Leo McCann
@leomc76.bsky.social
Academic @york.ac.uk
Sociology of Professions /
Critical Management Studies / History
Sociology of Professions /
Critical Management Studies / History
Pinned
Leo McCann
@leomc76.bsky.social
· Sep 16
How AI is undermining learning and teaching in universities | Letter
Letter: Prof Leo McCann and Prof Simon Sweeney say student misuse of generative artificial intelligence is widespread and we must be sceptical of its usefulness
www.theguardian.com
Thinking of using #ChatGPT for 'help' with assessments? Think again. #university #AI
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Leo McCann
Reposted by Leo McCann
The NHS is very poor at training its managers to consistent standards. But the only big policy response is not to improve training but to regulate managers. This is the wrong way to fix NHS management: bmjleader.bmj.com/content/earl...
Placing the cart before the horse: proposals to regulate NHS managers
Doubts about the performance, value and conduct of healthcare managers continue to stir public debate. In the UK, the denigration of NHS managers as an unproductive, bureaucratic overhead is a longsta...
bmjleader.bmj.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:41 AM
The NHS is very poor at training its managers to consistent standards. But the only big policy response is not to improve training but to regulate managers. This is the wrong way to fix NHS management: bmjleader.bmj.com/content/earl...
Healthcare clearly needs professional and ethical managers. Some argue that NHS managers should be regulated like clinicians, via a professional register. We argue, in this piece for BMJ Leader, that such a view is unrealistic.
Comments welcome! @bmj.com
bmjleader.bmj.com/content/earl...
Comments welcome! @bmj.com
bmjleader.bmj.com/content/earl...
Placing the cart before the horse: proposals to regulate NHS managers
Doubts about the performance, value and conduct of healthcare managers continue to stir public debate. In the UK, the denigration of NHS managers as an unproductive, bureaucratic overhead is a longsta...
bmjleader.bmj.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Healthcare clearly needs professional and ethical managers. Some argue that NHS managers should be regulated like clinicians, via a professional register. We argue, in this piece for BMJ Leader, that such a view is unrealistic.
Comments welcome! @bmj.com
bmjleader.bmj.com/content/earl...
Comments welcome! @bmj.com
bmjleader.bmj.com/content/earl...
Reposted by Leo McCann
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
Reposted by Leo McCann
Posters have appeared around the building. They suggest that geography, geology, & environment staff might be a bit angry at proposed redundancies, reorganisations & closures. Rightly so.
November 24, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Posters have appeared around the building. They suggest that geography, geology, & environment staff might be a bit angry at proposed redundancies, reorganisations & closures. Rightly so.
Reposted by Leo McCann
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
November 21, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Very interesting and timely paper by Tine Molendijk in @wesjnl.bsky.social. Great to see the concept of moral injury being given more sociological and contextual depth.
Very interesting and timely paper by Tine Molendijk in @wesjnl.bsky.social. Great to see the concept of moral injury being given more sociological and contextual depth.
A Contextual Model of Moral Injury: Redefining Trauma in Frontline Professions through Ethics and Context - Tine Molendijk, 2025
To date, the interrelations between mental health and ethical challenges in frontline professions, such as the military, police and health care, have remained u...
journals.sagepub.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:07 PM
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Very interesting and timely paper by Tine Molendijk in @wesjnl.bsky.social. Great to see the concept of moral injury being given more sociological and contextual depth.
Very interesting and timely paper by Tine Molendijk in @wesjnl.bsky.social. Great to see the concept of moral injury being given more sociological and contextual depth.
Reposted by Leo McCann
'The union said management had "agreed to halt all planned compulsory redundancies for academic staff until at least July 2026".'
Strikes suspended in Lancaster University staff job cuts row
The university is trying to save £30m amid rising costs and a fall in international student numbers.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 21, 2025 at 9:05 AM
'The union said management had "agreed to halt all planned compulsory redundancies for academic staff until at least July 2026".'
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
A very valuable story on the continuing fallout from 'psychic driving', MKUltra, etc. Upsetting to read.
A very valuable story on the continuing fallout from 'psychic driving', MKUltra, etc. Upsetting to read.
At 16, I was experimented on by the CIA and now I'm suing
Lana Ponting is part of a class-action lawsuit against the Canadian government for its alleged role in the MK-Ultra experiments.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 11:12 AM
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
A very valuable story on the continuing fallout from 'psychic driving', MKUltra, etc. Upsetting to read.
A very valuable story on the continuing fallout from 'psychic driving', MKUltra, etc. Upsetting to read.
Reposted by Leo McCann
There’s growing evidence that something was going seriously wrong in the classic early work on cognitive dissonance
Latest revelation: The story in When Prophecy Fails seems to have been fabricated in the most egregious way
But this is not the only one…
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Latest revelation: The story in When Prophecy Fails seems to have been fabricated in the most egregious way
But this is not the only one…
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Debunking “When Prophecy Fails”
In 1954, Dorothy Martin predicted an apocalyptic flood and promised her followers rescue by flying saucers. When neither arrived, she recanted, her group dissolved, and efforts to proselytize ceased....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:06 PM
There’s growing evidence that something was going seriously wrong in the classic early work on cognitive dissonance
Latest revelation: The story in When Prophecy Fails seems to have been fabricated in the most egregious way
But this is not the only one…
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Latest revelation: The story in When Prophecy Fails seems to have been fabricated in the most egregious way
But this is not the only one…
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Reposted by Leo McCann
🧵On our revelations today about the BBC Coup and the Prescott Dossier.
The leaked ‘BBC Bias’ memo Trump used to attack the BBC was authored by Michael Prescott — a Hanover lobbyist paid by US tech/media giants tied to Trump. Full story: bylinetimes.com/2025/11/11/b... 1/12
The leaked ‘BBC Bias’ memo Trump used to attack the BBC was authored by Michael Prescott — a Hanover lobbyist paid by US tech/media giants tied to Trump. Full story: bylinetimes.com/2025/11/11/b... 1/12
'BBC Bias' Memo Was Authored by Lobbyist Tied to Pro-Trump Tech Giants
The leaked memo that fuelled Trump’s attack on the BBC was written by a lobbyist at a firm paid by US tech giants tied to the President
bylinetimes.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:19 PM
🧵On our revelations today about the BBC Coup and the Prescott Dossier.
The leaked ‘BBC Bias’ memo Trump used to attack the BBC was authored by Michael Prescott — a Hanover lobbyist paid by US tech/media giants tied to Trump. Full story: bylinetimes.com/2025/11/11/b... 1/12
The leaked ‘BBC Bias’ memo Trump used to attack the BBC was authored by Michael Prescott — a Hanover lobbyist paid by US tech/media giants tied to Trump. Full story: bylinetimes.com/2025/11/11/b... 1/12
Finally a good decision from this government. PCCs never made any sense and weren't needed. Candidates were elected along party lines and all of their manifestos were basically 'let's keep people safe'.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Police and crime commissioners to be abolished, government to announce
System introduced in 2012 across England and Wales has faced criticism from police chiefs
www.theguardian.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Finally a good decision from this government. PCCs never made any sense and weren't needed. Candidates were elected along party lines and all of their manifestos were basically 'let's keep people safe'.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Reposted by Leo McCann
The NHS 10 Year Health Plan will only succeed if we strengthen management and leadership.
The King's Fund's Suzie Bailey shares some key findings from our new paper with @unibirmingham.bsky.social.
Read more: https://bit.ly/437AuPW
The King's Fund's Suzie Bailey shares some key findings from our new paper with @unibirmingham.bsky.social.
Read more: https://bit.ly/437AuPW
November 12, 2025 at 7:35 PM
The NHS 10 Year Health Plan will only succeed if we strengthen management and leadership.
The King's Fund's Suzie Bailey shares some key findings from our new paper with @unibirmingham.bsky.social.
Read more: https://bit.ly/437AuPW
The King's Fund's Suzie Bailey shares some key findings from our new paper with @unibirmingham.bsky.social.
Read more: https://bit.ly/437AuPW
"Too many layers of management". General public and some NHS staff regularly say this. But it's not really true. Operational managers are stretched thin. Clinicians are often crying out for high-quality managerial support, expertise and visibility.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
NHS gets go-ahead to make thousands of redundancies
The compromise deal would allow the NHS to overspend this year.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 12, 2025 at 8:21 PM
"Too many layers of management". General public and some NHS staff regularly say this. But it's not really true. Operational managers are stretched thin. Clinicians are often crying out for high-quality managerial support, expertise and visibility.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Leo McCann
A puff piece that relentlessly refuses to adduce actual evidence or to consider that any aspect of 'the other side' might have any virtue. Why publish this superficial guff? The topic deserves much better.
Universities risk irrelevance by failing to engage fully with AI
It is difficult to think of another sector that has so dismally failed to strategically engage with the transformative potential of IT, says Ian Richardson
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:44 AM
A puff piece that relentlessly refuses to adduce actual evidence or to consider that any aspect of 'the other side' might have any virtue. Why publish this superficial guff? The topic deserves much better.
With thanks to Ben Fox and Shepherd Books - some notes on my three favourite reads this year.
shepherd.com/bboy/2025/f/...
shepherd.com/bboy/2025/f/...
Want to know Leo McCann's Top 3 Books of 2025?
Leo's top 3 reads of 2025 include Nuclear War: A Scenario and two other amazing books. Discover what makes these books unmissable!
shepherd.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:55 AM
With thanks to Ben Fox and Shepherd Books - some notes on my three favourite reads this year.
shepherd.com/bboy/2025/f/...
shepherd.com/bboy/2025/f/...
Reposted by Leo McCann
peer reviewers when you try to sneak in irony
November 8, 2025 at 11:04 AM
peer reviewers when you try to sneak in irony
Fascinating new article by Yagil Levy about various militaries' use of body counts and how such metrics are a key element of 'war managerialism'.
@gregorydaddis.bsky.social @drjlhazelton.bsky.social @cmsbisa.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
@gregorydaddis.bsky.social @drjlhazelton.bsky.social @cmsbisa.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The logic of body counting: from Korea to Gaza
This study examines body counting practices of enemy combatants across six critical conflicts: Korea (1950–1953), Vietnam (1955–1975), Iraq (2003–2011), Afghanistan (2001–2014), Israel’s operations...
www.tandfonline.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Fascinating new article by Yagil Levy about various militaries' use of body counts and how such metrics are a key element of 'war managerialism'.
@gregorydaddis.bsky.social @drjlhazelton.bsky.social @cmsbisa.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
@gregorydaddis.bsky.social @drjlhazelton.bsky.social @cmsbisa.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Leo McCann
Very useful starting point: here's my slide for the Research Methods class:
November 5, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Very useful starting point: here's my slide for the Research Methods class:
Reposted by Leo McCann
BREAKING: economist discovers “second shift,” a concept coined by sociologists almost 50 years ago; gives it new, stupider, and less explicitly labor-oriented name
October 26, 2025 at 1:58 PM
BREAKING: economist discovers “second shift,” a concept coined by sociologists almost 50 years ago; gives it new, stupider, and less explicitly labor-oriented name
Reposted by Leo McCann
I just published an article about my book and its connections to current politics with @us.theconversation.com! I highly recommend working with them, if you're interested in helping expand the public reach of your work. (1/2) #History 🗃️
theconversation.com/the-lost-his...
theconversation.com/the-lost-his...
The lost history of Latin America’s role in averting catastrophe during the Cuban missile crisis
A common US-centric narrative holds that the Cuban missile crisis ended when Washington stood firm against the Soviets. But that story ignores a whole continent.
theconversation.com
October 24, 2025 at 3:07 PM
I just published an article about my book and its connections to current politics with @us.theconversation.com! I highly recommend working with them, if you're interested in helping expand the public reach of your work. (1/2) #History 🗃️
theconversation.com/the-lost-his...
theconversation.com/the-lost-his...
Reposted by Leo McCann
'While researchers typically publish in academic journals and books, the authors found, higher education managers are more likely to consult practice-oriented journals, newsletters, conference inputs and social media platforms such as LinkedIn.'
Physician, heal thyself.
Physician, heal thyself.
HE research ‘rarely informs administrators’ decisions’
Knowledge transfer should include the university itself, says thinktank after identifying disconnect between managers and those who study them
www.timeshighereducation.com
October 14, 2025 at 7:17 AM
'While researchers typically publish in academic journals and books, the authors found, higher education managers are more likely to consult practice-oriented journals, newsletters, conference inputs and social media platforms such as LinkedIn.'
Physician, heal thyself.
Physician, heal thyself.
Reposted by Leo McCann
*FIFTEEN THOUSAND JOBS LOST*.
If this were in a sector in which the PM could go and do a photoshoot looking like One Of The People, we’d have had a government intervention by now.
If this were in a sector in which the PM could go and do a photoshoot looking like One Of The People, we’d have had a government intervention by now.
Cuts equivalent to 15,000 jobs planned at UK universities – UCU www.timeshighereducation.com/news/cuts-eq...
Cuts equivalent to 15,000 jobs planned at UK universities – UCU
Proposed job losses almost triple since March as unions prepare to vote on nationwide industrial action
www.timeshighereducation.com
October 11, 2025 at 8:17 AM
*FIFTEEN THOUSAND JOBS LOST*.
If this were in a sector in which the PM could go and do a photoshoot looking like One Of The People, we’d have had a government intervention by now.
If this were in a sector in which the PM could go and do a photoshoot looking like One Of The People, we’d have had a government intervention by now.
Out today: my review of Ed Gillett's book 'Party Lines' in ephemera. I argue the book is a great contribution to our histories of dance music, but is his interpretation too bleak?
ephemerajournal.org/contribution...
ephemerajournal.org/contribution...
October 8, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Out today: my review of Ed Gillett's book 'Party Lines' in ephemera. I argue the book is a great contribution to our histories of dance music, but is his interpretation too bleak?
ephemerajournal.org/contribution...
ephemerajournal.org/contribution...