Reader in Organisational Behaviour

Director: Centre for Leadership Innovation

I spent over 25 years working in voluntary organisations, in a variety of management positions including chief executive and chair. I began to work on my PhD while I was CEO of the Elfrida Society, an organisation involved in service provision and policy development with people with learning difficulties.

My PhD explored the founding stories of voluntary organisations, both in the UK and in India. I enjoyed this so much that I moved into university teaching in 2004, teaching diversity management at London Metropolitan. I came to Bedfordshire in 2010.

Principal responsibilities include:

• Directing the Research Centre for Leadership Innovation (CLI) within the Business and Management Research Institute (BMRI)
• Supervising research students
• Teaching research methods and reflective skills

Affiliations

• Senior Fellow: Higher Education Academy
• Fellow: Royal Society of Arts (FRSA)

External relations

• Chapter Lead for the UK Chapter of the Humanistic Management Network
• Member of the editorial board Murmurations on-line journal
• Board Member (from July 2018) SCOS (Standing Conference on Organisational Symbolism
• Reviewing for journals: including Organization, The International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, Power and Education and Journal of Religion, Spirituality and Management.
• Lead convenor of the first panel session on critical approaches to researching the voluntary sector: International Conference of Critical Management Studies Naples, 2011
• Member of the Affinity Group for Gender of the International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR)
• Member of the Advisory Group for a research project on values in voluntary sector organisations carried out by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and published in 2009

Qualifications

• 2008 MA Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (Distinction) - London Metropolitan University
• 2002 PhD - University of East London: Creation Mythology in Voluntary Organisations in the UK and India
• 2000 People Based Development: Three-week course held at the Manavodaya Institute in Lucknow
• 1996 MA (Distinction) Voluntary Sector Management - University of East London: dissertation Metaphors of Creativity in the Voluntary Sector
• 1995 Level II Hindi - Institute of Linguists
• 1984-87 Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Skills (part-time) - South West London College
• 1978-79 Arts Administration - State University of New York
• 1974-77 BA Hons - University of East Anglia: English history and literature

Research Interests

My primary research interest is in voluntary organisations and the ways in which they shape our understanding of what makes for the good society through sensemaking heuristics such as story and metaphor.

More specifically, I have been collaborating with a colleague for a number of years on a project exploring diversity management within the voluntary sector.

Recently I have focused primarily on issues regarding gender equality. Most of my work draws on a synthesis of constructionist, critical and postcolonial perspectives.

Keynote presentations

• Keynote speaker: The Third Arab International Conference on Strategic Awareness and. Governance organised by Middle East University, Jordan: 7 December 2021
• Keynote speaker: Women in Academia: conference organised by the University of Jordan: January 2021
• Keynote speaker: PRIA, New Delhi: Seminar on The nexus between civil society organisations and democratic engagement Chair: Rajesh Tandon, respondent: Dr Suhas Chakma, Director, Asian Centre for Human Rights: February 2016

Publications

Articles in Academic Journals

• Stoica, I., Kavaratzis, M., Schwabenland, C and Haag, M. (2022) ‘Place brand co-creation through story-telling: Benefits, risks and preconditions’ Tourism and. Hospitality 3 (1), 15-30
• Schwabenland, C. and Hirst, A. (2021). ‘Solidarity with Soufra: Dividuality and joint action with. Palestinian women refugees’ Organization: https://doi.org/10.1177/13505084211051046
• Schwabenland, C. and Hirst, A, (2020) ‘Hybrid accountability and managerial agency in the third sector’ Public Administration DOI: 10.1111/padm.12568
• Hirst, A. and Schwabenland, C. (2017) 'Doing Gender in the "New Office"' Gender, Work and Organization doi: 10.1111/gwao.1200
• Schwabenland, C. and Tomlinson, F. (2015) 'Shadows and Light: Diversity Management as Phantasmagoria' Human Relations 68/12: 1913-1936
• Schwabenland, C. (2015) 'Discursive Strategies for Navigating the Terrain Between the Sacred and Profane' Culture and Organization 21/1: 59-77
• Wilson, K. and Schwabenland, C. (2012) ‘International and Intra-national Cultures in Organizations: Overlapping or Contested Terrains? Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives in Science and Practice 5/3: 357-361
• Schwabenland, C. (2011) ‘Surprise and Awe: Learning from Indigenous Managers’ Journal of Management Education 35/1: 138-153
• Tomlinson, F. and Schwabenland, C. (2010) ‘Conciliating Competing Discourses of Diversity: The UK Non-profit Sector Between Social Justice and the Business Case.’ Organization 17/1: 101-121
• Schwabenland, C (2009) The Use of Disruption as a Pedagogical Intervention, in Educational Action Research 17/2: 293-309
• Schwabenland, C. and Tomlinson, F. (2008) ‘Managing Diversity or Diversifying Management?’ Critical Perspective on International Business 4 /2: 320-333
• Schwabenland, C. (2006) ‘The Influence of Cultural Heritage on Students’ Willingness to Engage in Peer Assessment’ in Investigations in University Teaching and Learning 3/2: 100-109

