Professor Nicholas Rich

Professor in Operations Management

Business

+44 (0) 1792 606317

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Basic Welsh Speaker

Office 331 - 331
Third Floor
School of Management
Bay Campus

Available For Postgraduate Supervision

Research Links

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0216-2807

ResearchGate

Google Scholar

ResearcherID

Scopus

About

Professor Nick Rich is a world-renowned expert in High Performance (quality) and Highly Reliable Organizational (safety) design. Nick is a polymath which means he has two areas of specialism that focus on his manufacturing and services research (high performance) and his research with health and care providers, nuclear facilities and transportation systems.

Nick has written over 100 publications, he is an adviser to multiple governments, he has written 10 books, and he holds the Toyota Motor Corporation Fellowship of Japan. He was the Chief Industrial Engineer at the Royal Mint for the production of the Olympic and Paralympic Games medals (London 2012).

Nick is the Post Graduate Research Director at the School of Management and Nick is a very active supervisor of students at the school and also with colleagues in the School of Medicine and School of Health and Human Sciences.

He has a particular interest in supervising students with an interest in:

Health and care systems
Patient safety management
Safety management in critical settings
Lean systems
Quality management systems
Supply chain management
Circular economy

Areas Of Expertise

The management of patient safety
The management of healthcare flows
Sustainability of lean/quality working practices
Systems theory as applied to financial institutional process performance

Career Highlights

Teaching Interests

Undergraduate teaching:

Lean operations
Supply chain management
Services management
Management consulting
International management standards

Post Graduate teaching:

Value from operations
Complexity and Complex Systems (Innovative Healthcare)
International management
Lean for Engineers
Case study research
Presenting your research
Getting published

Research Award Highlights Collaborations

Publications

Research Highlights

Arumugam, V., Kumar, M., Kumar, M., & Rich, N. (2024). A curvilinear assessment of innovation in Six Sigma project teams: the influence of psychological safety and intrinsic motivation. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 0
https://doi.org/10.1108/jmtm-12-2023-0569, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67080
Davies, F., Finlay, I., Howson, H., & Rich, N. (2022). Recommendations for a voluntary Long COVID Registry. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 115(8), 322-324.
https://doi.org/10.1177/01410768221114964, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa60408
Walpole, G., Dewale, B., Evans, S., Fuller-Love, N., Hopkins, S., Liu, Z., Sarvghad Moghadam, P., Murphy, L., Rich, N., & Sain-Ley-Berry, C. (2023). Circular Economy Implementation - Case Studies in Wales
https://doi.org/10.25401/cardiffmet.21666719, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64097
https://doi.org/10.25401/cardiffmet.21666719
Davies, F., Finlay, I., Rich, N., & Howson, H. (2022). Recommendations for a Long COVID Registry: A Prudent and Integrated Approach. International Journal of Integrated Care, 22(S3), 487
https://doi.org/10.5334/ijic.icic22256, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64189
http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/ijic.icic22256
Rich, N. & Malik, T. (2019). International Standards for Design and Manufacturing: Quality Management and International Best Practice (1st ed.). Kogan Page Limited.
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64332
https://www.koganpage.com/logistics-supplychain-operations/international-standards-for-design-and-manufacturing-9781789660425
Rich, N., Davies, F., & Howson, H. (2022). The Dominant Models of Health and Care Service Improvement: Commonalities and Divergences. International Journal of Integrated Care, 22(S3), 494
https://doi.org/10.5334/ijic.icic22259, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64541
http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/ijic.icic22259
Rees, D., Bell, H., Huxtable-Thomas, L., Rich, N., Miller, E., & Thomas, R. (2023). Innovation Adoption Research in Healthcare: Understanding Context and Embracing Complexity. In Proceedings of the 18th European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Part 1 (pp. 85-93). Academic Conferences International Limited.
https://doi.org/10.34190/ecie.18.1.1865, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64611
http://dx.doi.org/10.34190/ecie.18.1.1865
Loska, D., Rich, N., Malik, T., Genchev, S., & Hazen, B. (2024). Insights into Strategic Agility under VUCA-driven environments: Dynamic Capabilities Theory and Military Logistics. In NOFOMA Conference 2024 by The Nordic Logistics Research Network: Logistics and Supply Chain Management in a Risky and Uncertain World
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65545
Pickernell, D., Davies, G., Rich, N., Roberts, N., Sarvghad Moghadam, P., Walpole, G., & Price, A. (2023). Manufacturing Momentum, Growing SME Manufacturing in Wales
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65856
https://www.fsb.org.uk/resource-report/manufacturing-momentum.html
Walpole, G., Clifton, N., Kyaw, S., Rich, N., Rucinska, K., Smith, S., Steffes, L., & Treadwell, P. (2024). Enhancing Circular Economy Capabilities of Practitioners: An analysis of interventions that have proved effective at developing the Circular Economy (CE) implementation capabilities of practitioners
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65857
https://figshare.cardiffmet.ac.uk/articles/online_resource/Enhancing_Circular_Economy_Capabilities_of_Practitioners_An_analysis_of_interventions_that_have_proved_effective_at_developing_the_Circular_Economy_CE_implementation_capabilities_of_practitioners/21841452

