Excelsia Academic Staff

Casual HDR Supervisor Business

Dr Vidya Sagar Athota

PhD

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Biographical details

Dr Vidya Sagar Athota is an Associate Professor and Head of Management, HR, and Sports & Recreation Management. He teaches Business Psychology, Human Resources and Executive Education in the School of Business at the University of Notre Dame Australia. Dr Athota holds a PhD from the University of New South Wales, Australia. He has been employed at the Sydney campus since 2007. He presented his research at vViarious universities the USA, Europe, the UK, the Middle East and India. He is also a visiting faculty at Indian Institute of Management, India. He received the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Initiatives that Enhance Student Learning. In 2022 Dr Athota also received the Australian Business Deans Council Award from the Australian Business Deans Council. Most recently, Dr Athota received Australian Awards for University Teaching (AAUT) for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning.

Dr Athota has over 40 academic outputs and published four research books. His most recent book is entitled, Mind Over Matter and Artificial Intelligence: Building Employee Mental Fitness for Organisational Success. He has published his research findings in high impact journals such as the Journal of Business Research, Applied Psychology, International Studies of Management & Organization, Personality and Individual Differences and American Journal of Psychology. His research has been covered in several international media outlets including New York Magazine, British Journal of Psychology Digest and Catholic Weekly.

Dr Athota is also accredited to provide psychological counselling and psychotherapy services to leaders in the workplace. Dr Athota’s expertise also includes management diagnostics and multi-perspective assessments in the areas of personality, cognitive, emotional competence, and leadership skills. He has been a keynote speaker at various international conferences and has served as track chair on many international conferences. Dr Athota has received several grants and led nine international service-learning programs as part of the Global Initiative at Notre Dame. Dr Athota is also an assessor for Australian Research Council (ARC) grants. He has successfully supervised Higher Degree Research projects. Dr Athota has also provided consulting services to various business organizations internationally, including organizations from the Fortune 500.

Education

2012: PhD, AGSM Business School, University of New South Wales, Australia

2021- MA Philosophy (TC), Biola University, USA

1997: MPhil Psychology (ABD), Osmania University, India

1995: MSW, Osmania University, India

1993: BA, Nagarjuna University, India

Awards and Honours

2023 Winner of Australian Awards for University Teaching for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning.

2022 the Australian Business Deans Council Award from the Australian Business Deans Council.

2022 Winner of Vice Chancellor’s Award for Initiatives that Enhance Student Learning. University of Notre Dame Australia

Selected publications

Books

Athota, V. S. (2023), The search for meaning in the workplace, Palgrave Macmillan

Athota, V. S. (2021). Mind over Matter and Artificial Intelligence: Building employee mental fitness for organisational success. Palgrave Macmillan

Athota, V. S. & Treloar (Forthcoming, 2024), Understanding and Resolving Workforce Issues, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group publishers

Athota, V. S., & Malik, A. (2019). Managing Employee Wellbeing and Resilience for Innovation, Springer Publishers

Published Journal Articles

Kearney, S., Maakrun, J., Thai, T., & Athota, V.S. (In Press). A cross-sectional, decade-long examination of the impacts of international service learning in teacher education. Journal Experiential Education.

Athota, V.S., Pereira, V., Hasan, Z., & Daicy, V., Laker, B. & Reppas, D. (2023). Overcoming financial planners’ cognitive biases through digitalisation: A qualitative study, Journal of Business Research (Impact Factor 10.969)

Hasan, Z., Athota, V.S., Pereira, V., & Daicy, V. (2023). Cognitive biases among Australia financial planners, Journal of Global Information Management, (Impact Factor 3.473).

Etuka, J. M., Athota, V. S., & Kearney, S. (2021). How can Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) help leaders manage through COVID-19? Knowledge Management Research & Practice (Impact Factor 3.619)

Athota, V. S., Budhwar, J., & Malik, A. (2020). Influence of personality traits and moral values on employee well-being, resilience and performance: A cross-national study. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 69 (3), 653–685 (Impact Factor 3.712, A ranked)

Athota, V. S., Fernando, M. Robert, R & Zaromb, F. (2021). How moral emotions influence managerial decision-making ability in times of a pandemic. 34^th Australian & New Zealand Academy of Management (ANZAM), (Full paper conference publication accepted), Virtual Format, Australia

Etuka, J. M., Athota, V. S., & Kearney, S. (2020). Does Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) influence transformational leadership ability. International Forum on Knowledge Asset Dynamics (IFKAD 2020), Matera, Italy. (Full paper conference publication) ISBN and ISSN number, which will be submitted to Thomas Reuters database for citation).

Athota, V. S., & Hornshaw, M. (2020). The role of emotional competence in academic leadership. International Forum on Knowledge Asset Dynamics (IFKAD 2020), Matera, Italy. (Full paper conference publication) ISBN and ISSN number, which will be submitted to Thomas Reuters database for citation).

Kearney, S., Athota, V.S., & Bee, S. (2018). International service learning in higher education: Contradictions of purpose. Journal of Global Education and Research.

