Imran Saqib

Lecturer

After completing his MBA in his home city of Karachi, Pakistan, Imran began his career in banking but was quickly drawn to the world of academia and teaching.

He would go on to complete a Masters in Organisational Sciences (HRM) from George Washington University, US, and a PhD in Business and Management from Alliance Manchester Business School which explored employee perceptions of HRM practices.

As he explains: "I have always had a very strong interest in people management issues and as soon as I started working in the banking sector I became very interested in human resource (HR) issues from the perspective of employees, and how it can be a real force for good and instrumental in unleashing human potential."

Effective HR policies

In between taking his masters and PhD Imran worked at the Institute of Business Administration in Pakistan where he developed and taught several HRM courses. He specifically looked at the challenges around implementing effective HR policies in Pakistan's banking sector.

Stemming from his doctoral research, Imran's primary research now focuses on understanding the cultural and institutional barriers that prevent best practices from being effective in non-western settings.

"I think HRM practices can be a powerful tool for economic and social development in developing countries, provided that they are implemented with the contextual conditions in mind and if the top management uses these practices both for strategic advantages and employee wellbeing."

Employee voice

Imran's research today has branched out further and while he is still very interested in HR issues in developing countries, he has also been drawn towards the whole research area of employee voice and issues around online employee experiences.

As he adds: "Social media has provided a democratic platform to individuals to express their voice and identity, but at the same time such interactions can unwittingly shape the perceived identity of users. This has far-reaching repercussions on the world outside of social media, and disproportionately more for women than for men, especially if that identity is not consistent with the typical image expected of them by society."

Identity regulation

With co-author Dr Aparna Gonibeed, he has been specifically looking at identity regulation which refers to curating and managing one's identity in order to present an image which is more acceptable and palatable both in the professional and personal spheres.

"Identity regulation in social media manifests itself through holding back one's views, thoughts, and one's true identity," says Imran.

"In today's workplace the only thing worse than having a negative image online is to not have any social media presence. Consequently, we find that professionals walk a tightrope in managing what they share on social media and what they hide."

In a study of Indian IT professionals Imran found that this identity regulation is undertaken by both men and women, but the process and motivation is markedly different for women in the South Asian context.

"Young professionals of both genders flounder and experiment about how to present an acceptable identity in the absence of direct cues and guidance."

Future research

Imran says his research will continue to focus on the implementation and effectiveness of HRM best practices in developing countries and on the role of social media in moderating and explaining employee experiences at work and how this, in turn, impacts the HR function of voice.

As his work develops, he aims to focus more on these topics from the perspective of peripheral employee segments and under-represented groups such as minorities and women.