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Dr Rebecca Whiting

Positions held:
  • Reader in Organization Studies, ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Business School
  • Postgraduate Research Lead (Business School), ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Business School
  • Programme Director, MPhil/PhD programme in Organizational Psychology; ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Business School
  • Overview

    Overview

    Biography

    My first career was in law, working in the area of commercial dispute resolution. This certainly alerted me to the complexity of issues within and between corporations and got me interested in all things organizational. Changing to an academic career has allowed me to develop this into research that begins to unpack some of the taken-for-granted aspects of the contemporary workplace.

    Employment History

    2013 – 2015: Research Associate, The Open University
    2011 - 2013: Researcher, Department of Organizational Psychology, ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú, University of London
    2004-2011: Senior Research Administrator, Department of Psychology, King’s College London
    2004-2008: Sessional Lecturer, Faculty of Continuing Education (Psychology), ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú, University of London
    1988-2000: Solicitor (commercial dispute resolution)

    Highlights

    • Latest book chapter:

      Pritchard, K., Whiting, R. and Reed, C. (2024) Ageing and work-life complexities in retirement. In Wilkinson, K. and Woolnough, H. Work-Life Inclusion: Broadening perspectives across the life-course. Bingley: Emerald Publishing.

    • Latest journal article:

      Evans, S., & Whiting, R. (2024). Everyday Constructions of Class-Based Inequality: Field Effects in UK Museum Work. Sociology, 00380385241289729. https://doi.org/10.1177/00380385241289729

    Web profiles

    Administrative responsibilities

    • Postgraduate Research Lead (Business School)
    • Director and Admissions Tutor, Organizational Psychology MPhil/PhD Programme

    Professional memberships

    • European Group for Organization Studies (EGOS)

    • British Sociological Association

    Honours and awards

    • Nomination for SAGE Prize for Innovation/Excellence (Paper nominated: Whiting, R & Symon, G. (2020) Digi-Housekeeping: The invisible work of flexibility. Work, Employment and Society) SAGE, September 2021
    • Nomination for the That’s Interesting! Award (paper nominated: Whiting, R and Pritchard, K. Weary women: The responsibility for gendered representations of retirement. Paper presented at the 35th EGOS Colloquium) European Group for Organization Studies (EGOS), March 2019
    • Best Developmental Paper Award: Whiting, R and Evans, S. (2019) Constructing the contemporary theatre director in UK online media. In: British Academy of Management Conference, Cultural & Creative Industries stream, September 2019. , September 2019
    • Ronald Tress Prize, awarded annually for early career academics (Runner Up). , September 2017
    • Best Developmental Paper Award: : Whiting, R, Roby, H, Chamakiotis, P and Symon, G (2014). The researcher within participant videos: The not so ‘absent’ presence. Paper presented at Research Methodology stream at British Academy of Management Conference, September 2014. , September 2014
    • Best Developmental Paper award. Symon, G., Chamakiotis, P., Whiting, R. and Roby, H. (2014) Identity Work across Boundaries in a Digital World. Paper presented at Identity stream at British Academy of Management Conference, September 2014. , September 2014
    • Academic Excellence Award: Joint Best PhD Thesis , September 2013
    • Best Developmental Paper Award: Pritchard, K and Whiting, R (2012). Tracking and trawling: Theorising ‘participants’ and ‘data’ in qualitative e-research. , September 2012

    ORCID

  • Research

    Research

    Research interests

    • Qualitative methodologies including digital and visual methods
    • Social Constructionism
    • Diversity (in particular, age, gender and class)
    • Digital technologies
    • Invisible work
    • Work life boundary management

    Research overview

    My research examines socially constructed aspects of diversity (particularly age, gender and class), and work life boundaries, as well as the role of digital technology in the organization, visibility and meaningfulness of contemporary work. I am interested in qualitative methodologies, including participatory video diaries, multimodal analysis of online data and discourse methods. 

    I welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students seeking to conduct qualitative doctoral research on these topics.

    My current research projects include:

    Digital Clergy: Pursuing Meaningful Work in a Digital World (2019 – ongoing), with Prof Gillian Symon (PI), RHUL and Dr Rebecca Taylor, University of Southampton and supported by the Church of England. This project investigates clergy perceptions of using digital technologies and moving ministry online in the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Recent invited talks include:

    Webinar ‘Assessing quality in qualitative research: Challenges and opportunities’ UK Reproducibility Network, University of East Anglia, 1 November 2023.

