The humility of postgraduate learning and the application of research into practice.

I started my PhD with grand plans and big ideas to investigate the ways in which public relations contributes to innovation in organisations. Ambition and foolhardiness lead to audacious goals. My research topic needs refining into a tighter area of study. The past six weeks have been spent reading widely around the topic of innovation and realising how little I know. As I gain knowledge I seemingly know more and more about less and less. That’s the researcher’s dilemma.

There’s a growing pile of academic papers on my desk. I’ve developed this mindmap as a means of visualising my area of study. You can check it out for yourself on Miro. I’ve identified three primary types of innovation, the contribution of management factors, and the role public relations.

In time this map will guide a systematic literature review with the goal of identifying a research gap for my project. Please let me know if you spot anything that I’ve missed.

There’s something deeply reassuring and confidence building in tracing knowledge through references in bibliographies and seeking out original sources. Public relations students can typically cite the Four Models of Communication from the Excellence Study but how many of us have read Managing Public Relations by James Grunig and Todd Hunt?

I’ve also been building philosophical skills exploring human agency. Reflectivity is a sociological field of study that encompasses self-awareness and the impact and choices of an individual on a situation. I’ve studied Margaret Archer and Albert Bandura’s work. It’s a challenging topic but an important ethical area for researchers that also reinforces the limits of my knowledge.

Self-awareness is an important aspect of research. I’m operating at the boundaries of my mental capacity and ability to learn new skills and build knowledge. It’s apparent from my pace of work but also mental capacity. Methods and studies don’t sink into my consciousness. I have no recall. Ideas come at random times of the day. I’ve adapted tools as a work around. I’ve started a research diary, adopted Mendeley as a reference management tool, and developed a cataloguing system to organise my research.

I’ve felt a self-inflicted pressure from student research communities because I’m studying part time. My research project is mapped out over five or six years rather than three or four years for full time colleagues. I don’t want to give up the day job but equally I don’t think I could work any faster. As I’ve already observed my own ability to build skills and knowledge are limiting factors. The mix of research and work provides a foundation for learning and creates opportunities for original thinking.

Academic research and the pursuit of knowledge is frequently described as a lonely actively. That hasn’t been my experience. My partner is both my fiercest critic and most supportive advocate. Work is self-directed but there’s a hugely supportive community at Leeds Business School, as well as the national and international public relations academy. I’ve participated in a London College of Communication research discussion and engaged with colleagues in the US around their research on internal communications and innovation.

Already there’s a huge sense of accomplishment and new skills that are finding application in my practice. This includes the scientific review process to gather knowledge around a topic that should be taught at school, reflective learning design, and the power of debate as a means of learning. I’m not sure I’ll ever write like an academic, but I am learning how to structure a solid argument.