WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A RESEARCH MANAGER: AN INTERPRETATIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL EXPLORATION OF EUROPEAN RESEARCH MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

Abstract

Research management was officially recognised as a profession by the Council of the European Union (C/2023/1640), December 2023. Despite this recognition, the profession remains unfamiliar outside the research ecosystem, and the roles and responsibilities of research managers differ significantly across European countries. Existing literature and discourse highlight the complexities and challenges faced by research managers, prompting further investigation into these issues. This interpretative phenomenological study seeks to explore the meaning of being a research manager or manager of a research support function. The researcher has formulated four guiding sub-research questions to gain insights into the motivations behind the transition from researcher to research manager, as well as the professional experiences encountered in their current roles. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) is the qualitative methodology employed for data collection and analysis in this study. A non-probability purposive sampling strategy was used for participant recruitment, targeting up to 20 individuals, which resulted in 16 interviews. From these, seven participants were selected representing Belgium, Croatia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Poland, and Romania. Their transcripts were anonymised and analysed, enabling the identification of experiential statements that resulted in the development of individual Personal Experiential Themes (PETs). Seven personal narratives were co-created incorporating the participants experiences and direct quotations alongside the researcher’s interpretations. The Group Experiential Themes (GETs) were derived from the PETs, culminating in four key themes that formed the foundation for the discussion. The essential interpretations of what it means to be a research manager revealed to be a research manager means having self-efficacy, the confidence in your ability to lead projects and teams, along with the competence required to navigate complex research environments. It involves finding fulfilment in your work, which drives motivation and commitment to advancing research goals. The study’s findings could inform research organisations on the challenges researchers face when transitioning into management roles. Word count limitations hindered full implementation of the IPA methodology, which could have been mitigated by using specialised IPA software to support data analysis and interpretation.