Alan Pilkington

Alan Pilkington (born 1966) is a British engineer and researcher known for his work in technology management, operations management, Manufacturing strategy and enterprise engineering. He has been a professor at the Copenhagen Business School, Hult International Business School and S P Jain School of Global Management. He is currently Professor of Technology Management at Westminster Business School in London. Profesor Pilkington is past chair of the IEEE Technology Management Council for the UK and Republic of Ireland joint chapter on engineering management.
Biography.
Pilkington attended King Edward VI School, Retford and received his B.Eng. degree from De Montfort University in 1987, and his PhD from Aston University in 1992.
After graduation in 1987 Pilkington started his career in industry as project manager in manufacturing engineering at the Rover Group, where from 1989 to 1993 he was part of the Manufacturing Policy Unit. In 1996 he returned to academia as Associate Professor in Operations and Technology Management at the Royal Holloway, University of London, where he stayed until September 2013. Pilkington has been Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Davis between 1997 and 2003; at the University of Western Australia between 2003 and 2005; and at Cesar Ritz Colleges in 2011–12. He has held posts at the Hult International Business School in London and Dubai and was a Professor at Copenhagen Business School. In 2017 he became Adjunct Professor at the S P Jain School of Global Management.
Since 2015 he has been Professor of Technology Management at Westminster Business School in London.
At the IEEE Pilkington has chaired the IEEE Technology Management Council for the UK and Republic of Ireland joint Chapter on Engineering Management.
Work.
Pilkington has made significant contributions to the field of bibliometrics and operations management. His research interests also cover the fields of innovation, particularly new product development outsourcing for the alternative fuel vehicle, enterprise engineering, and the early startup company.
Bibliometrics.
Using studies based on citation and co-citation tools, Pilkington has made contributions to understanding the development and diffusion of disciplines, particularly in the fields of operations management and innovation.
Innovation.
Pilkington's approach to innovation concerned "product of individual, organisational and knowledge trajectories". His idea was that "modelling the relationships between observed typologies within each of these spheres, conditions for successful innovation can be identified and failures explained. This work is leading to tools which will help managers define successful and achievable technology strategies."
Enterprise engineering.
Pilkington has initiated and directed the Pilkington research in Enterprise Engineering at Royal Holloway. According to Pilkington (2008/13):
This Enterprise Engineering research had focussed on five types of management specialties:
At Royal Holloway more specific topics of research in this field concerned Alternative fuel Technology, Bibliometrics and Patent analysis.
Publications.
Pilkington has authored and co-authored numerous publications in the field of Management of technology, Operations management, Manufacturing strategy and Enterprise engineering. A selection: