Tim is a mid-career academic with over 20 years of research experience prior to joining Middlesex Business School from the University of Birmingham in September 2013. His research explores issues of public service delivery, policy and governance, and his current and recent funded projects and publications have an economic development emphasis, in relation to migrant communities within the UK and global south. He publishes widely in highly-ranked academic journals within the disciplines of Sociology, Public Policy, and Organisational Studies. He has held Research Grants from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), British Council, National Institute for Heath Research (NIHR) and National Audit Office (NAO) amongst many others.
Research methodology, Critical Management Studies, Governance, Leadership and identity. Tim is an experienced doctoral supervisor and keen to take on additional doctoral candidates in any of these areas.
Link to Researchgate citations; link to Google Scholar citations
My research interests concern governance and leadership in public institutions. Under this broad heading, discrete themes include;
6, P., Peck, E., Goodwin, N., and Freeman, T. (2006) Managing networks of twenty-first century organisations. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
Miles, L., Freeman, T., Polzin, A., Reitz, R. and Croucher, R. (in press) 'Migrant Workers navigating the Covid-19 Pandemic in the UK: Resilience, Reworking and Resistance’, Economic and Industrial Democracy [ABS 3*]
Freeman, T., Miles, L., Ying, K., Mat-Yasin, S., and Lai, W.T. (2021) 'At the limits of 'Capability': The sexual and reproductive health of women migrant workers in Malaysia', Sociology of Health and Illness, DOI:10.1111/1467-9566.13323 [ABS 4*]
Miles L., Freeman, T., Lai, W.T., Mat-Yasin, S., and Ying, K. (2021) 'Empowerment as a pre-requisite to managing and influencing health in the workplace: The Sexual and Reproductive Health needs of factory women migrant workers in Malaysia', Economic and Industrial Democracy, DOI:10.1177/0143831X211024725 [ABS 3*]
Millar R., Freeman, T., Mannion, R., Davies, HTO (2019) ‘Meta Regulation meets Deliberation: Situating the Governor within NHS Foundation Trust Hospitals, Journal of Social Policy, 48(3): 595-613 [ABS 3*]
Mannion, R., Jacobs, R., Davies, H., Kasteridis, P., Freeman, T., and Millar, R. (2017) Do hospital Boards matter for better, safer, patient care? Social Science and Medicine,177: 278-87 [ABS 4*]
Mannion, R., Freeman, T., Millar, R., and Davies, HTO. (2016) Effective board governance of safe care: a (theoretically underpinned) cross-sectioned examination of the breadth and depth of relationships through national quantitative surveys and in-depth qualitative case studies. Health Services and Delivery Research, 4 (4). ISSN 2050-4349
Freeman, T., Millar, R., Mannion, R., and Davies, HTO. (2016) Enacting corporate governance of safety and quality: a dramaturgy of English hospital boards’, Sociology of Health and Illness 38(2): 233-51 [ABS 4*}
Millar, R., Freeman, T., and Mannion, R. (2015) Hospital boards and patient safety in England: examining the potential of trust and intelligence, BMC Health Services Research, 15: 196-207
Mannion R., Davies HTO, Freeman T., et al. (2015) Overseeing oversight: governance of quality and safety by hospital boards in the English NHS. J Health Serv Res Policy; 20(1S): 9-16
Freeman T. (2013) Comparing the content of leadership theories and managers' shared perceptions of effective leadership: a Q-method study of trainee managers in the English NHS,Health Services Management Research, 26: 43-53
Millar, R., Mannion, R., Freeman, T. and Davies, H. (2013) Hospital Board oversight of Patient Safety: A Narrative Review & Synthesis of Recent Empirical Research, Milbank Quarterly, 91(4): 738-70 [ABS 4*]
Robinson, S. Williams, I., Dickinson, H., Freeman, T., and Rumbold, B. (2012) Priority setting and rationing in health care: evidence from the English NHS, Social Science and Medicine, 75(12): 2386-93 [ABS 4*]
Dickinson, H., Freeman, T, Williams, I., and Robinson, S. (2011) Resource scarcity and priority setting: from management to leadership in priority setting? Public Money and Management, 31(5): 363-70 [ABS 2*]
Mabey, C. and Freeman, T. (2010) Reflections on leadership and place, Policy Studies 31(4): 505-22 [ABS 2*]
Freeman, T. and Peck, E. (2007) Performing governance: a partnership board dramaturgy. Public Administration 85(4):907-929 [ABS 4*]
Freeman, T. (2020) Critical leadership, In I. Roper, R. Prouska and U. Chatrakul Ayudhya (eds) Critical HRM, London: Red Globe Press, pp. 189-205
Freeman, T., Millar, R., Mannion, R. and Davies, H. (2018) Decentring patient safety governance: Case studies of four English Foundation Trust hospital Boards, In M. Bevir and J. Waring (eds) Decentred Health Care Governance, London: Palgrave / Macmillan
Freeman, T., Millar, R., Mannion, R., and Davies, HTO. (2016) Enacting corporate governance of safety and quality: a dramaturgy of English hospital boards, In D. Allen, J. Braithwaite, J. Sandall and J. Waring (Eds.) The sociology of healthcare safety and quality, London: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 52-68