Books

• Schwabenland, C., Lange, C., Onyx, J. and Nakagawa, S. (eds.) (2016) Women's Emancipation and Civil Society Organisations: Challenging or Maintaining the Status Quo? Bristol: Policy Press
• Schwabenland, C. (2012) Metaphor and Dialectic in Managing Diversity Palgrave
• Schwabenland, C. (2006) Stories, Visions and Values in Voluntary Organisations: Ashgate
• Schwabenland, C. (ed.) (2003) Participation North and South: New Ideas in Participatory Development from India and the UK, The Elfrida Press, London
• Schwabenland, C. (ed.) (2000) Relationships in the Lives of People with Learning Difficulties, The Elfrida Press, London

Chapters in Edited Books

• Johnson, J. and Schwabenland, C. (Jan. 2013) ‘Managing Diverse Identities at Work’ Perkins, S. and Arvinen Muondo. R. (eds.) Organizational Behaviour Kogan Page
• Schwabenland, C. (November 2012) ‘Using Poetics in Teaching Diversity’ McIntosh, P. And Warren, D. (eds.) Creativity in the Classroom: Case Studies in Using Arts in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Intellect Publishing
• Schwabenland, C. (2012)‘Swachh Narayani: The Creation of a Goddess as an Organisational Intervention’ in Against the Grain: Advances in Postcolonial Organisation Studies A. Prasad (ed.) Liber/ Copenhagen Business School Press: 73-94
• Schwabenland, C. (2008) ‘Representations of the Ideal as Symbols of Subversion’ in Mythical Inspirations for Organisational Realities M. Kostera (ed.) Palgrave Macmillan
• Schwabenland, C. (2006) ‘Stories, Mythmaking and the Consolation of Success’ in Discourse, Power and Identity Trentham Press
• Schwabenland, C. (2006)’ Founding Stories as Creation Myths’, in Brewis, J., Linstead, S., Boje, D. and O’Shea, T. (eds.) The Passion of Organizing, Copenhagen: Liber / Copenhagen Business School Press
• Schwabenland,C. (2003) ‘Towards A Paradigm Shift: Lessons from anti-oppression movements’ in C. Schwabenland (ed.) London: The Elfrida Press
• Schwabenland, C. (1993) ‘Elfrida Rathbone, a Case Study in Contracting’, in J. Bornot (ed.) Community Care, A Reader, Open University Press (updated as Contracts Five Years On, 1996)

