Steve Paton

After a career in the Aerospace industry where I occupied a number of increasingly senior roles within manufacturing, operations and project management I joined the University in 2005 and I’m currently a Senior Lecturer in Operations and Project management in the Department of Management Science within Strathclyde Business School. I predominantly teach post-graduate, post-experience students with much of my work being carried out in the area of executive education.

My research interests focus on how companies manage complex work both through the adoption of project and product management methodologies and the use of high value operational strategies. My research approach is to link theory to practice and aims to be of practical use to companies in their search for more efficient and effective ways of working. From a research supervision perspective I am keen to work with students who have an interest in exploring firms engaged in high value manufacturing and also firms utilising project-based organisaitonal structures. I am also active in knowledge transfer through engagement in consultancy projects and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships.

Has expertise in:

- Project Planning

- Project Lifecycle Management

- Project Risk Management

- Operational Improvement

- Operations Strategy Generation

- Operational Performance Management

PhD - Management of Knowledge Workers

Masters Business Administration

I research in two linked areas. Within the field of project management I am interested in how companies adopt and utilise project management methodologies in a process of ‘projectification’ to build their capability to manage complex work. And within the field of operations management I am interested in what strategies engineering and manufacturing companies adopt to move up the value chain in order to engage in more complex work.

I am currently Director of Teaching and Learning within the Department of Strategy and Organisation. In my own teaching I deliver modules on Operations Management and Project Management within post-graduate MSc and MBA programs including a number of executive and corporate programs. I also teach on a number of short courses delivered for industry audiences.