'Disasters, Narratives, Social Dramas and Social Policy: Towards a New Deal Between Biodiversity, Human Diversity and Techno Diversity' Leadership, Organisations and Behaviour Research Seminar

Drawing on five studies that Professor Özbilgin conducted in 2023, the presentation will focus on disasters in the context of dominant and counter narratives that shape social dramas and social policy. It will delve into the sociology of ignorance and dramaturgical methods to explore COVID-19, earthquakes and technological failures as illustrative international disasters. The presentation will then develop the argument for a new deal in diversity between human diversity, biodiversity and technodiversity.

An engaged scholar, Professor Özbilgin is driven by values of workplace democracy, equality for all and humanisation of work. His research focuses on the changing policies and practices workplace equality, diversity and inclusion from comparative and relational perspectives.

Professor Özbilgin has conducted field studies in the UK and internationally. He has been supported by international and national grants from the Economic and Social Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the Arts Council England, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and the British Academy.

He has conducted research, consultancy and training at a large number of organisations, including the House of Commons, Barclays Bank, the Bank West Australia, Google, Halifax, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the NHS and NHS Employers, L'Oreal, Tesco, the Probation Services, the UK Fire Service, the Economist Research Unit, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Royal Voluntary Service, the Department of Trade and Industry, Rio Tinto, PwC, Linklaters and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Between 2006 and 2010, Professor Özbilgin served as the editor-in-chief of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: an International Journal (Emerald Press). He served as the editor-in-chief of the European Management Review, the official journal of the European Academy of Management, from 2014 to 2018 and as the editor-in-chief of the British Journal of Management, the official journal of the British Academy of Management, for four years from 2010 to 2014. He is currently serving on the editorial boards of over 20 journals internationally.

Professor Özbilgin has authored and edited more than 20 books and published over 200 papers in academic journals such as the British Medical Journal, the Academy of Management Review, the Academy of Management Learning and Education, the Journal of Management Studies, Human Relations, the British Journal of Management, the Journal of Vocational Behavior, the Human Resource Management Journal, Gender Work and Organization, and Social Science and Medicine, among others. He is the book series editor for Equality Diversity and Inclusion: International Perspectives (Emerald Press), the associate editor for Frontiers in Psychology and Frontiers in Sociology and a member of the editorial board for the Academy of Management Learning and Education, the British Journal of Management, the Journal of Management Studies and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: an International Journal (Emerald Press).

The seminar will be held on 25 January 2024, 1:00pm, in room 208 of the Henley Business School building, Whiteknights campus. For those unable to attend in person there is also the option to dial in remotely via Microsoft Teams. If you are interested in joining, please contact Alex Baker on a.j.baker@henley.ac.uk

LOB research seminars are co-ordinated by Dr Matteo Borghi and Professor Marcello Mariani.