B. Gailly1 THE HITCHHIKER GUIDE TO A PHD THESIS Prof. B. Gailly European Summer University...
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Transcript of B. Gailly1 THE HITCHHIKER GUIDE TO A PHD THESIS Prof. B. Gailly European Summer University...
B. Gailly 1
THE HITCHHIKER GUIDE TO A PHD THESIS
Prof. B. Gailly
European Summer University
Benevento, September 12, 2009
B. Gailly 2
MENU
The wrong person at the wrong place
PhD as a project
PhD as a communication
PhD as a personal journey
B. Gailly 3
MENU
The wrong person at the wrong place
PhD as a project
PhD as a communication
PhD as a personal journey
B. Gailly 4
EFFECTIVE PROJECT TEAMS
Source : Fernez-Walch S. et Romon F. (2006) “Les formes d’organisation pour Innover” in Management de l’innovation: de la stratégie aux projets. Vuibert Gestion, pp. 136-153Tidd J., Bessant D. and Pavitt K. (2001) “Effective team working” in Managing Innovation (2d ed.), Wiley, p 334.
• Speed to market
• Complexity of tasks
• Multi-functional aspects
Dedicated teams
• Effective project leader and sponsors (“godfathers”)
• Clearly predefined lifespan and deliverables (tasks and objectives)
• Core and associated members with clear roles associated with individual behavioural style
• Dedicated resources and coordination; effective conflict resolution mechanisms
• External partners
B. Gailly 5
AGREEING ON DELIVERABLES
Final (thesis)
Introduction (scope, motivation) Literature review and theoretical framework Hypotheses and Methodology Data analysis Results Discussion Conclusions (contribution, limitations and next steps)
Intermediary
Research projectIMRJ publication + WP1ESU presentationDatabaseWP2ESU presentation 2ASQ publication
Approved by PhD committee :
ILLUSTRATIVE
There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action. Goethe
B. Gailly 6
DEVELOPING A WORKPLANScripta Manent
Deliverable
Research projectIMRJ publication + WP1ESU presentation 1DatabaseWP2ESU presentation 2ASQ publicationFinal text
Y1
v0
Xv0
Y2
v1X
v1
Outline
Y3
vf
v2XX
Draft
Y4
vf
XFinal
Approved by PhD committee :
ILLUSTRATIVE
B. Gailly 7
WHY WE GET THINGS WRONG
Source : Horn J.T. et al. (2006) “Learning to let go: making better exit decisions” McK Quarterly 2006, n°2
Confirmation bias (you hear only what comforts you)
Sunk cost fallacy (factoring unrecoverable costs)
Escalation of commitment (boiling frog)
Anchoring (inability to question initial estimate)
B. Gailly 8
THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS
“If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably never get there”
B. Gailly 9
MENU
The wrong person at the wrong place
PhD as a project
PhD as a communication
PhD as a personal journey
B. Gailly 11
DEFINING YOUR KEY MESSAGES
I have only made this letter rather long because I have not had time to make it shorter.
B. Pascal, 1656
The elev
ator
pitchThe average Ph.D. thesis is nothing but a transference of bones from one graveyard to another.
J. Frank Dobie
B. Gailly 12
…. yet scientific conferences, workshops and seminars remain full of presentations which do not follow those recommendations
Most recommendations about how to make a professional presentation are common sense and straightforward….
B. Gailly 13
DEFINING YOUR OBJECTIVES Business Plan example
1. Excite
2. Convince
3. Validate
Business Angel
Venture capitalist
Banker
Management committee
Do you want to engage? Convince? Inform? Entertain?
B. Gailly 14
MENU
The wrong person at the wrong place
PhD as a project
PhD as a communication
PhD as a personal journey
B. Gailly 15
Norma Teeve Hugh Tilitarian
• Has a degree in comparative organisational literature – knows what “hermeneutic of continuity” means
• Believes the world would be better if people would communicate more and have more time
• Wants her PhD thesis to save the planet
• Initial subject : corporate entrepreneurship through responsible sustainable fair politically correct strategies.
• Time horizon : unknown
• Supervisor : maybe Prof. Zapp, who is on sabbatical
• Does not know what she will do after (but does not want to travel too far from her boyfriend and her English is not too good)
• Has a degree in applied managerial econometrics – thinks hermeneutic is a washing machine brand
• Believes the world would be better if only Universities were a bit more professional
• Wants his PhD to help him get a good job
• Initial subject : the impact of patenting rates to IPO over-evaluation through stochastic structural modelling.
• Time horizon : three years
• Supervisor: the one with the best record at supervising quick PhD theses
• Has already identified the three best places to do a post-doc, checked the admission criteria and met the key faculty
B. Gailly 16
MENU
The wrong person at the wrong place
PhD as a project
PhD as a communication
PhD as a personal journey