Other Publications

• Nangle, M., Schwabenland, C. and Springett, N. (2011) Questioning Leadership Occasional paper for the Centre of Leadership Innovation, University of Bedfordshire
• Schwabenland, C (2009) ‘Identity’, in Encyclopaedia of Civil Society Anheier, H. (Ed.) Springer
• Schwabenland, C. ‘Vinoba Bhave’ in Encyclopaedia of Hinduism Cush, D., Robinson, C. and York, M. (eds.) Routledge
• Schwabenland, C. (2004) ‘Utopias, Dystopias and the Paradox of Compliance’ published volume of selected conference papers International Society for Third Sector Research www.istir.org
• Schwabenland, C. (1995) ‘Managing Creativity’ Third Sector This essay won second prize in the Catherine Luyster Award sponsored by Compass Partnership and Third Sector
• Schwabenland, C. (1994) ‘Community Care in Islington’ Needs Assessment London: LVSC
• Schwabenland, C. (1993) article on Equal Opportunities bought (but not published) by The Guardian
• Schwabenland, C. (1992) `Consultation in Community Care’ in Community Care Planning, London: LVSC: published submission to the Social Services Inspectorate.
• Conference Papers
• Schwabenland, C. (2022 on-line) ‘Leadership approaches to crisis management’ BMRI Annual Conference: 10 January 2022
• Schwabenland, C. (2021b on-line) ‘Strengthening resilience amongst Palestinian women living in refugee camps in Lebanon’ International Society for Third Sector Research 14 July 2021
• Schwabenland. C. (2021a on-line) ‘Care or Support: New efforts to reclaim ‘care’ as a unifying/ organising principle’ Standing Conference on Organizational Symbolism 6 July, 2021 Hirst, A. and Schwabenland, C. (2021 on-line) ‘Complicating the boundary: liminal placemaking in Palestinian refugee camps’ Gender, Work and Organization Conference June 30/6/21
• Schwabenland, C., Boncori, I., Slater, R. and Mackenzie, B. (2020 online) ‘Reflecting. and learning in lockdown’ Humanistic Management Network annual international conference: Geneva 6/11/20
• Schwabenland, C. and Hirst, A. (2020: postponed to 2021) ‘Strengthening resilience amongst Palestinian women living in refugee camps in Lebanon’ International Society for Third Sector Research Montreal
• Schwabenland, C. and Hirst, A. (2019b) ‘Cooking with ghosts’ Standing Conference on Organisational Symbolism (SCOS) York
• Schwabenland, C. and Hirst, A. (2019a) ‘Cookbooks with attitude: The entangling of food, aesthetics and activism’ International Critical Management Studies Conference Milton Keynes
• Schwabenland, C. (2019) ‘Using Lego serious play in developing EDI curriculum’ The Fifth Workshop on Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion: Copenhagen Business School
• Schwabenland, C. (2018b) ‘Food as art and organization’ Arts and Management in Organization Brighton
• Schwabenland, C. and Hirst, A. (2018) ‘Soufra: A case study of a women’s social enterprise’ International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR) Amsterdam
• Schwabenland, C. (2018) ‘Resilience, resistance and recipes’ Gender, Work and Organization Sydney
• Schwabenland, C. (2017a) ‘Introductory Attempts at Analysing Palestinian Women’s Organisations Through a Hermeneutic Lens’ Standing Conference on Organizational Symbolism (SCOS) Rome
• Schwabenland, C. (2017b) ‘Poetic Logic in Research Analysis’ European Congress of Qualitative Inquiry Leuvan
• Schwabenland, C. (2016a) ‘Doing, Undoing and Redoing Gender: Implications for Women’s Organisations’ International Society for Third Sector Research Stockholm
• Schwabenland, C. (2016b) ‘Reclaiming Agency in the Provision of Support Services’ International Society for Third Sector Research Stockholm
• Schwabenland, C. (2016c) ‘An “Ordinary Life” for People with Learning Disabilities: Discursive Strategy, Symbolic Resource or Surrogate for Service Failure?’ Standing Conference on Organizational Symbolism (SCOS) Uppsala
• Schwabenland, C. (2015a) ‘Practitioners and Managers: Sharing Dialogue or Talking at Cross Purposes?’ Critical Management Studies Leicester
