Usman Talat

Lecturer in Management and Organisational Studies

Because of the research methods that he employs Usman moves fluently across a huge range of extremely varied research subjects.

His work ranges from studies of nudge theory in workplace settings (healthcare), through to the use of imagination among entrepreneurs, narratives of addiction recovery, the impact of high-performance work systems, organisational change and justice, employee fair treatment, sustainability, and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Imagination of entrepreneurs

One of his major research fields is around the philosophy of management and imagination among entrepreneurs. As he explains: "I am fascinated by how entrepreneurs use their imagination to identify opportunities that others simply don't see. We have seen this in the past with the likes of Steve Jobs at Apple, and today with someone like Elon Musk."

"I am particularly intrigued by the narratives used by CEOs to create new visions for enterprise and how these narratives then change market logic through adaptive and embodied responses, disturbing the regularity and equilibrium seeking tendencies assumed in markets."

"The breakthrough entrepreneur turns institutional and market logic on its head, and ultimately changes the way we live. For instance, the i-phone and i-pad have been revolutionary, and on a larger scale innovation ultimately draws on such imagined possibilities, integrating them into the visionary's narrative, often publicly shared and held by employees and consumers."

Imagination

Usman says this links to the growing research area around the use of imagination in the workplace, and its contribution to bringing novel and creative ideas to market. For instance he is currently examining the logic of emotion and imagination applied to markets and organisations.

Given his interest in these themes it is little surprise that Usman is also fascinated by the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence by companies and organisations. Currently, he is also examining trust and the use of Artificial intelligence in secondary care by healthcare workers.

Nudge theory

Another area of his research is around nudge theory and behavioural economics, and Usman has in particular studied the healthcare sector in this regard. As he explains: "The common factor linking my papers is how nudges in healthcare can potentially help improve and facilitate decision-making."

"For instance, one paper tested these theories in the NHS, looking at the extent to which cost information about medications does or doesn't influence decision-making. The first nudge provided simple cost information, the second provided information about the potential annual cost savings if the cheaper medication were selected across the NHS. In the event, our findings suggested that nudges are useful and should be revised and tailored in their application."

Covid study

Staying with the healthcare theme, Usman has also recently worked on improving oxygen therapy for SARS-CoV-2 patients in a statistical modelling study that aimed to identify how to nudge delivery. The project was funded and delivered with Birmingham University Hospitals, the University of Warwick and colleagues in the United States.

Usman has also recently secured funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research to study addiction recovery in partnership with the University of Nottingham Trust Hospitals. "This is part of a larger randomised control trial where we hope to increase recovery rates by nudging patients using live disease biomarker-based behavioural interventions in reducing alcohol related harm."

HR studies

Usman has also developed studies on human resource management and decision-making in firms across South East Asia, examining HR practices, the gig economy and employee commitment in countries such as India, Pakistan, China and Singapore.

For instance, in one study he analysed specific HR practices in Pakistan's banking industry and found that remuneration strategies were positively related to job satisfaction and employee commitment. Another paper looked at high-performance work systems (HPWS) in China and whether there was a disconnect between organisational-level HPWS and employee-experienced HPWS.