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Staff Profile

Dr Komal Kalra

Lecturer in International Management

Background

Komal is a Lecturer in International Management at the Newcastle University Business School.  She is passionate about helping organizations recognize and comprehend the strengths of diversity, particularly in emerging economies. Having lived and worked in several countries, including India, Spain, Canada, and the U.K., she has first-hand experience of managing the unique challenges associated with diverse environments. Her aim is to improve the way individuals and organizations cope with diversity, specifically language and gender diversity. 

Komal is a member of the Board of Directors and scientific committee of GEM&L, where she co-manages the social media communications, annual conference organization, and undertakes the role of an editor for the double-blind review process.  She is also a member of the GEDI Lab led by Dr. Ivona Hideg at the Schulich School of Management and the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion working group at the Newcastle University Business School.

 

 

Research

Research Interests:

  • Language diversity and multilingualism
  • Gender diversity
  • International management
  • Cross-cultural management
  • Multicultural and multilingual teams
  • Qualitative methodologies

 

Komal received her PhD in International Management and Organization from the Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria, Canada in 2020. In her dissertation, Komal employed social identity theory and communication accommodation theory to explore the relationship between within-headquarter linguistic diversity, social identity based clusters and the implementation of on-the-job training programs. Currently, she is working on projects that investigate the relationship between language and gender diversity, the role of non-native accents in global virtual teams, and the role of multilingual boundary spanners and leaders in multilingual teams. 

 

Awards:

  • Alan M. Rugman Young Scholar Award, Academy of International Business Virtual Conference, 2020.
  • Jawl PhD Student Scholarship for Research Excellence, 2019     
  • Finalist for The Aalto University School of Business “That’s Interesting!” Award, Academy of International Business, Minneapolis, USA 2018.
  • WAMMY Award, Western Academy of Management, Palm Springs, USA, 2017
  • University of Victoria Graduate Fellowship 2014-2019

 

Teaching

Komal is currently teaching the following courses:

  • NBS8142 Current Issues in International Business and Management
  • NBS8599 Research-based Dissertation for International Business Management
  • NBS8061 Managing Across Cultures
  • NBS8994 Enhanced Critical & Employment Learning 
  • BUS 3035/55/58 Contemporary Issues in International and Comparative Business

 

Publications