• Schwabenland, C. (2015b) ‘From the Pre-Raphaelites to the Bauhaus: Drawing on the Arts and Crafts Movements to Rethink the Relationship Between ‘Home’ and ‘Work’ Standing Conference on Organisational Symbolism Nottingham Trent University
• Schwabenland, C. (2015c) ‘Whose Service is it Anyway?’ Inaugural Conference of the Journal of Intercultural Communications CUNY, New York City
• Schwabenland, C. (2014a) ‘The Dilemmas and Paradoxes of Making Research Accessible to Practitioners’ Researching the Voluntary Sector Sheffield
• Schwabenland, C. (2014b) ‘The Role of Civil Society Organisations in Women’s Emancipation: Challenging or Maintaining the Status Quo? (Panel convenor) International Society for Third Sector Research Muenster, Germany
• Schwabenland, C. (2014c) ‘Reinterpreting or Re-appropriating Sacred Iconography’ International Society for Third Sector Research Muenster, Germany
• Schwabenland, C. (2014d) ‘Religion: Barring or Enabling Women’s Participation? (Panel convenor) International Society for Third Sector Research Muenster, Germany
• Schwabenland, C. (2014e) ‘Developing an Iconography of Subversion’ 32<sup>nd</sup>Standing Conference on Organizational Symbolism Utrecht, Netherlands,
• Schwabenland, C. (2014f) ‘Researchers and Practitioners: Colleagues or Strangers?’ Discourse, Power and Resistance University of Greenwich
• Schwabenland, C. (2013) ‘Theorising the Role of Civil Society Organisations in Women’s Emancipation: An International Perspective’ paper presented at the International Critical Management Studies Conference July 2013: Manchester
• Schwabenland, C. and Tomlinson, F. (2013) ‘A Framework for Incorporating Human Rights Into Diversity Management in the UK Voluntary Sector’ paper presented at the Gender and Diversity stream of the EGOS annual conference July 2013: Montreal
• Schwabenland, C. and Tomlinson, F. (2012a)’ Diversity Management as Phantasmagoria’ paper presented at the Bi-annual conference of the International Society of Third Sector Research (ISTR) Siena, July
• Hirst, A. And Schwabenland, C. (2012b) ‘Hiding in plain sight: The sociospatial construction of gendered identities in the ‘new office’: paper presented at the European Group on Organization Studies (EGOS) annual conference: Helsinki, July
• Schwabenland, C. (2012c) ‘Form and Function: Voluntary Organisations Working Across Divided Communities’ Sociology of Religion subgroup; British Association of Sociology Annual Conference University of Chester, 2012. March
• Schwabenland, C. (2012d) ‘Voluntary Organisations Working Across Divided Communities in India, Israel and Ireland’ International Conference on Management, Spirituality and Religion Indian Institute of Management Bangalore: 2012, January
• Schwabenland, C. (2011a) ‘Discursive Strategies Adopted by Voluntary Organisations Working Across Divided Communities’ International Critical Management Studies Conference Naples: July 2011
• Tomlinson, F. and Schwabenland, C. (2011b) ‘Dilemmas of Doing Diversity in the UK Voluntary Sector’ International Critical Management Studies Conference Naples: July 2011
• Schwabenland, C. (2010a) ‘Reframing the other’ Inaugural conference of the Society of Religion, Spirituality and Management, Vienna 10-11 December
• Schwabenland, C. (2010b) ‘In Search of Frames of Sensitivity’ Tenth conference of the International Society of Third Sector Research Istanbul, July 2010
• Schwabenland, C. (2010c) Panel Convenor; ‘Looking After Each Other’ panel of papers presented as part of a programme of work of the Affinity Group for gender Tenth conference of the International Society of Third Sector Research Istanbul, July 2010
• Schwabenland, C. (2009a) ‘Metaphor as a bridge between theory and practice in the managing of diversity’ Standing Conference on Organisational Symbolism Copenhagen
• Schwabenland, C. (2009b) ‘The Importance of Reinventing the Wheel’ Critical Management Studies (Warwick)Schwabenland, C (2008a) An Exploration into the relevance of postgraduate study for people working in the voluntary sector International Society for Third Sector Research, Barcelona
• Schwabenland, C. (2008b) ‘Metaphorical Thinking as a Critical Capacity for Managing Diversity ‘ Human Development and Capability Association, Delhi