Mabey, C. and Freeman, T. (2012) Four readings of place leadership. In FM. Go and G. Govers (eds.) The international place branding yearbook: Smart growth and sustainability, pp. 33-44, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
Mabey, C. and Freeman, T. (2010) 'Reflections on leadership and place'. In Collinge, C., Gibney, J. and Mabey, C. (eds.) Leadership and Place, London: Taylor Francis
Freeman, T. and Peck, E. (2009) Culture made flesh: discourse, performativity and materiality. In J. Braithwaite, P. Hyde and C. Pope (eds.) Culture, climate and teams in health care organizations, pp. 31-41, Basingstoke: Palgrave
Freeman, T. (2006) Performance measurement and improvement, in Walshe K. and Smith J. (eds) Healthcare Management, McGraw-Hill/Open University Press pp. 300-320
Freeman T. (2005) A critical introduction to clinical governance, in Sallah, D. and Clark M (eds), Research and development in mental health. Oxford: Elsevier pp. 223-250
Freeman, T. and Miles, L. 19th ILERA World Congress, ‘Making and Breaking Boundaries in Work and Employment Relations’, June 2021 (Lund, Sweden) Paper presentation: 'The Sexual and Reproductive Health of Women Migrant Workers in the ASEAN region: A Systematic Narrative Review and Synthesis'
Freeman, T., Millar, R., and Mannion, R. 11th International conference on Organisational Behaviour in Health Care: ‘Co-ordinating care across boundaries and borders’ April 2018 (Montreal, Canada) Paper presentation: ‘Meta Regulation meets Deliberation: Situating the Governor within NHS Foundation Trust Hospitals’
Freeman, T., Millar, R. Annual conference of the British Academy of Management (BAM) September 2017 (Warwick, UK) Paper presentation: ‘Board Governance of Patient Safety – Leadership Fantasies’
Freeman, T., Millar, R., Mannion, R. and Davies, H. Annual conference of the European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS) July 2016 (Naples, Italy) Paper presentation: ‘Decentring patient safety governance: Case studies of four English Foundation Trust hospital Boards’
Millar, R., Freeman, T., Mannion, R. Annual conference of the International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM) April 2015 (Birmingham, UK) Paper presentation: 'Corporate Governance vs. New Public Governance: a case study of Board and Governor interactions within the English National Health Service'
Freeman, T. Annual conference of the European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS)July 2014(Rotterdam, Netherlands) Paper presentation: 'Leadership as performative regulatory fiction'
Freeman, T., Millar, R., and Mannion, R. Annual conference of the European Health Management Association (EHMA), June 2014 (Birmingham, UK) Paper presentation: 'Enacting corporate governance of safety and quality: a dramaturgy of English hospital boards'
Millar, R., Freeman, T., and Mannion, R. Annual conference of Organisational Behaviour in Health Care (OBHC) April 2014 (Copenhagen, Denmark) – Paper presentation: 'Patient safety – a review of the empirical literature'
Freeman, T. Annual conference of the International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM) April 2014 (Ottawa, Canada) Paper presentation: 'Priority setting as governance in the English NHS'
Freeman, T., Williams, I., Dickinson, H., and Robinson, S. 9th Annual conference of the International Society on Priorities in Health Care (ISPHC), September 2012 (Vancouver, Canada) Paper presentation: 'Accountable and reasonable? Priority setting in the English National Health Service (NHS)'
Millar, R., Freeman, T. and Mannion, R. Annual conference of the European Health Management Association (EHMA), June 2012 (Berne, Switzerland) Paper presentation: 'Understanding Board governance and patient safety – a programme theory perspective'
Freeman, T. Annual Conference of the European Consortium for Political Research (EPCR) August 2011 (Reykjavik, Iceland) Paper presentation: 'Managing to lead? The affective realm of the trainee health manager'
Freeman, T. 7th International Critical Management Studies Conference July 2011 (Naples): Paper presentation: 'Let me think about that for a minute: deliberative priority-setting as governance within the English National Health Service'
Freeman, T. Robinson, S., Dickinson, H. and Williams, I. Social Policy Association conference July 2011 (Lincoln) Paper presentation: 'Disinvestment decisions in the UK NHS'
Williams, I., Robinson, S., Dickinson, H. and Freeman, T. Annual Conference of the International Health Economics Association (IHEA) July 2011 (Toronto, Canada) Paper presentation 'Implementation of disinvestment decisions: evidence from the English NHS'
Robinson, S., Freeman, T., Williams, I., and Dickinson, H. Annual Conference of the European Health Management Association (EMHA) July 2010 (Lahti, Finland) Paper presentation 'Priority setting in the English NHS: what lessons can we learn?'
