Paul Doherty
Principal Consultant
The Right Bus
www.therightbus.org
The Right Bus is a not-for-profit consultancy that provides
organisational development support for community,
voluntary and public sector organisations, both in Ireland
and overseas.
Its mission is to ensure that values-based organisational
commitments are advanced through excellent
organisational practice.
Concern about global social justice
Childhood experiences in a residential community in
the UK which included refugees from the Biafra
conflict in Eastern Nigeria
Volunteer work and participant observation with
community development and health projects in
India, Sri Lanka and Nepal
Decision to work in overseas development
Study of social anthropology
(M.Phil on obstacles to democratic development in Rajhasthan)
Qualification as a Registered General Nurse (RGN)
(Staff nurse in paediatrics)
Work as a Health Education Training Officer
(Experience in structured experiential group-work)
South Lalitpur Community Development and Health
Project - Malta Panchayat Initiative Coordinator
(Pilot community education initiative)
Surkhet Project - Community Development Specialist
(Community education and institutional development project)
Oxfam UK/Ireland - Country Representative for Nepal
(Nationwide NGO capacity building programme; support for the
Bhutanese refugee population [85,000]; flood rehabilitation)
Ireland
Cuan Mhuire, Bruree – Nurse/Group Worker
(Alcohol and drug rehabilitation)
Avondhu Development Group – Programme Manager
(Local Development Partnership)
Return to academia
Questions from practice...
What are the reasons for organisational ‘hypocrisy’?
What are the capacities and supports needed for participatory
democratic governance?
Faculty of arts scholarship/consultancy
The Social and Health Education Project (SHEP) Director
Capacity building for personal, community and
organisational development...
Training and development (short community courses, long central
courses, UCC Diploma in Social and Psychological Health Studies)
Therapeutic support (Coiscéim Counselling Service, Cork
Advocacy Service, therapeutic group-work)
International partnership (funding and technical support for
related organisations in the Majority World)
How did having a Ph.D. help?
It helped establish trust in my leadership on the part of 200+
personnel.
It helped to secure access to, and credibility with, funders and
policy makers.
It helped the organisation to provide assurance concerning the
academic grounding of its various training courses.
It provided a theoretical underpinning for the initiation of
important new programmes (including the training and
deployment of a panel of organisational development mentors).
How does a Ph.D. help with independent
consultancy?...
It provides theoretical insights that support my work with client
organisations (especially in relation to governance).
It gives me an edge – clients assume a level of expertise and are
more open to commissioning me and engaging seriously with my
recommendations.
It creates opportunities for ongoing links with academia
(lecturing, external examining, etc.) which enable me to keep up
to date and to consult with experts in different academic fields.
Some tips regarding job hunting...
Be careful not to get pigeon-holed as an ‘academic’. Your Ph.D. is
a background asset; not your defining feature!
Show how doing a Ph.D. has equipped you to manage a complex
‘project’. It demonstrates your capacity to apply yourself over an
extended period of time, your ability to work on your own initiative,
your ability to clearly order your thoughts, your ability to plan, your
skill in capturing complex ideas in writing and your ability to
deliver.
Recognise the value of research to many employers. There is a
growing emphasis on organisational learning and action research.
Some tips regarding job hunting... (contd.)
Recognise that you will probably need to complement your
academic studies with experience of practical work before you will
be considered eligible for more senior roles. If you don’t already
have this experience, be open to accepting relatively low status or
voluntary work to position yourself in your chosen field.
Don’t sit back and think that your education is now complete.
Recognise the importance of ongoing work-related training.
Never feel that a job is not ‘worthy’ enough for a Ph.D. Many of
the most valuable jobs are not high status or well rewarded.
Whether or not you move quickly into a job, remember
that the world badly needs citizens who are capable of
thinking clearly and of contributing to positive change.
Since many jobs have a negative impact in terms of
social justice or the environment, your commitment to a
better world may lead you to reject some of the career
options that are available to you. However that may be,
your most important contribution may well be outside
the formal workplace as an engaged citizen-academic.
Wherever you find yourself, once you know what is the
right direction for you to travel, make sure that you get
on...
the right bus!