Dr Muhammad Naseer Akhtar profile

Dr Muhammad Akhtar

Associate Professor

HRM and People Analytics

Department of Business Entrepreneurship & Finance , Royal Docks School Of Business And Law

Dr Muhammad Akhtar is an Associate Professor in HRM and People Analytics, Interim Director of Research Impact & Innovation, Editor-in-Chief Working Paper Series, and Research Lead for the Department of Business Management, Entrepreneurship, Finance at the Royal Docks School of Business and Law. He received his PhD in Management from School of Management, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, China (2012-2015) and an MA in Management (2007-08) from Chester Business School, University of Chester, UK.

Qualifications

  • MA Management - Chester Business School, University of Chester, Chester, UK (2009)
  • PhD Management - HUST School of Management, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan - PR China (2015)

Areas Of Interest

Interests include the intersection between human resource management, organisational behaviour, I/O psychology, and organizational change. Specifically, his current research is focused on the themes of high-performance work systems, flexible work practices, psychological contracts, organizational change, employee-employer relations, attitude and behaviours (individual, co-workers, and team levels), future of work, employee engagement, involvement, and thriving at work, meaningful work, performance management, and people analytics.

Dr Muhammad Naseer Akhtar profile

OVERVIEW

Dr Muhammad Akhtar has worked at MCB Bank, Bank Alfalah, The University of Faisalabad, Cyprus International University, and National University of Sciences & Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan prior to joining University of East London and brings over 20 years of industry experience, research scholarship, consultancy, and client engagement.

His professional career spans working in number of industries including banking, international education management, and higher education. He is an Academic Fellow (FCIPD) – Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, UK, fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA) – UK, and a senior management consultant. He has published peer-reviewed research papers in reputable international journals, commissioned research reports, consulting projects and presented his work in international research conferences.

He is also engaged with number of universities from UK and overseas as an external examiner, PhD supervisor, doctoral and master level dissertation examiner, keynote speaker, and editor. He has worked with number of universities to create international academic partnership projects such as student exchange, scholarships, split degree programs, faculty exchange and research supervision project with Mykolo Romeris University, Lithuania, Cyprus International University, TRNC, and Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China.

Editorial Responsibilities

Dr Muhammad Akhtar is currently working as the Associate Editor Employee Relations (since August 2021) and also member of the Editorial Review Board for Internet Research (both journals published by Emerald Publishing Group, UK). He has also served as an article editor-in-chief for SAGE Open. Previously, he has worked as the Editor-in-Chief (founding editor) NUST Business Review. He has published peer-reviewed articles in well-reputed international journals such as Internet Research, Journal of Environmental Management, Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, Employee Relations, Asian Journal of Social Psychology, Current Psychology, and Journal of Knowledge Management. He has been invited as a keynote speaker and presented papers at international conferences and visited a number of countries around the world.

Consultancy

Recognising people at the core of organisational transformation, Dr Muhammad Akhtar helps his clients to reinvent the employee experience through data-driven thought leadership. He founded MNA-HR Consulting and grew the workforce analytics and organisation practices, specialising in the facilitation of data-driven decision making, designing future digital organisations with a new purpose and sustainable principles, organisational performance, operational excellence, systems and skills. He applies his industry experience in guiding organisations and individuals toward success in their people analytics initiatives. Specifically, understanding how leadership is evolving in the digital age, how to better engage workforce throughout the change process, and how worker productivity can be improved through automation, data, and technology, and what makes employees thrive at work. His clients include private sector SMEs, manufacturing firms, universities, and training institutes. Currently engaged in developing management knowledge transfer partnership projects (mKTP).

PUBLICATIONS

Journals

  • Muhammad Naseer Akhtar, Peter Matthijs Bal, Lirong Long (2016) Exit, Voice, Loyalty, and Neglect reactions to Organizational Change: A sense-making perspective through the lens of the psychological contract. Employees Relations. Vol.38(4). DOI:10.1108/ER-03-2015-0048.
  • J Zhang, Muhammad Naseer Akhtar, Peter Matthijs Bal, Y Zhang, U Talat, (2018) When and Why Does High-Performance Work Systems Affect Individual-Level Outcomes? A Multilevel Perspective. Frontiers in Psychology. DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00586
  • L Si, W Liu, P Zhang, Y Han, Muhammad Naseer Akhtar (2018) Exploring the Role of Moral Disengagement in the Link between Perceived Narcissistic Supervision and Employees’ Organizational Deviance. Asian Journal of Social Psychology. Vol 21(4), DOI:10.1111/ajsp.12323 [the topmost downloaded article of the year 2019]
  • Junwei Zhang, Peter Matthijs Bal, Muhammad Naseer Akhtar, Lirong Long (2018) High-Performance Work Systems and Employee Performance: The Role of Employee Thriving and Proactive Personality. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, Vol 57(3), Wiley Publishers. DOI:10.1111/1744-7941.12199 [the top-most downloaded article of the year 2018 & 2019]
  • Muhammad Arshad, Muhammad Naseer Akhtar, Usman Talat, Chuanmin, James C., Hyatt (2019) Specific HR Practices and Employee Commitment: The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction. Employee Relations, Vol.41(3). DOI:10.1108/ER-03-2018-0074 [Most read article in the issue]
  • Junwei Zhang, Muhammad Naseer Akhtar, Yajun Zhang, Yasin Rofcanin (2019), High-commitment work systems and employee voice: A multilevel and serial mediation approach inside the black box. Employee Relations. Vol. 41-4, pp.811-827. DOI:10.1108/ER-08-2018-0218
  • Junwei Zhang, Muhammad Naseer Akhtar, Yajun Zhang (2020) Zhang, J., Akhtar, M.N., Zhang, Y. and Sun, S. (2019), Are overqualified employees bad apples? A dual-pathway model of cyberloafing, Internet Research. Vol. 30(1), pp. 289–313. CABC 3*, DOI:10.1108/INTR-10-2018-0469
  • Ambreen Malik, Muhammad Naseer Akhtar, Usman Talat, Kirk Chang (2019) Transformational Changes and Sustainability: From the Perspective of Identity, Trust, Commitment, and Withdrawal. Sustainability Vol. 11(11) 3159 DOI:10.3390/su11113159
  • MK Khalid, MH Agha, ST Hussain, MN Akhtar (2020) Conceptualizing Audit Fatigue in the context of Sustainable Supply Chains. Sustainability, 12(21), 9135; DOI:10.3390/su12219135
  • Q Ahmed, MSUK Sumbal, MN Akhtar, H Tariq (2021) Abusive Supervision and the Knowledge Worker Productivity: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Management Process. Journal of Knowledge Management. Vol. 25 (10) pp. 2506-2522. DOI:10.1108/JKM-08-2020-0632
  • J Zhang, SU Durar, MN Akhtar, Y Zhang, L Lu (2021) How Does Responsible Leadership Affect Employees’ Voluntary Workplace Green Behaviors? A Multilevel Dual Process Model. Journal of Environmental Management, 296, 113205. CABC 3* DOI:10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113205
  • Y Yan, MN Akhtar, J Zhang, S Liang, (2021) Positive leadership and employee engagement: The roles of state positive affect and individualism-collectivism. Current Psychology DOI:10.1007/s12144-021-02192-7
  • W Ying, S Liao, Y Zhu, MN Akhtar, X Zhou, (2021) I speak when boss Back up my family: testing the moderated mediation model of family supportive supervisor behavior and employee voice. Current Psychology DOI:10.1007/s12144-021-02215-3
  • Fang Sun, Xiyuan Li, MN Akhtar, (2022) Negative Influences of Differentiated Empowering Leadership on Team Members’ Helping Behaviors: The Mediating Effects of Envy and Contempt. Psychology Research and Behavior Management. DOI:10.2147/PRBM.S346470
  • Zhang Y, Yin C, MN Akhtar and Wang Y (2022) Humor at work that works: A multi-level examination of when and why leader humor promotes employee creativity. Frontier in Psychology. DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.903281
  • Y Zhang, MN Akhtar (2022) Authoritative Leadership and Cyberloafing: A Moderated Mediation Model of Emotional Exhaustion and Power Distance. Frontiers in Psychology. DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1010845
  • Y Zhang, MN Akhtar (2022) Bad Apples Spoiling the Metaphor? How, and Why Self-Serving Leaders Stir Up Counterproductive Work Behaviors at Work. Frontiers in Psychology. DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1008071
  • Mordi, T.; Adisa, T.; Adekoya, O.; Sani, KF.; Mordi, C.; Akhtar, M., (2023) A Comparative Study of the Work-Life Balance Experiences and Coping Mechanisms of Nigerian and British Single Student-Working Mothers. Career Development International. DOI:10.1108/CDI-10-2022-0280
  • Muhammad Naseer Akhtar, MA Mahmood, Erkan Isik (2023) Testing the Social Cognitive Model of Well-being Among International Students in China. Current Psychology. DOI:10.1007/s12144-023-04962

TEACHING

PhD Supervision and Research Collaboration

Dr Akhtar is a learning facilitator, and research practitioner in academic enterprise. Since 2016, he has been involved in supervising scholarly activities such as PhD, and MS HRM dissertations, external examiner, research grants, consulting projects, and managing research development.


He is currently accepting PhD students for supervision and collaboration in the following research themes:

  • High-performance work systems, flexible HR best practices, performance management, people analytics and digital HRM.
  • Psychological contracts, attitude and behaviours (individual, co-workers, and team levels), employee well-being, emotions and moods at work,
  • Future of work, employee engagement, involvement, burnout, thriving at work, and meaningful work, 
  • Leadership, organisational change, organizational psychology.

MODULES

  • Leadership in a Global Context
  • HRM Work-based Reflective Practice
  • Digital & Human Resource Information Systems
  • Leading, Managing and Developing Global Talent and Knowledge Management
  • Knowledge Management, Metrics and Quantitative Data
  • Organizational Change
  • Research Methods
  • Advanced Quantitative Methods
  • Quantitative Data Analysis Program