Good day, Elham Malik. I'm Arjun. I've had a look through your background and your professional record. I'm interested in hearing more about your work and how you see yourself fitting in here with our faculty. Ready to start?

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

OK, so I first did my B.Tech and mechanical engineering and obviously we know that VIT is a technical institution. And then I got interested towards the psychological aspects of human persona and also about how the organizations function, how the human resource management can be humanized. And then I completed my. MBA in human resource management.

Later on, I joined IIT, Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University as a researcher in organizational behavior and I followed my dream to actually pursue.

The human aspects of HRM human resource management.

My research topic was exploring the patient and nursing experiences in the self-managed home care organizations in the Indian context while I was pursuing my PhD. In addition to my PhD, I also got enrolled in the Masters of Arts in Industrial Organizational Psychology.

From Ignore that was the open distance learning program to learn more about human psychology and align better with my research based on organizational behavior and the human resource management during my research. It was a very, very fruitful journey as there's a growing shift towards the Indian knowledge systems. I all and in the HRM, I started learning the Indian knowledge system, the traditional Indian epistemologies, apart from the Western epistemologies of the leadership.

I tried to figure out the leadership theories that can emerge out of the Indian knowledge systems.

And as I was.

More focused on the humanistic aspects of the management of the human resource, I pursued research on a flat organizational structure.

That values the autonomy and dignity of the employees as well as the patients.

That just emerged as a joint venture with Butte Sock Netherland. That is a Dutch home care organization that is very successful with the annual turnover of nearly €240,000,000 back in 2013. It must be very, very high by this time. And it had a joint venture in India called Buzzog India. So I collected data from the nurses, from the from the patients as well as the management members to understand the applicability of these self managed dignified kind of organizational structures.

There was this maiden organization.

Where we are a lower middle income country. So will it work in our country or not?

In the Indian context.

And trust me, it was a very, very fruitful journey.

And I defended my thesis recently and my PhD date of award is 12 December 2024. And before even completing my PhD, I joined as I had orientation. Apart from research, I mainly consider myself as a good researcher as well as good as a good teacher. But as I had already spent nearly five years in the research, I tried to explore the teaching also because it was high time that I.

Inseminate my no learnings from my research.

So I went ahead and joined the School of Business Management, NMMS, Mumbai, Narsimonji Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai.

And there I was working in human resource and behavioral sciences area as an assistant professor. I worked there nearly for one year before my thesis submission and then I came back for my thesis submission. I defended my thesis and later on, I joined as a faculty member at the National Institute of Technology, Andhra Pradesh as I wanted to serve the other institutions too.

Apart from that in the five years, apart from doing this self managed organizations work apart from doing the humanitarian works as well apart from learning the Indian knowledge systems as Varanasi is a capital of actually the spirituality. So how could I miss on that experience. Apart from that I also am a member at the Academy of Management US since I joined my PhD in 2019 and there I have joined.

Any interest groups and divisions like the human resource group? Like the organizational behavior group, like the management and spirituality and religion group?

I also became a Feather Scholar from the MSR at the Academy of Management, US and.

As a fixer scholar, I also contributed to the Indian knowledge systems and the human resource management research. Apart from that, I had always been on the leadership positions like I was on the executive committee of the MSR retreat at the AOM I think in 2022. Before that I was a Fetzer scholar and I did all the duties that are meant for the feds scholars to do that are mandatory and also I I went the far and beyond that duty. And apart from that, recently I joined as a treasurer.

For the management, Spirituality and Religion division at the Academy of Management. So I'm dealing with the finances with the Academy of Management right now.

And also I had been involved in the administrative activities in the institutes I served like at the School of Business Management, Narasimonji, a single handedly handed 2, actually 2 divisions like the MBA, digital transformation, MBA, business analytics. I handled the human resource management subject and the organizational behavior subject alone in those divisions. And I also was a post coordinator there.