All Research

Journal Articles

Loska, D., Genchev, S., Rich, N., & Malik, T. (2024). Defense supply chain collaboration: an exploratory study and empirical framework. Journal of Defense Analytics and Logistics, 8(1), 2-37.
https://doi.org/10.1108/jdal-10-2023-0012, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66501
Arumugam, V., Kumar, M., Kumar, M., & Rich, N. (2024). A curvilinear assessment of innovation in Six Sigma project teams: the influence of psychological safety and intrinsic motivation. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 0
https://doi.org/10.1108/jmtm-12-2023-0569, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67080
Mullins, J., Tales, A., Musselwhite, C., & Rich, N. (2023). ‘Rekindling couplehood’ using a multisensory suitcase of memories: a pilot study of people living with moderate dementia and their partners. Ageing and Society, 43(12), 2875-2893.
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0144686x21001926, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa58930
Davies, F., Finlay, I., Rich, N., & Howson, H. (2022). Recommendations for a Long COVID Registry: A Prudent and Integrated Approach. International Journal of Integrated Care, 22(S3), 487
https://doi.org/10.5334/ijic.icic22256, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64189
http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/ijic.icic22256
Davies, F., Finlay, I., Howson, H., & Rich, N. (2022). Recommendations for a voluntary Long COVID Registry. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 115(8), 322-324.
https://doi.org/10.1177/01410768221114964, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa60408
Rich, N., Davies, F., & Howson, H. (2022). The Dominant Models of Health and Care Service Improvement: Commonalities and Divergences. International Journal of Integrated Care, 22(S3), 494
https://doi.org/10.5334/ijic.icic22259, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64541
http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/ijic.icic22259
Alasmari, S., Williams, S., Rich, N., & Rea, D. (2021). Sustainability of Quality Improvement Initiatives within the Saudi Ministry of Health Hospitals: An Institutional Overview. Saudi Journal of Health Systems Research, 1(1), 3-10.
https://doi.org/10.1159/000514179, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa56343
Kumar, M., Rich, N., Kumar, M., & Liu, Y. (2020). Creating highly reliable health care organisations through reverse exchanges. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print)
https://doi.org/10.1108/scm-03-2020-0123, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa55751
Koenig, F., Found, P., Kumar, M., & Rich, N. (2020). Condition-based maintenance for major airport baggage systems. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 32(3), 722-741.
https://doi.org/10.1108/jmtm-04-2019-0144, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa54583
Li, A., Rich, N., Found, P., Kumar, M., & Brown, S. (2020). Exploring product–service systems in the digital era: a socio-technical systems perspective. The TQM Journal, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print)
https://doi.org/10.1108/tqm-11-2019-0272, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa53275
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/tqm-11-2019-0272
Kapletia, D., Phillips, W., Medcalf, N., Makatsoris, H., McMahon, C., Rich, N., & Rich, N. (2019). Redistributed manufacturing – challenges for operations management. Production Planning & Control, 30(7), 493-495.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2018.1540057, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa50382
Bortolotti, T., Boscari, S., Danese, P., Suni, H., Rich, N., & Romano, P. (2018). The social benefits of kaizen initiatives in healthcare: an empirical study. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 38(2), 554-578.
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-02-2017-0085, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa37400
Afy-Shararah, M. & Rich, N. (2018). Operations flow effectiveness: a systems approach to measuring flow performance. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 38(11), 2096-2123.
https://doi.org/10.1108/ijopm-09-2016-0575, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa40833
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijopm-09-2016-0575
Mangla, S., Luthra, S., Rich, N., Kumar, D., Rana, N., & Dwivedi, Y. (2018). Enablers to implement sustainable initiatives in agri-food supply chains. International Journal of Production Economics, 203, 379-393.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2018.07.012, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa41022
Boscari, S., Bortolotti, T., Netland, T., Rich, N., & Rich, N. (2018). National culture and operations management: a structured literature review. International Journal of Production Research, 56(18), 6314-6331.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2018.1461275, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa40798
Rich, N. & Piercy, N. (2015). The relationship between lean operations and sustainable operations. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 35(2), 282-315.
https://doi.org/10.1108/ijopm-03-2014-0143, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa21801
Rich, N., Piercy, N., & Rich, N. (2012). Losing patients: a systems view on healthcare improvement. Production Planning & Control-14.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2012.666911, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa14703
Piercy, N., Rich, N., & Rich, N. (2009). High quality and low cost: the lean service centre. European Journal of Marketing, 43(11/12), 1477-1497.
https://doi.org/10.1108/03090560910989993, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa14706
Piercy, N., Rich, N., & Rich, N. (2009). Lean transformation in the pure service environment: the case of the call service centre. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 29(1)-76.
https://doi.org/10.1108/01443570910925361, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa14709
Piercy, N., Rich, N., & Rich, N. (2009). The implications of lean operations for sales strategy: from sales-force to marketing-force. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 17(3-4)-255.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09652540903064738, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa14714
Piercy, N., Caldwell, N., Rich, N., & Rich, N. (2009). Considering connectivity in operations journals. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 58(7)-631.
https://doi.org/10.1108/17410400910989449, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa14723

