Guest Expert Session – “People, Mind and Management: HR through a Psychological Lens”
24 March 2026, Tuesday
24 March 2026, Tuesday
11:00 AM
01:00 PM
Office of International Affairs & Department of Psychology, School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (SLASS), IILM University, Gurugram
Office of International Affairs & Department of Psychology, IILM University, Gurugram
Dr. Aanchal Chaudhary (Assistant Professor & Programme Coordinator, PG, Department of Psychology) and Ms. Varnika Sharma
IILM University, Gurugram
The Guest Expert Session on “People, Mind and Management: HR through a Psychological Lens” was jointly organised by the Office of International Affairs and the Department of Psychology, SLASS, on 24 March 2026, reflecting IILM University’s deliberate commitment to providing psychology students with access to international academic perspectives on the intersection of psychological theory and human resource management.
The session was delivered by Dr. Nadine Watson, Subject Group Head and Senior Lecturer in People Management at the University of Salford, United Kingdom, bringing a global, research-informed perspective on how psychological principles are embedded within HR functions such as recruitment, training, performance management, employee motivation, and organisational culture development.
Dr. Watson’s session addressed the psychological basis of recruitment and selection processes, employee motivation theories and their workplace application, the role of emotional intelligence in leadership, strategies for building positive organisational culture, and approaches to enhancing employee engagement and well-being — collectively presenting students with a comprehensive overview of the psychological dimensions of HR practice.
The session employed real-world examples and global perspectives to illustrate the practical relevance of psychological principles in HR, helping students understand how academic frameworks translate into day-to-day organisational decision-making and people management in international professional contexts.
The co-organisation of the session by the Office of International Affairs signals IILM University’s strategic effort to internationalise student learning experiences through collaborative academic engagement with overseas institutions, positioning the session as part of a broader institutional commitment to global academic exposure for students in the School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.
Students developed an understanding of the integration of psychology in HR practices, gaining specific knowledge of how psychological theories and concepts are applied in functions such as recruitment and selection, training, performance management, employee engagement, and organisational development — presented through the international academic and professional lens of Dr. Nadine Watson from the University of Salford.
The session provided students with insights into the factors influencing employee motivation, engagement, and job satisfaction, deepening their appreciation of why a psychologically informed approach to people management produces more effective and sustainable organisational outcomes than purely procedural or administrative HR approaches.
Students gained an understanding of the role of leadership styles and organisational culture in shaping workplace dynamics, and of how emotional intelligence functions as a critical competency for leaders seeking to build psychologically safe, high-performing, and inclusive work environments.
Through an interactive discussion segment, students had the opportunity to raise questions about HR practices, workplace challenges, leadership, and career pathways, receiving direct, practically grounded responses that offered both professional guidance and exposure to international perspectives on the evolving field of people management.
The session encouraged students to explore career opportunities at the intersection of psychology and HR, with the international dimension of Dr. Watson’s perspective broadening students’ awareness of global professional contexts and the universal applicability of psychological principles to human resource management across different organisational and cultural settings.