Dr Steve Paton

Reader

Management Science

Personal statement

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.

Expertise

Has expertise in:

- Project Planning

- Project Lifecycle Management

- Project Risk Management

- Operational Improvement

- Operations Strategy Generation

- Operational Performance Management

Prizes and awards

Influential Research: Recipient; 1/2/2018

More prizes and awards

Qualifications

PhD - Management of Knowledge Workers

Masters Business Administration

Publications

Making sense of high value manufacturing : relating policy and theory: Paton Steve, Ates Aylin, Sminia Harry, Smith Marisa; Production Planning and Control Vol 34, pp. 359-370 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2021.1922777
Bridging differing perspectives on ecosystems research to understand co-opetition: Ates Aylin, Paton Steve, Sminia Harry, Smith Marisa; 36th Annual Conference of the British Academy of Management (2022)
Firm strategy and the continuity and change in ecosystems: Sminia Harry, Ates Aylin, Paton Steve, Smith Marisa; R&D Management Conference 2022 (2022)
Strategic Thinking for Manufacturing Ecosystems: Sminia Harry, Paton Steve, Ates Aylin, Smith Marisa; (2022)
Bridging differing perspectives on ecosystems research : towards an integrative framework: Ates Aylin, Sminia Harry, Paton Steve, Smith Marisa, Wurth Bernd; 35th Annual Conference of the British Academy of Management (2021)
Professional regulatory entanglement : the curious case of project management in Italy: Sabini Luca, Paton Steve; Journal of Professions and Organization Vol 8, pp. 51-69 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1093/jpo/joab001

More publications

Teaching

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.

Research interests

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.

Professional activities

Designing Organisations for Performance: Speaker; 22/9/2021
Manufacturing Ecosystems: Speaker; 7/9/2021
Ecosystems in Manufacturing: Speaker; 5/8/2021
Project Management and Degree Apprenticeships: Consultant; 1/11/2020
Business Improvement in the Defence Industry: Speaker; 10/1/2019
Performance Management in the Defence industry: Speaker; 19/11/2018

More professional activities

Projects

Research Excellence Award (REA) - £101,388 over three years (2022-25): Ates, Aylin (Principal Investigator) Paton, Steve (Co-investigator); PhD studentship in Co-opetition in Ecosystems; 03-Jan-2022 - 31-Jan-2025
Boosting Strategic Capability: Process and Product Management in Small Satellite Innovation: Ates, Aylin (Principal Investigator) Paton, Steve (Co-investigator); Demand for high-quality, timely data from space has never been greater and the increasing commercial interest means businesses must adapt to respond to the global opportunity.

Following an active period of acquisition, integration and expansion Clyde Space is now planning the next phase of growth, with a focus on building and launching its own constellation of satellites to establish a leading position in the supply of Space-Data-as-a-Service.

Strathclyde University will support development of a scalable organisational operating model to facilitate efficient and effective revenue growth and capability development in the short-, medium- and long-term through the implementation of innovative solutions.; 01-Jan-2022 - 31-Jan-2022
KTP - JWF Process Solutions Ltd. Business model transition from sensor supply, to provision of a software-based data and information service sales solution.: Paton, Steve (Principal Investigator) Sminia, Harry (Co-investigator) Wallace, William (Co-investigator) Walls, Lesley (Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2021 - 28-Jan-2023
KTP - Leonardo: Paton, Steve (Principal Investigator) Ates, Aylin (Co-investigator) Sminia, Harry (Co-investigator); 04-Jan-2019 - 03-Jan-2021
Scottish Power: Support to Organisational Redesign - Phase 1: Paton, Steve (Principal Investigator); 01-Jan-2019 - 01-Jan-2020
KTP - Fishers Services: Ates, Aylin (Principal Investigator) Paton, Steve (Co-investigator); 15-Jan-2017 - 14-Jan-2019

More projects

Address

Management Science
Duncan Wing

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