Authored Books

Rich, N. & Malik, T. (2019). International Standards for Design and Manufacturing: Quality Management and International Best Practice (1st ed.). Kogan Page Limited.
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64332
https://www.koganpage.com/logistics-supplychain-operations/international-standards-for-design-and-manufacturing-9781789660425
Chiarini, A., Found, P., & Rich, N. (2015). Understanding the Lean Enterprise. Strategies, Methodologies, and Principles for a More Responsive Organization. (1st ed.). Springer International..
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19995-5, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa22822
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-19995-5
Rich, N. (2015). Lean TPM 2nd Edition. A blueprint for change. Dennis McCarthy and Nick Rich (2nd ed.). Elsevier (Imprint Butterworth-Heinemann).
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa21871
http://store.elsevier.com/Lean-TPM/Dennis-McCarthy/isbn-9780081000908/

Book Chapters

Found, P., Williams, S., & Rich, N. (2014). Kaizen. The SAGE Encyclopaedia of Quality and the Service Economy Sage Publications Ltd
https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483346366.n100, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa38757
Found, P., Rich, N., & Williams, S. (2014). Lean Philosophy and Methods. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Quality and the Service Economy Sage Publications Ltd
https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483346366.n107, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa38758

Conference Contributions

Loska, D., Rich, N., Malik, T., Genchev, S., & Hazen, B. (2024). Insights into Strategic Agility under VUCA-driven environments: Dynamic Capabilities Theory and Military Logistics. In NOFOMA Conference 2024 by The Nordic Logistics Research Network: Logistics and Supply Chain Management in a Risky and Uncertain World
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65545
Rees, D., Bell, H., Huxtable-Thomas, L., Rich, N., Miller, E., & Thomas, R. (2023). Innovation Adoption Research in Healthcare: Understanding Context and Embracing Complexity. In Proceedings of the 18th European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Part 1 (pp. 85-93). Academic Conferences International Limited.
https://doi.org/10.34190/ecie.18.1.1865, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64611
http://dx.doi.org/10.34190/ecie.18.1.1865
Sarvghad Moghadam, P. & Rich, N. (n.d.) Framing earthquake risk reduction using subfactors from the management of new product development processes: a methodology for influential factor ranking determination. In 9th International Conference on Seismology and Earthquake Engineering
https://doi.org/SEE9-00950413, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66444

Edited Books

Rees, D., Thomas, R., Davies, G., Rich, N., Laing, H., Edwards, C., Samaras, V., Mabbett, I., Davies, J., De Mello, N., & Vardasca, R. (Eds.). (2024). Innovation Management in Health & Social Care (2023).. Swansea, Wales, UK Swansea University Innovation Academy 2024.
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67873
https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65070