Freeman, T., Dickinson, H., Williams, I. and Robinson, S. 10th International Society of Priorities in Health Care Conference 'Priority Setting in Difficult Economic Times' April 2010 (Boston, MA). Paper presentation 'Priority setting as governance in the UK National Health Service'
Freeman, T. 7th International conference on Organisational Behaviour in Health Care: 'Mind the gap? Policy and practice in the reform of health care' April 2010 (Birmingham) Paper presentation: 'PDPs as cultural performance'
Robinson, S., Dickinson, H., Williams, I., and Freeman, T. 10th International Society of Priorities in Health Care Conference 'Priority Setting in Difficult Economic Times' April 2010 (Boston, MA). Paper presentation 'Priority setting in difficult times: the English experience'
Robinson, S; Freeman, T; Dickinson, H; and Williams, I. 14th IRSPM conference April 2010 (Berne): Paper presentation: 'Priority-setting, commissioning and governmentality: A case of 'clinician, manage thyself'?
Freeman, T. 8th International conference on Leadership December 2009 (Birmingham): Paper presentation: 'Politicians, moral champions, guardians and charismatics: NHS management trainees make sense of leadership theory'
Freeman, T. and Robinson, S. Interpretive policy analysis. (ESRC funded) October 2009 (Manchester): Paper presentation: 'Evidence and expertise: a narrative analysis of the application of priority setting in UK primary care'
Freeman, T., Dickinson, H. and Robinson, S. Qualitative Heath Research October 2009 (Vancouver): Paper presentation: 'Follow the leader? Identity construction, control and the health service manager'
Dickinson, H., Freeman, T., Robinson, S., Williams, I. and Parker, H.Qualitative Heath Research October 2009 (Vancouver): Paper presentation: 'A longitudinal theory-based evaluation of a culture-change initiative in an English community health service'
Freeman, T. 6th International Critical Management Conference July 2009 (Warwick): Paper presentation: 'UK public-sector leadership discourses: a Q-method study'
Robinson, S., Freeman, T., Dickinson, H. and Williams, I. Social Policy Association conference June 2009 (Edinburgh) Paper presentation: 'What's the story? A narrative analysis of priority-setting in the area of world-class commissioning'
Freeman, T. and Peck, E. 6th International conference on Organisational Behaviour in Health Care: 'Organisational culture – cracking the code?' March 2008 (Sydney, NSW) Paper presentation: 'Culture made flesh: discourse, materiality and performativity'
Peck, E., Freeman, T., and Dickinson, H. 5th International Critical Management Conference July 2007 (Manchester): Paper presentation: 'Re-conceptualising leadership development: honouring the contested nature of the self'
Robinson, S., and Freeman, T. 6th European Conference on Health Economics [ECHE] July 2006 (Budapest): 'A qualitative investigation to explore the validity of the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Time-Trade-Off (TTO) and Person-Trade-Off (PTO) techniques'
Freeman, T. International partnership Symposium 'Effective Partnership Working' May 2006 (Birmingham) Paper presentation: 'Evaluating partnerships: a case study of integrated specialist mental health services'
Freeman, T. and Peck, E. 5th International conference on Organisational Behaviour in Health Care: 'Speaking truth to power- who speaks to whom?' April 2006 (Aberdeen) Paper presentation: 'Power & politics in strategy formation: a case study of a public sector partnership'
Freeman, T. and Peck, E. 3rd International conference on corporate governance, June 2005 (Birmingham) Paper presentation: 'Board games: the interplay of instrumental and symbolic in the governance of a public sector partnership'
Freeman, T., Kunter, A., Douglas, C., and Roper, I. (2015) Ethics and spirituality in the workplace, Human Resource Management International Digest, 23(5): 43-44
Freeman, T. and Peck, E. (2008) Adult care joint ventures: the art of the possible Journal of Integrated Care 16(1):10-17
Freeman, T. and Peck, E. (2008) Adult care joint ventures: Some possible futures Journal of Integrated Care 16(2):13-18
Miles, L., Endut, N., Freeman, T., Ying, K., Ali, WT and Mat-Yasin, S. (2022) A handbook to support the sexual and reproductive health needs of factory women migrant workers. Project Report. Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Miles, L. and Freeman, T. (2019) Strategy Paper: SDG #5 Access to sexual and reproductive health and rights and Violence against women services by migrant workers in Malaysia, UN Women
Mannion, R., Freeman, T., Millar, R., and Davies, HTO. (2016) Effective board governance of safe care: a (theoretically underpinned) cross-sectioned examination of the breadth and depth of relationships through national quantitative surveys and in-depth qualitative case studies. ISSN 2050-4349
Freeman, T., Miller, R., Davidson, D., and Glasby, J. (2015) A social care compendium of approaches to organisational change, London: School for Social Care Research
