and practice. Journal of Management Studies 43(3): 641–653. (Additional information) (View publication online)
  • Clark, T. & Mangham, I. 2005. Stripping to the undercoat: A review and reflections on a piece of organization theatre. Organization Studies 25(5): 841-851. (Additional information) (View publication online)
  • Clark, T. 2004. Controversies and consistencies in management studies. Journal of Management Studies 41(3): 367-376.
  • Clark, T & Mangham, I 2004. From dramaturgy to theatre as technology: The case of corporate theatre. Journal of Management Studies 41(1): 37-59. (Additional information) (View publication online)
  • Handley, K., Sturdy, A.J., Clark, T. & Fincham, R. 2004. Have ideas, will travel? Spectra: Journal of the Management Consultancies Association 42-44.
  • Clark, T. 2004. Strategy viewed from a management fashion perspective. European Management Review 1(1): 105-111.
  • Greatbatch, D. & Clark, T. 2003. Displaying group cohesiveness: humour and laughter in the public lectures of management gurus. Human Relations 56(12): 1515-1544. (Additional information) (View publication online)
  • Clark, T. & Greatbatch, D. 2003. Management fashion as image-spectacle: The production of management best-sellers. Management Communication Quarterly Vol 17(4): 396-424.
  • Clark, T. 2001. Management research on fashion: A review and evaluation. Human Relations 54(12): 1650-1662. (Additional information)

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Media Contacts

Available for media contact about:

  • Business matters: management consultancy
  • Business matters: theatre in business
  • Business matters: trends in management thinking
  • Europe: Business, economy & development: cross-cultural management
  • Art: public speaking

Supervises