Page 21 - Global Focus, Issue 2, 2018

The battle for doctoral talent | Mark Smith

The development of talent is an inherent
part of any good doctoral programme and
something potential students will assess.
The combination of courses, opportunities
to work with experienced researchers and
possibilities to develop individual research
project can increase the attraction

Developing doctoral talent
A revised perspective on talent at the doctoral
level also opens up opportunities beyond those
traditionally provided by the academic career
Programme directors are key drivers for track. Business school networks should be able to
developing doctoral talent. This may include provide more possibilities for doctoral graduates
offering flexible start dates and pathways for their in a variety of sectors and therefore expand their
doctoral students while still trying to keep them own impact – addressing that perennial problem
on track with their studies. Such policies include of business school relevance and impact.
respect and understanding for the diversity Indeed, doctoral students could be
of doctoral students by gender, ethnicity and reconceptualised as a means to promote relevance
nationality as talent increasingly comes from through networks and projects engaging with
a wide range of backgrounds. a full range of stakeholders and also providing
It is at the level of the supervisor where opportunities for future graduates. Here co-funded
real action may be required. Just as human academic-industrial doctoral programmes
resource managers rely on line managers to put provide a framework for engagement at both
organisational policies into place, programme the institutional and individual level, although they
directors need to rely on supervisors in the are underdeveloped in business and management
development of their doctoral talent. compared to engineering and the hard sciences.
At Grenoble Ecole de Management Valerie Business schools may also need to accept that
Sabatier, Director of Doctoral Programs, has doctoral graduates are not necessarily destined
co-developed a prize-winning serious game for the academic career track and their futures as
to train supervisors. business leaders, entrepreneurs or policy experts
“We created the online serious game – require schools to equip them with the relevant
superwisor.com– in order to help supervisors. skills, career pathways and networks.
Using in-house expertise in doctoral programmes Indeed, academics who can integrate their
and gamification we have developed a tool to aide experiences from other sectors with academic
supervisors nurture doctoral talent on their way to rigour could have an important impact inside
completion and navigate what can sometime be a and outside the business school sector.
lonely activity”. Business school academics seek to engage with
The training and development of supervisors the “real world” but do not necessarily value the
offers a lever to increase the quality of the skills required to do so – doctoral students need
supervision experience and aide academics these skills, need to appreciate their value and
manage the doctoral journey of their students. may welcome the opportunities.
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