BSA members currently working in the UK as academic researchers are often asked about the impact of their work. In this article, the author writes about her research with the armed forces reserves

Morrison, Zoe

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MORRISON, Z. 2016. In defence of research. Network [online], 122, page 33. Available from: https://www.britsoc.co.uk/media/24884/network_spring_2016_issue_122.pdf  In defence of research. MORRISON, Z. 2016 This document was downloaded from https://openair.rgu.ac.uk This is the published version of the manuscript, which was first published in Network, the newsletter of the British Sociological Association, Spring 2016. BSA members currently working in the UKas academic researchers are often askedabout the impact of their work. Few wouldquestion that as sociologists we seek toinfluence future policy through under-standings of current practices. As researchers,a more interesting question might be howpolicy developments are impacting upon ourown practices. To explore this question, let’s consider theexample of defence. Every five years or so, theoutcomes of a Strategic Defence and SecurityReview are published as the definitivestatement of policy direction until the nextreview. Whilst other government depart-ments will influence ways in which thesecurity resources outlined within the revieware deployed, the focus is on enacting ratherthan renegotiating the content. When I first started researching experiencesof change in the armed forces, I frequentlydrew upon military and work sociologies. As asocial scientist working with defence, I oftenfound myself feeling defensive. My colleaguesworking on health-related studies did notnecessarily see a connection with my otherinterests, as the military world seemeddiscrete from civilian society. For many, it wasa world they did not know or did not endorse.Opportunities for conference presentationswere few and some reviewers were harsh,dismissing the relevance of such a smallgroup in society. Similarly, the defence comm-unity is a small one and it can take time tobuild collaborative relations as the new girlon the block. Two reviews have since been published anddefence policy continues to evolve. Theresearch questions of interest have changed,as have the politics behind the policy.  One significant policy shift has been theincreasing emphasis on more effectivecollaboration between different constituentsof the defence and security services.Increased use of labour flexibilisationstrategies has involved a headline-grabbingphased redundancy programme for full-timeservice men and women. This downsizing hasbeen accompanied by increased recruitmentand deployment of part-time militarypersonnel (reserves). Reservists are beingoffered enhanced roles, new trainingopportunities and improved terms andconditions of military employment, togetherwith an accompanying increase inexpectations. A new emphasis on workingtogether, known as the Whole ForceApproach, is resulting in a blurring ofboundaries between civilian and militaryroles, and related policy changes have extendedacross the full extent of the defence workforce.Implementing these policy changes ischallenging. One response to thesechallenges is the Future Reserves ResearchProgramme, funded by the British Army, theMinistry of Defence and the ESRC:http://tinyurl.com/h4b92qgAs work began, the potential for the wholeto be greater than the sum of the partsbecame clear, and a decision was taken tointegrate its four complementary projectsinto a single programme of work. Thisapproach allows the programme to draw on arange of social science perspectives, fromwork informed by sociological andgeographical studies of the military(Professor Rachel Woodward, Newcastle),family and medical sociologies (ProfessorSarah Cunningham-Burley, Edinburgh), tothe sociology of work (Dr Sabir Giga,Lancaster) and security studies (Dr SergioCatignani, Exeter). The programme furtherbenefits from input by an Advisory Group ofsenior colleagues, including the BSA’s ownPresident Professor Lynn Jamieson. The programme is one example ofincreasing integration between military andcivilian work. Academics collaborate withdefence staff to help identify and understandissues affecting members of the reservesacross and between their different life worlds,including family life, civilian employment andmilitary service. Defence staff are getting togrips with sociological concepts that may benew to them and consensual ways of workingthat are sometimes unfamiliar yet productive.Military personnel have been generally positivewhen participating in interviews and discussions,and seem to have valued the opportunity totalk with someone who is interested in theirexperiences and understandings.As a new team we have encountered somebumps along the way. Obtaining ethicalapproval has been slow. We’ve found thatfamiliar everyday research practices mayrequire review and revision, such as how webalance the expectations of civilian andmilitary funding partners, and how weresearch with dispersed communities.Opportunities for conference presentationsstill need careful consideration and the casefor researching this small section of societyhas been questioned.Fortunately, we’re committed to movingforward together. As findings begin toemerge, we are turning our attention awayfrom issues of process to the exciting applic-ation of conceptual frameworks informed bysociological scholarship in its myriad forms.The increasing complexities of the policyspaces sociologists explore may require us tostep beyond our preferred ways of workingand familiar traditions. There may be timeswhen we need to cut across the tribalconfigurations of our own professionalhabitus to fully consider difficult socialquestions. Can we do more to exploit thepotential of team social science to investigateour big issues? And if so, what difference willwe make?Defence policy has impacted my practice,almost certainly in ways I am not yet fullyaware of. The encouraging point is thatsenior UK defence personnel are receptive tothe contribution of sociology, and theprogramme is an example of sociologistsinfluencing social development. The militaryare an enduring institution within societiesthroughout the world. Even as a function ofdemocracy, the politics of defence will neverbe easy. Only through evidence-basedargument and theoretically groundeddiscussion can we influence institutionalnorms, tacit assumptions and embeddedconventions so that the military may be morereflective of the society it serves to defend. As sociologists do we only study the aspectsof the world that concur with our politics? Ifso, are we not ourselves seeking to prioritiseand normalise our own viewpoints? I havelearnt to understand policy over time, even ifat times the politics behind that policy arepersonally difficult.In defence of researchIn my view 33Magazine of the British Sociological Association, Spring 2016  NetworkDr Zoe Morrison, of theUniversity of AberdeenBusiness School, writesabout her research withthe armed forces reserves

In defence of research.

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In defence of research.

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