Leadership, Work and Organisation Subject Group
Our work focuses on the changing experience of work, employment, and organisational environments. We are committed to sustainable and responsible management to help build a fairer future.
About our subject group
We are a globally-connected, locally-rooted and compassionate community. We aim to support a future where sustainable and responsible management is fully understood and actively embraced.
We champion diversity and advance challenges of social justice. We achieve a lasting impact through our research, scholarship, and engagement activity.
Our research, scholarship, and impact contributes to global debates about the changing experience and management of work, employment, and organisational environments. We aim to lead the way in this agenda.
The group comprises two core subject areas:
- Strategy, International Business and Society
- Work, Organisation and Management
Our associated research communities are:
- Strategy, International Business and Society (SIBS)
- Work, Employment and Human Resource Management (WEHRM)
- Management and Organisations (M&O)
Degree programmes
We offer three undergraduate and three postgraduate programmes.
Our programmes, informed by our research and scholarship, balance theory and practice to ensure that our learners graduate ready for the world of work and are able to tackle the challenges facing organisations.
Many of our programmes are accredited by awarding bodies, demonstrating our commitment to continuous improvement and offering a robust learning experience.
Postgraduate degrees
Our postgraduate programmes focus on strategic leadership and innovative HR solutions and offer the opportunity to focus on building expertise in creating globally sustainable organisations. Our programmes prepare graduates for impactful careers.
We offer the following programmes:
We also contribute our expertise and teaching on the following programmes:
PhD programme
Become an integral part of our research culture by working with our expert colleagues on innovate research at the forefront of our discipline.
As a doctoral student, you will work within one of our research communities. You will receive mentorship, support, and invaluable insights. As you pursue your doctoral journey, you will contribute to cutting-edge research and debates on:
- work, employment studies, and employee relations
- human resource management and human resource development
- strategy, competitive advantage, and value creation
- innovation, industry dynamics, and organisational learning
- international business, globalisation, cross-cultural management, regional development, and multinational corporations
- society, responsible business, sustainability, and ethics
- management studies
- leadership studies
- organisation studies
Research
Our colleagues undertake socially relevant and impactful research and scholarship, forming critical connections with our teaching and addressing current and future challenges.
Our research is published in leading journals to inform policy, and drives organisational innovation worldwide.
We collaborate across management fields and disciplines, taking leading roles in Newcastle University Centres of Research Excellence.
Our research is organised into three dynamic communities, each focuses on key areas of management, work, and society. These communities drive impactful research, foster collaboration, and contribute to addressing global challenges.
Research communities
Strategy, International Business and Society Community
Our interdisciplinary approach helps to better understand complex strategic challenges, international business, and the intersection of management and societal issues.
Our group’s research spans several key areas:
- strategy: competitive advantage and value creation, innovation and industry dynamics, and organisational learning
- international business: globalisation, cross-cultural management, regional development, and multinational corporations
- society: sustainability, ethics, and responsible business
Work, Employment and HRM Community
This community brings together scholars passionate about improving working lives. We seek to extend theoretical insights in relation to the experience of employment, using these insights inform policy and practice for positive change.
Our research spans several key areas:
- work and employment studies
- employee relations
- human resource management
- human resource development
- careers, education and learning
Management and Organisation Community
The community focuses on generating world-class research in the fields of:
- management studies
- leadership studies
- organisation studies
Research collaboration and engagement
Our goal is to produce research and scholarship that makes a real difference to all societies. We are committed to engaging with a wide range of external stakeholders to help achieve this.
We believe that education should extend beyond the classroom. It should inspire students to think critically and engage with diverse perspectives, enabling them to make informed judgements about their own conduct and that of others. It should also help them become critical and reflective management practitioners. Our students actively contribute to research projects, gaining invaluable experience and insights from our real-world collaborations.
We work across the public, private and voluntary sectors, engaging with:
- employers
- social enterprises
- professional association
- local and national government bodies
- national and international non-government organisations
Our collaborations span industries, sectors, and geographies. They address societal challenges through innovation and practical solutions. Our projects influence policy, drive innovation, and create lasting impact in communities worldwide.
Some of our recent engagements include:
Mobility, Transport and Health in the North East
We are part of a cross-sector partnership focused on tackling health inequality through sustainable transport solutions. Through the partnership we have established:
- a steering committee with the Office for Health Inequalities and Disparities
- representatives for mobility and transport in the North East Mayoral Combined Authority
The partnership continues to work on collaborative projects and initiatives that are vital to transport and health within the North East.
Deployment of Inclusive and Sustainable EV Charging Infrastructure: A Human-centric Approach
We are exploring the development of inclusive and sustainable strategies for deploying EV charging stations, with a focus on prioritising user needs, accessibility, and environmental sustainability in the North East.
Supporting Healthy Ageing at Work (SHAW)
We working with key stakeholders, such as the NHS, to design innovative workplace interventions that support the health and wellbeing of workers aged over 50. This includes co-designing an app which enables older workers to:
- track their health
- ask questions
- receive expert guidance from medical professionals
Newcastle’s Future Health and Care Workforce: Recruitment, Retention and Representation
We are working with:
- Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust
- Newcastle Hospitals Trust
- Newcastle City Council
This work aims to understand and identify workforce interventions to build a sustainable and resilient health and care workforce.
Staff
Our team of experts in strategy, international business, work, and organisational studies is driving innovative research, scholarship, and impact across our disciplines.
Our current subject group co-heads are Professor Susan Kirk and Professor Tracy Scurry.