Rick worked extensively in broadcasting in Canada and the UK before choosing to become an academic and consultant. He has taught at the University of Bradford, the University of Hawaii, the University of British Columbia, and Memorial University, where he held a chair in management and was Dean of the Faculty of Business. He is the author of Managerial Achievement (Reston) and more than a hundred articles, cases and management simulations and exercises.

Rick has consulted with organisations in Europe and North America principally in the field of organisational change. He is an expert in the field of organisational and behavioural diagnostics and has been involved for some time in exploring their application in distance and e-based management education. His association with BSS and Robin Stuart-Kotze goes back more than 25 years. He is the architect of the seminal M.Ach 1 theory of organisational effectiveness and his early research provides one of the cornerstones of the Momentum Radar model.