Disseminating the knowledge of those courses and also I manage the faculty that were coming as a visiting faculty for teaching the other subjects for the same MBA courses like from the KJ Somaiya Institute of Management. I handle them, I took care of their needs as well as basically everything they need from a course coordinator I provided them.

And then during my research, if you talk about my leadership capabilities, I was a student parliament member where I was a part of a student alumni interaction cell, I was a part of alumni affairs committee, I was a part of hostile executive committee, and also I was a student representative of the department postgraduate committee.

So this has been my journey. I had been actively involved. To sum up, I have been actively involved in the research. I went far and beyond and completed my masters. I have two masters degree in the same domain or one is in organizational psychology, one is MB and HRM and I have a degree from the prestigious institute IITBHU. And also I have served many prestigious and illuminating institutions like Narasimonji Institute of Management Studies, the School of Management and the School of Business Management there and as well as now I am a member.

At the IITBHU.

And I'm teaching courses like the human resource management, like organizational behavior, like performance and compensation management, like leadership development. And I'm also teaching here at NIT Andhra Pradesh, I'm teaching entrepreneurship, I'm teaching economics for engineers, and I'm also teaching human resource management and the professional ethics. So you can see that I can teach a wide array of the subjects. And along with that, I can maintain a very good quality of teaching.

Of a Department of Management at the NIT, Andhra Pradesh.

That's my career trajectory. If you have any questions, please go ahead. Thank you.

I would like to sorry. I would like to add one thing, how I'm aligned with Vit Vellore. So first of all, I'm also a techie, I'm also an engineer and so I understand.

The industry as well as the corporate connection. I understand how the industry and the business management can be.

I know how to apply the interdisciplinary approach in teaching as well as research. So I think I would be an asset to the VIT and I hope to be a member of VIT and so as a management teacher as well as a former techie forever. And I can collaborate with the departments of like industrial management, with the other departments of engineering. Right now, the AI is getting a boom, as we can see.

Integrated.

So I can actually work with the other departments like recently I'm working on LLM based large language model based persona identification and I'm working in collaboration with the computer science department at the ITBHU and applying the my psychological expertise in this research work. So I think I would be a great asset if we talk about the interdisciplinary, interdisciplinary disciplinary learning and as well as.

Would like to be a teacher that integrates the theory with the practice.

Professor Malik, thank you for joining today. Let's begin by delving into your experience and expertise relevant to the role of a Human Resource Management Professor at VIT Business School. First, I would like to explore your knowledge of HR Analytics and the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Human Resource Management. Can you share how you have incorporated these technologies in your work or research?

Uh, yes. So actually we always use the persona creation.

Through the large language models when we talk about our research. My recent research is exploring the Gen. Z behavior through the LLM based persona identification. Also, I'm studying the ethical implications of LLM based personas and applying the Big 5 persona traits in this research.

Interesting. It sounds like you're leveraging large language models to understand and assess Gen Z behavior, using frameworks like the Big Five personality traits. Could you explain how this approach ties into improving HR practices, such as recruitment or employee engagement, in practical terms?

Yes. So basically as you are interviewing me.

AI incorporates the knowledge from various sources.

The more research on the.

Large language models like the ChatGPT or say any other like Llama or Perplexity. The more we search, the more data the AI gets, the bigger it becomes.

So with that kind of a learning.

And with that kind of a research and applying the psychological perspectives.

I can identify the what kind of employees can be recruited in my organization.

I can forecast with the help of the large language models I can focus what kind of future future needs will be with the kind of workforce I need.

So I can do the forecasting of the workforce, applying the artificial intelligence and my research.

And also I can identify the cues that cannot be simply identified or cannot be identified by humans in a plain sight.

It is easy to identify the personality of a person with the kind of interactions, with the kind of face expressions, with the kind of body language and with the ways of speaking.

But with the AI application, as we will have a lot of data from a lot of sources.