Other Research Outputs

Walpole, G., Clifton, N., Kyaw, S., Rich, N., Rucinska, K., Smith, S., Steffes, L., & Treadwell, P. (2024). Enhancing Circular Economy Capabilities of Practitioners: An analysis of interventions that have proved effective at developing the Circular Economy (CE) implementation capabilities of practitioners
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65857
https://figshare.cardiffmet.ac.uk/articles/online_resource/Enhancing_Circular_Economy_Capabilities_of_Practitioners_An_analysis_of_interventions_that_have_proved_effective_at_developing_the_Circular_Economy_CE_implementation_capabilities_of_practitioners/21841452
Pickernell, D., Davies, G., Rich, N., Roberts, N., Sarvghad Moghadam, P., Walpole, G., & Price, A. (2023). Manufacturing Momentum, Growing SME Manufacturing in Wales
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65856
https://www.fsb.org.uk/resource-report/manufacturing-momentum.html
Walpole, G., Dewale, B., Evans, S., Fuller-Love, N., Hopkins, S., Liu, Z., Sarvghad Moghadam, P., Murphy, L., Rich, N., & Sain-Ley-Berry, C. (2023). Circular Economy Implementation - Case Studies in Wales
https://doi.org/10.25401/cardiffmet.21666719, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64097
https://doi.org/10.25401/cardiffmet.21666719
Rich, N. (2019). The Big Picture Exemplar Cohort 3 Evaluation
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa48743
http://www.bevancommission.org/en/publications?id=53
Rich, N. (2019). Innovation in the NHS takes time – but it’s worth the wait
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa48738
http://www.bevancommission.org/en/publications
Rich, N. (2017). Evaluation of the Bevan Innovators Exemplar Programme Cohort One 2017
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa48741
http://www.bevancommission.org/en/publications?id=40
Rich, N. (n.d.) A Powerful Force For Change In Wales
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa48742
http://www.bevancommission.org/en/publications?id=49

Supervision

Untitled (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr Roderick Thomas
Untitled (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr Samuel Ebie
Improving levels of Psychological Safety in teams in a health setting: the development and evaluation of a practice based intervention tool (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr Sian Roderick
Exploring the organisational factors that influence the sustainability of operational excellence programmes within the UK manufacturing sector. (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr Tegwen Malik
The changing role, organisation and management of the optometric workforce in primary care in Wales: The impact of contract reform of General Ophthalmic Services (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr Emily Bacon
Creating Value through Innovation in Health Care – what really works and what doesn’t? (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr Daniel Rees
Burnout of Clinical Staff in the NHS: a pressing but under recognised and under explored problem (and opportunity) for healthcare innovation? (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr Roderick Thomas
Change management and NHS (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr Tegwen Malik
Exploring Skilled Migrant worker experiences of work in Saudi Arabia (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr Tegwen Malik
Ecosystems innovation and interdependency: an exploration of the CSFs of the global Fintech industry (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr Jia Li
Defense Supply Chain Collaboration: A Mixed Methods Study (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr Tegwen Malik
What influences the adoption and use of innovative technologies and processes in the lifescience sector in Wales? (awarded 2022)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr Daniele Doneddu

Other supervisor: Prof Gareth Davies

Other supervisor: Prof Louisa Huxtable-Thomas
Finding key factors for new product development evaluation within UK and Iranian industries. (awarded 2022)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr John Mulyata

Other supervisor: Prof Sarah Nicholls
To be advised - Probably«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /» «br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /» The Enablers and Inhibitors to Value Based Healthcare Project Success: A Case Study of a Secondary Care Implementation (current)

DBA
New Question: «br /»«br /»«br /»«br /» - To what extent does professional value and engagement play in the delivery of Value Based Healthcare?«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /» Sub Questions: «br /»«br /»«br /»«br /» - What lessons can be learnt from current Value Based Healthcare deployments and previous changes implemented in healthcare?«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /» - Do professionals derive value from being involved in and delivering Value Based Healthcare?«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /» - Should there be a specific ‘Professional’ value domain within Value Based Healthcare?«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /» (current)

DBA

Other supervisor: Dr Simon Brooks
How can pathways and services be redesigned based on Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) and using the Value-Based HealthCare (VBHC) principles within high-volume centres?«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /»«br /» (current)