Robinson, S., Dickinson, H., Williams, I., Freeman, T., Rumbold, B. and Spence, K. (2011) Priority setting: an exploratory study of English PCTs. Birmingham: Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham
Freeman, T. and Chapain, C. (2010) Evaluation of 'Streets Ahead on Safety' project: final report. Birmingham: University of Birmingham
Freeman, T., and Peck, E. (2007) Provision of adult services in partnership between health and social care: Considering the options Birmingham: Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham
McIver, S., Freeman, T., and Dickinson, H. (2007) Healthcare associated infections: an evaluation of the engagement tools developed by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, Birmingham: Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham
Freeman, T. and Dickinson, H. (2007) Improvements and innovations in healthcare: a literature review Birmingham: Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham
Freeman, T., and Peck, E. (2006) Adult care joint-ventures: aspirations, challenges and options, Birmingham: Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham
Glasby, J., Freeman, T., Durose, J., and Shapiro, J. (2006) Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust: confidential external Board review, Birmingham: Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham
Smith, JA, Freeman, T., Parker, A., and Parker, H. (2006) Options for primary care trust providers: an evidence-based policy analysis for the NHS West Midlands Birmingham: Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham
Spurgeon, P., Barwell, F., Freeman, T., and Mazelan, P. (2006) Improving quality and safety: progress in implementing clinical governance in primary care trusts (confidential report to the National Audit Office) Birmingham: Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham
Freeman, T., Dickinson, H., McIver, S., and McLeod, H. (2006) Innovation in Service delivery: Final Report to the NHSI Birmingham: Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham
Wade, E., Smith, J., Freeman, T., and Peck, E. (2006) Commissioning in the reformed NHS: Policy into practice. Birmingham: Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham
Peck, E., and Freeman, T. (2005) Reconfiguring PCTs: Influences and options, Birmingham: Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham, 2005
Freeman, T., and Peck, E. (2005) The commissioning and provision of adult mental health services in Hertfordshire, Birmingham: Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham
McLeod, H., Freeman, T., Williams, I., Harley, M., Robinson, S., and Peck, E. (2005) Stepping-stones: evaluation of the Action-On General Surgery Programme, Birmingham: Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham
Freeman, T., McLeod, H., Robinson, S., Williams, I., Harley, M., and Peck, E. (2005) Stepping-stones: evaluation of the Action-On Neurology Programme, Birmingham: Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham
Goodwin N, 6 P, Peck E, Freeman T and Posaner R. (2003) Managing Across Diverse Networks of Care: Lessons from other sectors. Final Report. Birmingham: Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham
Spurgeon P, Freeman T and Wallace L. (2002) Developing options for a programme of external evaluation of CHI's impact and performance: preliminary scoping paper. London: Commission for Health Improvement
Freeman, T., Walshe, K., and Spurgeon, P. (2002) Achieving improvements through clinical governance: a survey of trust managers' views for the National Audit Office. London: NAO
Miles, Lilian and Freeman, Tim and Polzin, Amanda and Reitz, Rishab and Croucher, Richard (2023) Migrant workers’ exercise of agency during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: resilience, reworking and resistance. Economic and Industrial Democracy . ISSN 1461-7099 (Accepted/In press)
Miles, Lilian and Freeman, Tim and Lai, Wan-Teng and Mat-Yasin, Suziana and Ying, Kelvin (2022) Empowerment as a pre-requisite to managing and influencing health in the workplace: the sexual and reproductive health needs of factory women migrant workers in Malaysia. Economic and Industrial Democracy , 43 (4). pp. 1676-1698. ISSN 0143-831X
Miles, Lilian and Endut, Noraida and Freeman, Tim and Ying, Kelvin and Lai, Wan Teng and Mat-Yasin, Suziana (2022) A handbook to support the sexual and reproductive health needs of factory women migrant workers. Project Report. Unit for Research on Women and Gender (KANITA), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
Freeman, Tim and Miles, Lilian and Ying, Kelvin and Mat Yasin, Suziana and Lai, Wan-Teng (2021) At the limits of "capability": the sexual and reproductive health of women migrant workers in Malaysia. Sociology of Health and Illness . ISSN 0141-9889 (Published online first)
Freeman, Tim and Miles, Lilian and Mat-Yasin, Suziana and Ying, Kelvin and Lai, Wan-Teng (2021) Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of women migrant workers in the ASEAN region: a systematic narrative review and synthesis. In: 19th ILERA World Congress: Making and Breaking Boundaries in Work and Employment Relations, 22-24 Jun 2021, Lund, Sweden [Online].
