Dr HELEN ECCLESTON

Dr Helen Eccleston joined Edge Hill University in September 2020 as a Lecturer in Business and Management. Previously, she held academic posts at the University of Central Lancashire as an Associate Lecturer and as a PhD Candidate in the field of Business Strategy. Prior to commencing her academic career, Helen worked in management roles within the private sector, principally related to people development and management.

Helen’s research interests are firmly located within the field of strategising within Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Her most recent research projects consider how strategy emerges within SMEs, its specific dynamics and intricacies, to understand how a coherent and consistent pattern in the absence of deliberate intention can consequently become strategy. Her ongoing research continues to consider the range of influences on strategic behaviour within local SMEs. Helen’s recent work focuses on the role of affect; hope, pride and fear, conceived as affective stimulations that are culturally transmitted and internalised by SME strategy practitioners that consequently shape strategic practical coping. Her most recent research project continues to explore phenomena that can emerge in the absence of deliberate attention, focusing specifically upon the employability trajectories of undergraduate students in Higher Education Institutions. She continues her work with partners throughout the UK and across Europe.

Helen currently leads across multiple modules including Strategic Management, Employability and Organisational Misbehaviour. Her teaching is grounded within her interest for the dark side of the organisation, embedding employability skills and developing student responsibility.