Walden Person, S. & Athota, V.S. (2018). Academic Contrapower Harassment (ACPH), and Pedagogy for Mental Health through Self-compassion: A conceptual paper. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change. (B ranked)

Athota, V.S., O’Connor, P.J., & Roberts, R.D. (2017). To punish first and reward second: Values determine how reward and punishment affect risk-taking behaviour. American Journal of Psychology, 130(3), pp. 303-313. (1503, B ranked)

Athota, V. S., & Malik, A. (2017). Closing the innovation gap: A human capital perspective. 12th International Forum on Knowledge Asset Dynamics (IFKAD 2016), St. Petersburg, Russia. (Full paper conference publication)

Kearney, S. P., & Athota, V.S. (2018). International immersions experiences in higher education: Who benefits? In S. Hou (ed.) Service-Learning: Perspectives, Goals, & Outcomes. Hauppauge, New York: Nova Publishers. (DOI: 10.5038/2577-509X.2.1.1015)

Yuspendi, Handojo, V., Athota,V.S., Mike Yuni Margaretha Sihotang, M.Y.M., and Putu Ngurah Asita Dewi Aryanid, P.N.A.D. (2018). Adult Attachment Security Before and After Marriage Between IPV and Non-IPV Mothers in Indonesia. A&NZ Journal of Family Therapy.

Walden Pearson, S., Athota, V. S., & De Burgh-Woodman, H. (2017). The influence of self-compassion on knowledge worker subjective wellbeing, creative and knowledge sharing behaviour. 12th International Forum on Knowledge Asset Dynamics (IFKAD 2016), St. Petersburg, Russia. (Full paper conference publication)

Athota, V. S., Malik, A., & Connell, J. (2016). Closing the innovation gap: A human capital perspective. 11th International Forum on Knowledge Asset Dynamics (IFKAD 2016), Dresden, Germany. (Full paper conference publication)

Athota, V.S., O’Connor, P.J., & Roberts, R.D. (2016). How values of Stimulation and Hedonism provide contrasting paths from Sensation Seeking to risk-taking behavior based on risk sensitivity. Personality and Individual Differences, 101, 465. (Impact Factor 3.004, A ranked)

Athota, V. S., Treloar, S. & Kearney, S.P. (2016). Using learning styles to predict charitable values via emotional management. Jindal Journal of Business Research. 4, 46-55. (Sage Journals)

Athota, V. S., Kearney, P. S., & Cocodia, E. (2015). How self-transcendence via individualized moral foundations predict emotional and social enhancement. Journal of Beliefs & Values. Taylor & Francis Group. (Impact Factor 1.580, B ranked)

Athota, V. S., & Roberts, R. D. (2015). How Extraversion + leads to problem-solving ability. Psychological Studies, 60, 332-338. (Impact Factor 0.72, Year 2020)

Athota, V. S., & O’Connor, P. J. (2014). How approach and avoidance constructs of personality and emotional management predict core human values. Learning and Individual Differences, 31, 51-58. (Impact Factor 3.139, A ranked)

O’Connor, P. J., & Athota, V. S. (2013). The intervening role of Agreeableness in the relationship between Trait Emotional Intelligence and Machiavellianism: Reassessing the potential dark side of EI. Personality and Individual Differences, 55, 750-754. (Impact Factor 3.004, A ranked)

Athota, V. S. (2013). The role of moral emotions in happiness. The Journal of Happiness & Well-Being, 1(2), 110-115.

Book Chapters

Sowdamini, T., Mathur, G., Kaur, S., Yadav, B., & Athota, V.S. (2023). HR Analytics: Data Visualization through Bibliometric Analysis, Handbook of Artificial Intelligence Applications for Industrial Sustainability, Taylor & Francis Group.

Athota, V. S., & Malik, A. (2018). The 360-Degree Feedback at Workplace: A Transformative Learning Perspective, Cambridge Handbook of Instructional Feedback

Athota, V. S., & Treloar, S. (2018). Conflict in the workplace and need for wellbeing. Strategic Human Resource Management and Employment Relations – An International Perspective. (Springer)

Treloar, S., & Athota, V. S. (2018). The insurance arm of a leading Australian bank. Strategic Human Resource Management and Employment Relations – An International Perspective. (Springer)

Athota, V. S. (2017). Foundations and future of well-being: How personality influence happiness and well-being, Impact of Organizational Trauma on Workplace Behavior and Performance.

Athota, V. S., O’Connor, P.J., & Jackson, C. J. (2010). The role of emotional intelligence in moral judgement. In R. Hicks (ed). Personality and Individual Differences: Current Directions. Australia: Australian Academic Press.

Journal Articles Under Review/R & R

Treloar, S. & Athota V. S. (In review). Addressing the invisible inequalities of diversity and inclusion of persons with a disability (PWD) in employment: A multi-national study, Journal of Management (A*)

Athota, V.S., & O’Connor, P.J. (R &R). Impaired executive functioning enhances hedonistic values in introverts but not extraverts. Personality and Individual Differences (A- ranked publication)

Pereira, V., Sethi, D., Budhwar, J., Bapuji, H., & Athota, V. S. (In preparation). Unity in Diversity? Investigating the Inclusion/Exclusion strategies within the Global Indian IT-BPO industry, Human Resource Management Journal (A- ranked publication)

Pereira, V., Vaz, D., Athota, V.S., & Roberts, R.D. (In preparation). Achieving Optimal Intelligence: Artificial, Emotional and Cultural Intelligence, Journal Personnel Psychology (A* ranking),

Pereira, V., Vaz, D., Athota, V.S., & Roberts, R.D. (In preparation). Scale to Measure Optimal Intelligence, yet to decide (Received $12,000 grant towards the above research projects. We plan to put together addition two papers with the data we are collecting).

Athota, V.S., Hasan, Z., & Pereira, V. (In Preparation). How Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help overcome cognitive biases among financial planners? Technology Forecasting & Social Change (A- ranked publication). Planning to submit in November 2020

Hasan, Z., Athota, V.S., & Pereira, V. (In preparation). Cognitive biases among Australia financial planners, yet to decide

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