Supporting the Reproductive Health Needs of Women Migrant Workers in the service and hospitality industries, women migrant domestic workers and women Rohingya refugees in Malaysia. Miles, L (Applicant and Principal Investigator), Freeman, T (Co-Investigator). Sponsor: UK Research and Innovation Additional QR and Additional RCIF Grant Allocations 2022-2023 (through the University of Westminster). Timescale: Jan 2023 - May 2023. Value: 23,540
Improving local government resettlement planning to support the social integration of Syrian refugees in London. Sponsor: Research England Policy Support Fund. Lead Applicants: Miles, L. (Westminster), Granados, M. (Westminster) and Freeman, T. (Middlesex). Timescale: Mar 2022 - Dec 2022. Value: £8,148
I have made a sustained contribution to engagement and impact at local, national and international levels. Indicative examples include:
LOCAL engagement with industry [private / public sectors]: ‘Health Interventions to advance the SRH of Women Migrant Workers in Malaysia’ (2020-22): Factory women migrant workers in Malaysia are a marginalised social group with significant reproductive health needs which affect well-being and ability to work. They have limited knowledge of, and access to, reproductive healthcare. Working with factories, NGOs and health care providers in Malaysia, I co-led an international research team and local NGO service providers in the co-production - design, delivery and evaluation - of a reproductive health education programme, mobile clinics and a counselling and referral service within local factories in the Penang Export Processing Zone (EPZ). The project proved the benefits of coalition-building among factories and civil society actors to support SRH needs. Beneficiaries included NGOs, unions, healthcare providers, factories and women migrant workers.
NATIONAL policy-makers: policy evaluation for the National Audit Office [NAO]: ‘Achieving Improvements through Clinical Governance: A Progress Report on Implementation by NHS Trusts’ (2003): Clinical governance was introduced in the NHS in England in 1998, in the light of catastrophic failures in health care quality. It was intended to make health care organisations better accountable for safeguarding care quality. I led the first NHS-wide evaluation of the impact of the clinical governance policy. I undertook a census survey of all English health care Trusts, applying a standardised measure of organisational arrangements for clinical governance - the OPCG, one of two measures designed and validated previously by me in earlier studies. The research drew attention to the importance of underlying practice in securing improved patient care quality. The research informed the NAOs Value for Money assessment of Clinical Governance policy, reported to the Public Accounts Committee (UK Parliament). It precipitated a shift in the balance of emphasis from assurance to support for quality improvement in policy guidance. Beneficiaries included healthcare providers, UK government, NHS patients, UK taxpayers.
(c) INTERNATIONAL policy work commissioned by UN Women (Safe and Fair): ‘Strategy Paper: SDG#5 Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Preventing Violence Against Women Migrant Workers Services (VAWMV) in Malaysia (2019): Women migrant workers in Malaysia are denied reproductive healthcare by a migration regime inimical to such needs, and are often victims of sexual violence. The project involved high-level policy analysis as part of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls - a global, multi-year initiative between the European Union and United Nations. The project required co-production with the International Organisation for Migration, Malaysia’s Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, Malaysian Employer Federation, local NGOs and healthcare providers to explore policy-making in support of the SRHR of this marginal group. I applied Nominal Group Technique (NGT) with stakeholders to build consensus on required policy changes and derive a Strategy Paper, authored for UN Women and endorsed as “comprehensive, well-grounded and provided useful recommendations including who should implement them”. The Strategy Paper informed the Malaysian Government’s drafting of the country’s 12th National Development Plan, 2021-2025. It contributed to an Impact Case Study (‘Extending Maternity Protection and Reproductive Rights at Work in the Global South’) submitted by MDX to UoA 17 in the REF2021. Beneficiaries included local policy makers, UN organisations, civil society, healthcare providers and employers.
Peer reviewer for many academic journals, including:
Peer review for research funding bodies, including: