However, unlike some in her field, first and foremost Karen sees hereself as a line manager.
In recent years, she's worked primarily on enabling managers to manage - developing and delivering everything from individual skill building and management development programmes to management systems design and organisation wide culture change.
In addition to managing her team, Karen has coached senior managers and facilitated cross-functional working, problem solving and conflict management.
Although she has two degrees and has researched extensively across a range of disciplines, ultimately Karen feels she's learned most about management from her experience as an overworked and undervalued manager, disempowered by bureaucracy.
From this experience - and inspired by the man she says "puts the J into KJ Smart and a lot of the smart too" - the philosophy of real management for real people was born.
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