Research at Ashridge

At an early stage in the development of Ashridge, it was appreciated that it was not sufficient for a major management development institution solely to pass on knowledge about the practice of management; it was equally important to carry out original research in order to add to this fund of knowledge. Consequently, the Research Unit was set up in 1964 and Philip Sadler was appointed as the first Director of Research. Since that time, the Unit has continued to develop and currently employs twelve full‐time professional staff who are supported by research assistants, secretaries and post‐graduate students seconded by a number of universities in order to gain research experience. In addition, the Unit provides facilities for visiting research fellows. At the present time, for example, there is attached to the Unit an FAO Research Fellow from Budapest, who is carrying out organization studies in the UK food industry and, later in 1976, an Indian industrial relations specialist will spend some months participating in the Unit's research programme. Ashridge is also one of the few independent research institutions in the United Kingdom in which SSRC Senior Research Fellowships are tenable.