DBA

Other supervisor: Prof Louisa Huxtable-Thomas
How does Health and Care practitioners' participation in the Most Significant Change technique inform strategic thinking and acting to enable health and care outcomes? (current)

DBA

Other supervisor: Dr Paul Davies
Identifying facilitators and barriers of implementing intelligence for value (specific BI capabilities required) in organisations. (evaluated with the Consolidated Framework for implementation research) (current)

DBA

Other supervisor: Dr Simon Brooks
An Investigation into the flow efficiencies of office processes. (current)

DBA

Other supervisor: Dr Roderick Thomas
RIGHT OF WAY: USING ACTION RESEARCH TO EXPLORE NEW PATHWAYS TO TRIAGE FOR DEMENTIA IN PRIMARY CARE (awarded 2023)

DProf

Other supervisor: Prof Andrea Tales

Taught Modules

MN-2509 Management Consulting

The module is designed to develop an awareness and a detailed understanding of approaches to tactical and strategic management consulting including large scale transformation of business processes.
MN-3023 Lean Operations

This module provides a practically focused course on lean (Japanese) approaches to operations management.
MN-8002 Introduction to Applied Doctoral Research

This module is designed to introduce DBA research students to the expectations of the Doctor of Business Administration and doctoral research more broadly. It is based on developing the initial research proposal through which the student applied for the programme. Students embarking upon a DBA face the challenge of applying established and cutting-edge theory to a practical organisational context. At the same time, they will be expected to manage their doctoral progress, supported by the structure of the programme and their supervisory team. This module is intended to equip students for these challenges. The main content will be taught through a blend of didactic and discussion-based delivery, focusing in part on exemplars and featuring guest sessions with experienced academics. Students will be guided through an outline of the main components of the thesis. This will include introductory work on scoping out the practical and theoretical contexts of the research, as well as an introduction to the range of research methods that might be used. Students will have prepared a presentation on their research which will be delivered to the teaching team for the module. They will then be supported and guided in refining their research. Support will also be given on matters such as doctoral authoring skills and a practical session on using the online library facilities. The assessment paper for this module will include a clear statement of the intended research question, the practical context for the research, a summary of the relevant literature, and an outline of the proposed methodology, including proposals for how data will be accessed. A full briefing on the assessment requirements will be provided by the module coordinator. The assessment for this module will also form the basis for the Confirmation of Candidature requirements of the PGR regulations.
MN-8006 Developing Your Impact on Theory and Practice

The fundamental importance of contributing to theoretical knowledge and the impact on practice or policy will be explored through this module. The content for the in-person three-day teaching block will include guidance on, and exemplars of what constitutes a contribution to knowledge, in terms of theory, practice and (less commonly) method. Students will undertake workshops on structuring their proposed contribution into a thesis, and the importance of conceptual framing will be re-visited to provide a theoretical context for the findings. The assessment paper for this module will represent a synthesis between the findings of the data analysis and the contextual work conducted earlier in the project through the setting out of the practical basis and theoretical framing of the research. It will be crucial for students to show that they can form a logical argument to support a proposed contribution. The assessment will contain two principle components. Firstly, there should be a proposed or anticipated contribution to theoretical knowledge based on the work undertaken so far. Secondly there should be a clear statement of potential impact on the practice of the student and to the organisational context underpinning the research.
MN-MAH7P Complex Systems: Principles

Health and care provision is one of the most complex management and organizational settings. This complexity can be very daunting when multiple organizations are involved in delivering care services (even for comparatively simple patient pathways). Making effective changes to such systems, in the absence of understanding the principles and schools of thought that concern complexity management, means changes are fraught with many dangers and can generate dysfunctional behavior that results in even poorer performance. This course aims to equip students with the knowledge of systems complexity thinking to analyze and enact more effective and sustainable changes to health and care processes. This module provides the student with insight and the deep understanding needed to understand health and care systems and their performance. Such insight will include a traditional systems approach to the modern complex adaptive systems frameworks.
MN-MAH9P Complex Systems: Applications and Improvement

