Mike Wallace

Mike Wallace is a Professor of Public Management in the Management, Employment and Organisations Section at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University. He researches the management of public service change, teaches on the doctoral training programme, and facilitates the Early Career Researchers Network.

His educational background includes a PhD from the University of East Anglia, an MA from Cambridge University, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from Keswick Hall College of Education, Norwich. He also holds an Advanced Diploma in Education from the Cambridge Institute of Education.

Professor Wallace's research focuses on the complexity of public service change and coping capacity, national and regional leadership development interventions in public and government civil services, managing multiple pressures on national park services, and implications of multiple public constituencies for the notion of 'Public Value.' His work often takes an ironic perspective on organizational life and change, examining public policy implementation and mediation through the lens of complexity theory. His scholarly contributions reveal a consistent interest in how leaders navigate ambiguity and implement change within complex public service environments.

His extensive publication record shows a progression from educational reform and school leadership studies toward broader public service change management, leadership development, and organizational theory. His recent work increasingly examines the intersection of elite discourse, institutional innovation, and neoliberalization in public services.

Professor Wallace has secured significant research funding from the ESRC, including projects on business engagement with impact, expert thinking development, researcher development strategy, and leadership development in public services. His grants total over £1.1 million, demonstrating his capacity to secure competitive research funding.

He teaches core modules in the MSc in Social Science Research Methods program, including 'Developing Core Research Skills,' 'Qualitative Research Methods,' and 'Advanced Issues in Management, Employment and Organizational Research.' His teaching reflects his expertise in research methods and public management.