• Schwabenland, C. (2008c) Metaphor and Management Discourse, Power and Resistance, Manchester
• Schwabenland, C. (lead author) and Tomlinson, F. (2007a) ‘Managing Diversity; Diversity in Management?’ Critical Management Studies postcolonial stream: Manchester
• Schwabenland, C. (lead author) and Tomlinson, F. (2007b) ‘Stories of Diversity’ Standing Conference on Organisational Symbolism (SCOS) Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Schwabenland, C. (2007c) ‘The Use of Disruption as Pedagogical Intervention’ Discourse, Power and Resistance Manchester
• Schwabenland, C. (2006) ‘Representations of the Ideal as Symbols of Subversion’ Discourse, Power and Resistance Manchester
• Schwabenland, C. (2006) ‘Swacch Narayani: The construction of gender as representation of the ideal’ International Society for Third Sector Research Bangkok
• Schwabenland, C. (2006) Is there a female culture in third sector organisations? (panel chair) International Society for Third Sector Research Bangkok
• Schwabenland, C. (2005) ‘Stories, Mythmaking and Consolation’ Discourse, Power and Resistance, Plymouth
• Schwabenland, C. (2005) ‘Swacch Narayani; the creation of a goddess as an organisational intervention’ Gender, Work and Organisation Keele
• Schwabenland, C. (2005) ‘Swacch Narayani: a subversive goddess?’ Critical Management Studies, Cambridge
• Schwabenland, C. (2004) ‘Founders stories as Utopian Tales’ 22<sup>nd</sup> Standing Conference in Organisational Symbolism Halifax, Nova Scotia
• Schwabenland, C. (2004) Utopias, Dystopias and the Paradox of Compliance’ International Society for Third Sector Research, Toronto
• Schwabenland, C. (2004) Utopias, Dystopias and the Paradox of Compliance’ NCVO: Researching the Voluntary Sector Sheffield
• Schwabenland, C. (2003)`How Voluntary Sector Chief Executives Use the Organisation’s Founding Stories as a Heuristic in the Interpretation of Experience’, 21st Standing Conference on Organizational Symbolism, Cambridge, July.
• Schwabenland, C. (2002a) `How Chief Executives Use the Founding Stories as a Heuristic in Sensemaking’, NCVO Research Conference, Nottingham, UK:
• Schwabenland, C. (2002b) ‘How Chief Executives Use the Founding Stories as a Heuristic in Sensemaking’ ARNOVA Conference, Montreal, Canada
• Schwabenland, C. (2001a) ` Founding Stories as Creation Mythology in Voluntary Organisations in the UK and India’ Critical Management Studies Conference, Manchester, UK.
• Schwabenland, C. (2001b) ` How do Chief Executives in India and the UK Conceptualise Social Change?’ NCVO Researching the Voluntary Sector Conference, London, UK
• Schwabenland, C. (2001c) ‘Differing Conceptions of Social Change’ Association of Third Sector Research in India Conference, Delhi, India.
• Schwabenland, C. (2000a) ` Voluntary Sector Chief Executives and Organisational Founding Stories’, paper presented to the Society of Indian Philosophy and Religion Conference, Calcutta, India.
• Schwabenland, C. (2000b) `The Voluntary Sector, The Community Sector, The Development Sector: Alternative or Conflicting Metaphors?’ paper presented to the NCVO Research Conference, Birmingham, UK.
• Schwabenland, C. (1999a) ‘Creation Mythology in Voluntary Organisations in the UK and India, NVCO Researching the Voluntary Sector Conference, Loughborough, UK
• Schwabenland, C. (1999b) `Definitions or Attributes? Metaphors of the Voluntary Sector’, paper presented to the ARNOVA Annual Conference, Washington DC.
• Schwabenland, C. (1998) `Creation Mythology in the Voluntary Sector in the UK and India’, paper presented to the Association for Research into Non-profit and Voluntary Associations (ARNOVA) Annual Conference, Seattle WA.
• Schwabenland, C. (1997) `Metaphors of Creativity in the Voluntary Sector’, European Institute of Advanced Management Studies Conference, Leuvan, Belgium.
• Schwabenland, C. (1996) ‘Metaphors of Creativity in the Voluntary Sector, NVCO Researching the Voluntary Sector Conference, Birmingham, UK

Contact details

E: christina.schwabenland@beds.ac.uk