Enacting change in a complex environment requires a new set of skills which are typically not taught to clinicians or managers and this course was designed to allow students to take a broad and holistic approach to visualizing complex care systems and using good theory to establish why a system is not performing well. The course focuses on understanding healthcare complexity, the models that allow analysis of such systems and the application of the most effective interventions to restore system stability. The course will explore the contradictions and dysfunctions of current systems designs and the problems of not using a complexity approach to design new or modify existing ways of working. The course is ideally suited to any student that aspires to work as a consultant to design new care processes or improve existing ones. This course is unique and is based on Swansea School of Management research including contemporary case materials and our network of professional experts.
MN-MB05P Creating Sustainable Value

The module combines case-based teaching with an introduction to the key MBA fields of technology management, operations management and marketing. The module takes an integrated approach to managing key aspects of technology, operations and marketing activities within an organisation. Rather than proceeding along conventional MBA disciplinary lines, as this method can often obscure the fundamental connections between them, the module takes a holistic approach to the way value is perceived and realized. This is a case-based module, organised around the evaluation of management and business practices for enabling sustainable competitive advantage. Recognising that sustainable development in all its forms is a dilemma beyond the capacity of any single organization, business or state to meet, this module draws on the UN Sustainable Development Goals to guide a flexible and topical curriculum that can keep pace with international news. We will give students an experience where the various perspectives that derive from their own professional experience, cultural and national diversity and traditional MBA fields are brought to bear on cases of the challenges of economic and social sustainability.
MN-MBA05 Creating Sustainable Value

The module combines case-based teaching with an introduction to the key MBA fields of technology management, operations management and marketing. The module takes an integrated approach to managing key aspects of technology, operations and marketing activities within an organisation. Rather than proceeding along conventional MBA disciplinary lines, as this method can often obscure the fundamental connections between them, the module takes a holistic approach to the way value is perceived and realized. This is a case-based module, organised around the evaluation of management and business practices for enabling sustainable competitive advantage. Recognising that sustainable development in all its forms is a dilemma beyond the capacity of any single organization, business or state to meet, this module draws on the UN Sustainable Development Goals to guide a flexible and topical curriculum that can keep pace with international news. We will give students an experience where the various perspectives that derive from their own professional experience, cultural and national diversity and traditional MBA fields are brought to bear on cases of the challenges of economic and social sustainability.
MNXN24 Health and Care Innovation - Complex Systems, People and Processes

Health and care provision is one of the most complex management and organizational settings. This complexity can be very daunting when multiple organizations are involved in delivering care services (even for comparatively simple patient pathways). Making effective changes to such systems, in the absence of understanding the principles and schools of thought that concern complexity management, means changes are fraught with many dangers and can generate dysfunctional behavior that results in even poorer performance. This course aims to equip learners with the knowledge of systems complexity thinking to analyze and enact more effective and sustainable changes to health and care processes.
MNXN25 Health and Care Innovation - Research Methodologies

This executive education course introduces professional learners to the way in which research informs management practice establishing research as a core skill. The course enables learners to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that underpin effective research. This course provides opportunity to become a leader in your health and care project that will focus on the latest developments including organisational purpose, innovation, change, transformation, development, and implementation. The principles of conducting research within a Health and Care management context will be introduced along with the ability to reflect on practice to embed essential skills required for successful future careers. The course equips learners with practical experience in applying a range of theories and models through working with a client organisation.
MNXN26 Principles of Health and Care Innovation

The course builds upon the fundamental understanding of Prudent, Value-based and other paradigms. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the underpinning approaches and methodologies in realising innovation for health and care based upon these approaches. Through a case-based pedagogy, it will focus upon practical experiences to analyse how these philosophies align with the challenges and opportunities of practice. It will also consider and critically appraise against wider approaches and methodologies used to inform improved health quality, outcomes and impact. The course will introduce and draw upon theory and principles of health, care and business management models. The scope for innovation will be explored through business and management modules in content of social models and determinants of health and care. This will include an understanding of and exploring cases through the prism of the traditional systems and processes, identifying opportunities to challenge and change. The course will develop the necessary skills to ensure learners are confident to evaluate the theoretical basis of these concepts and their application in practice. Learners will develop greater confidence and competence in measuring impact and outcomes of non-traditional and innovative approaches to transforming health and care. Learners will be required to challenge and critique existing methods of assessing value and impact. They will be encouraged to explore, develop, and test innovative methods to determine impact and outcomes, using their knowledge and understanding of the situation.
PMEM105 Medical Manufacturing

This module will explore the opportunity, challenges and routes to market for innovations in medical manufacturing. It will introduce and review the strategic approach for identifying investment, in-depth research and clinical trials associated with manufacturing innovative devices and products for the life science and healthcare markets.