    Keynote. 'Emotionally demanding research: In between researcher and life' with Helen Cooper & Janet Sheath. BEI PhD conference, 21 June 2023.

    Presentation ‘Tales of weary women: Methodology to capture lost knowledge’ and panel discussant. Out of the Armchair! Exploring 'Uncomfortable' Qualitative Methods for a Changing World (A BSA Early Career Forum Regional Event), Swansea University School of Management, 9 June 2022.

    Webinar ‘Digi-housekeeping: the invisible work of flexibility’. University of Swansea Business Department Seminar Series, 21 April 2021.

    Webinar ‘Collecting Qualitative Data using Digital Methods’ for the Centre for Qualitative Research, University of Bath (funded by the South West Doctoral Training Partnership, part of a series of Demand-Led Qualitative Innovations Sessions), 25 March 2021.

    Webinar "Digital Strategizing & SAP Research" - the Academy of Management’s Strategizing Activities and Practices (SAP) Interest Group, 23 February 2021.

    Webinar ‘Collecting qualitative online data’ Dept of Management, University of Ulster Business School, 15 December 2020.

    Webinar 'Collecting qualitative online data: Our methodological journey since 2012'. Digital Organisation and Society Research Centre, Royal Holloway, University of London, 2 December 2020.

    Research Centres and Institutes

    Research clusters and groups

  • Supervision and teaching

    Supervision and teaching

    Supervision

    Supervisions within ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú:
    3

    Current PhD supervision

    Doris Pearce-Niederwieser whose research is examining the identity construction of those who are working beyond pension age.

    Dominika Mazurek whose research is examining how the working lives of professional women with symptoms of menopause are shaped by organisational discursive constructions of women’s mid-life bodies.

    Merry Scott Jones whose research is examining the role of social movements on equality, diversity and inclusion in the Civil Service.

    Isabel Beydag whose research is examining how intellectual activism and academic agency is shaped by the evolution of intellectualism and neoliberalism.

    Greg Swaysland whose research is examining the lived experience and self-efficacy of people with disabilities in the workplace.

    Doctoral ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú

    Roger Fagg (completed October 2024), thesis title: When volunteers become managers: Identity work at a heritage railway.

    Adrian Eagleson (completed July 2023), thesis title: Investigating Human Resource Development (HRD) value in a post-crisis context: Stakeholder perceptions following the Global Financial Crisis (GFC).

    Christine Brown (completed January 2022), thesis title: Discourses of digital difference.

    Samantha Evans (completed November 2020), thesis title: Struggles for distinction: class and classed inequality in UK museum work.

    Helen Cooper (completed November 2020), thesis title: Taxi! A narrative study of low-skilled work from a career boundary perspective.


    Current doctoral researchers

    • DORIS PEARCE-NIEDERWIESER
      Nature of supervision:
      PRINCIPAL SUPERVISOR,
    • DOMINIKA MAZUREK
      Nature of supervision:
      PRINCIPAL SUPERVISOR,
      Title of thesis:
      The Influence of Menopause Discourse in STEM Organizations on the Working Lives of Mid-Life Employees
    • MERRY SCOTT JONES
      Nature of supervision:
      JOINT PRINCIPAL SUPERVISOR,
      Title of thesis:
      Exploring the impact of diversity discourses on the knowledge production of employees

    Teaching

    • Director and Admissions Tutor, MPhil/PhD Programme
    • Supervisor, MSc research projects

    Lecturer and Module Convenor:

    • Learning & Development (MSc)

    Lecturer:

    • Research Methods (MSc)
  • Publications

    Publications

    Article

    • Evans, Samantha and Whiting, Rebecca (2026) . Work, Employment & Society ISSN 0950-0170. (In Press)
    • Symon, G. and Whiting, Rebecca (2025) . European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology 34 (3), pp. 315-325. ISSN 1359-432X.
    • Evans, S. and Whiting, Rebecca (2024) . Sociology ISSN 0038-0385.
    • Chamakiotis, P. and Symon, G. and Whiting, Rebecca (2023) . Information Systems Journal ISSN 1365-2575.
    • Pritchard, Katrina and Whiting, Rebecca (2022) . Gender, Work & Organization 29 (5), pp. 1562-1577. ISSN 0968-6673.
    • Whiting, Rebecca and Pritchard, K. (2020) . Journal of Management Inquiry 29 (4), pp. 404-417. ISSN 1056-4926.
    • Evans, Samantha and Whiting, Rebecca and MacKenzie Davey, Kate (2020) . Gender, Work & Organization ISSN 0968-6673.
    • Whiting, Rebecca and Symon, G. (2020) . Work, Employment & Society 34 (6), pp. 1079-1096. ISSN 0950-0170.
    • Whiting, Rebecca and Symon, G. and Roby, H. and Chamakiotis, P. (2018) . Organizational Research Methods 21 (2), pp. 316-340. ISSN 1094-4281.
    • Symon, G. and Whiting, Rebecca (2018) . Journal of Management Studies 56 (3), pp. 655-684. ISSN 0022-2380.
    • Pritchard, Katrina and Whiting, Rebecca (2015) . Gender, Work & Organization 22 (5), pp. 510-528. ISSN 0968-6673.
    • Pritchard, Katrina and Whiting, Rebecca (2014) . Organization Studies 35 (11), pp. 1605-1626. ISSN 0170-8406.
    • Pritchard, Katrina and Whiting, Rebecca (2012) . Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management 7 (3), pp. 338-353.

    Book

    • Whiting, Rebecca and Pritchard, Katrina (2020) . London, UK: Sage. ISBN 9781526489937.
    • Jackson, Duncan and McDowall, Almuth and MacKenzie Davey, Kate and Whiting, Rebecca, eds. (2016) . London, UK: Sage. ISBN 9781526403216.

    Book review

    • Pritchard, Katrina and Whiting, Rebecca (2015) .
    • Whiting, Rebecca and Pritchard, Katrina (2015) .

    Book section

    • Whiting, Rebecca and Symon, Gillian (2026) . In: Hornung, S. and Islam, G. and Bal, P.M. and Dashtipour, P. and D''Cruz, P. and Degen, J.L. and Dóci, E. and Gerard, N. and McDonald, M. and Sanderson, Z. and Tommasi, F. and Weber, W.G. (eds.) Handbook of Critical Work and Organizational Psychology. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. ISBN 9781035331055. (In Press)
    • Pritchard, K. and Whiting, Rebecca and Reed, C. (2025) . In: Twigg, J. and Martin, W. (eds.) Routledge Handbook of Cultural Gerontology. Routledge International Handbooks. Routledge. ISBN 9781032273075. (In Press)
    • Pritchard, Katrina and Whiting, Rebecca and Reed, C. (2024) . In: Wilkinson, K. and Woolnough, H. (eds.) Work-life inclusion: Broadening perspectives across the life-course. Emerald. pp. 159-172. ISBN 9781803822204.
    • Whiting, Rebecca (2020) . In: Townsend, K. and Saunders, M. and Loudoun, R. and Morrison, E. (eds.) How to Keep Your Doctorate On Track: Insights From Students’ and Supervisors’ Experiences. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 9781788975629.
    • Whiting, Rebecca and Symon, G. and Roby, H. and Chamakiotis, P. (2018) . In: Buchanan, D. and Bryman, A. (eds.) Unconventional Methodology in Organization and Management Research. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198796985.
    • Whiting, Rebecca and Pritchard, Katrina (2017) . In: Cunliffe, A. and Cassell, C. and Grandy, G. (eds.) SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Business and Management Research Methods. London, UK: Sage. ISBN 9781473926622.
    • Pritchard, Katrina and Whiting, Rebecca (2017) . In: Cunliffe, A. and Cassell, C. and Grandy, G. (eds.) SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Business and Management Research Methods. London, UK: Sage. ISBN 9781473926622.
    • Pritchard, K. and Whiting, Rebecca (2017) . In: Niven, K. and Lewis, S. and Kagan, C. (eds.) Making a Difference with Psychology. The Richard Benjamin Trust. pp. 225-234. ISBN 9781788085670.

    Monograph

    • Symon, G. and Whiting, Rebecca and Taylor, R. (2025) .
    • Symon, G. and Whiting, Rebecca and Taylor, R. (2023) . Diocese of Oxford.
    • Ereaut, G. and Whiting, Rebecca (2008) . Department for Children, Schools and Families.

    Other

    • Christmas, S. and Bloomfield, B. and Bradburn, H. and Duff, R. and Ereaut, G. and Miskelly, K. and Scorah, K. and Whiting, Rebecca (2018) . DEFRA.