Key Grants and Projects

CEIC Public Sector Circular Economy Programme 2020

, with Gary Walpole, Tegwen Malik, Cardiff Metropolitan University, £1mn+
Awen Centre (Ageing Society) 2019

, with Pan University, £1mn+
ESRI Rice ‘Cleaner Steel’ Programme 2018

, with Professor A Barron, ESRI team, £1mn+
Bevan Commission Exemplar Programmes and Adopt and Spread 2017

, with Helen Howson, Sion Charles, Rupa Chilvers, Rob Royce, Hannah Thomas, Lisa Rinaldi, £1mn+

Career History

Professor of Socio-Technical Systems Design and PGR Director, Swansea

2013 - Present
Professor, Swansea School of Management

2013 - Present
Professor, Cardiff School of Management

2012 - 2013
Chief Engineer, Olympic Medal Production, The Royal Mint

2010 - 2012
Hon. Associate Professor, Warwick Medical School

2005 - 2010
Reader, Cardiff Business School

1989 - 2005

Affiliated Positions

Chair, The Health Foundation: Virginia Mason Partnership

2018 - Present

Other Roles

Academic Link, Bevan Commission

2017 - Present

Public Engagements

BSI Technical Committee Healthcare Management International Management Standard

Professor Nicholas Rich

Telephone number

Email address

Welsh language proficiency

Twitter Account

LinkedIn Account

Research Links

About

Areas Of Expertise

Career Highlights

Research Highlights

All Research

Untitled (current)

Untitled (current)

Improving levels of Psychological Safety in teams in a health setting: the development and evaluation of a practice based intervention tool (current)

Exploring the organisational factors that influence the sustainability of operational excellence programmes within the UK manufacturing sector. (current)

The changing role, organisation and management of the optometric workforce in primary care in Wales: The impact of contract reform of General Ophthalmic Services (current)

Creating Value through Innovation in Health Care – what really works and what doesn’t? (current)

Burnout of Clinical Staff in the NHS: a pressing but under recognised and under explored problem (and opportunity) for healthcare innovation? (current)

Change management and NHS (current)

Exploring Skilled Migrant worker experiences of work in Saudi Arabia (current)

Ecosystems innovation and interdependency: an exploration of the CSFs of the global Fintech industry (current)

Defense Supply Chain Collaboration: A Mixed Methods Study (current)

What influences the adoption and use of innovative technologies and processes in the lifescience sector in Wales? (awarded 2022)

Finding key factors for new product development evaluation within UK and Iranian industries. (awarded 2022)

How does Health and Care practitioners' participation in the Most Significant Change technique inform strategic thinking and acting to enable health and care outcomes? (current)

Identifying facilitators and barriers of implementing intelligence for value (specific BI capabilities required) in organisations. (evaluated with the Consolidated Framework for implementation research) (current)

An Investigation into the flow efficiencies of office processes. (current)

RIGHT OF WAY: USING ACTION RESEARCH TO EXPLORE NEW PATHWAYS TO TRIAGE FOR DEMENTIA IN PRIMARY CARE (awarded 2023)

MN-2509 Management Consulting

MN-3023 Lean Operations

MN-8002 Introduction to Applied Doctoral Research

MN-8006 Developing Your Impact on Theory and Practice

MN-MAH7P Complex Systems: Principles

MN-MAH9P Complex Systems: Applications and Improvement

MN-MB05P Creating Sustainable Value

MN-MBA05 Creating Sustainable Value

MNXN24 Health and Care Innovation - Complex Systems, People and Processes

MNXN25 Health and Care Innovation - Research Methodologies

MNXN26 Principles of Health and Care Innovation

PMEM105 Medical Manufacturing

CEIC Public Sector Circular Economy Programme 2020

Awen Centre (Ageing Society) 2019

Professor of Socio-Technical Systems Design and PGR Director, Swansea

Professor, Swansea School of Management

Professor, Cardiff School of Management

Chief Engineer, Olympic Medal Production, The Royal Mint

Hon. Associate Professor, Warwick Medical School

Reader, Cardiff Business School

Chair, The Health Foundation: Virginia Mason Partnership

Academic Link, Bevan Commission