That is a matter of research, that is a research you reach that I am actually going to conduct and in collaboration with the ITBHU. So as I am with some definitive results and well researched ideas, then I'll get back to you.

Understood. Combining AI capabilities with psychological perspectives does seem powerful, particularly for nuanced tasks like workforce forecasting and personality-based recruitment. On this, could you describe how you address potential ethical concerns, such as bias or data privacy, while integrating AI and HR practices?

Fair enough, Professor Malik. Let's move on to another area of expertise. Can you share insights or examples from your experience in teaching or guiding research in the field of Strategic Management? How do you ensure that the theoretical concepts you teach are made applicable to real-world scenarios for your students?

Definitely.

Suppose I'm talking about the aspects of the self managed organizations in the class. If I'm teaching the organizational behavior in the class and I'm talking about even in the HRM course which is which I'm dealing with at NIT Andhra Pradesh. Organizational structure is also an important part because the human resource also depends on the organizational structure, how it functions, how the people you actually.

Recruit function in a organization.

And therefore we are teaching also the organizational structures. So while I'm teaching the organizational structures, I'm teaching different kind of organizational structures, the hierarchical ones as well as the flat organizational structures. So there I bring in my research on the self managed organizations because self-managed organizations, the whole accressee and other sorts of self management and the flight organizational structures like humanistic management.

It depends upon the organizational structures.

Actually involve.

The aspects of psychology. Many psychological aspects.

It is likely that they will get some doubt and they are not likely to understand it in the right spirit.

Now if I'll plainly explain to people how these models work.

So what I do is I give them an example of my proven and well and the research that is published.

And then I this is the real life example. That is not only the real life example, it's a well researched example that I give them so that they can understand what I'm teaching better.

In reputed journals.

And that's my approach.

Thank you for elaborating, Professor Malik. Your method of integrating real-life, well-researched examples with theoretical concepts is an effective way to bridge the gap between academia and practical application, especially in strategic management and organizational behavior. Could you now describe how you guide students in conducting their own research or projects? Specifically, how do you mentor them to ensure they uphold academic rigor and produce impactful work?

Yes. So recently you have seen that in India as well as China, if you can see.

You can see that people are focusing on the number of publication rather than the truth that research means that the truth that we need to find through research. They're focusing just on the numbers because there's a famous motto in the research either publish or perish.

The focus is on number of publications.

When a student in India usually joins Sir.

Research. Mostly the professors don't ask them. As a researcher, this has been my experience too. Mostly they are not asked what they're interested in, what curiosity drives them. Instead, sometimes they have to align their ideas with their supervisor.

But in my case, I give my students complete autonomy.

When I teach them in the lectures, first the teaching part comes for me and then the research. So when I teach my students the organizational behaviour, when I teach my student the human resource management, when I teach my students other subjects.

After teaching, I asked them that is there any topic that strikes you? Is there any topic that you feel like it's deeply embedded into your own field of thought?

Do you think that there is a idea that you want to pursue? You want to research on it? You want to want to find a truth in it?

And when a student tells me that yes, I am highly motivated to conduct the research on this topic or this area.

Then I say, OK, go ahead, do some preliminary research.

And get back to me. And then I'm there to guide you completely with whatever resource or knowledge base I have, as well as I can seek help for you from the other experts too if you need.

So I first try to teach them, then I try to bring out whatever is essential to them or whatever is close to their hearts, whatever is their interest, whatever is their expertise. Then I ask them so, and then I render them the full support that I can.

To actually pursue those ideas and find the underlying truth through research.

And I advise them always not to focus on the numbers, but on the quality of the research you publish.

Understood, Professor Malik. Your approach of fostering curiosity and aligning research topics with students' interests is commendable. Encouraging quality over quantity and providing robust mentorship ensures that students produce meaningful and impactful work. Moving forward, let's discuss one final key area: how do you incorporate soft skills and career management into your teaching, considering their importance in shaping well-rounded professionals?

Yes, so out of my personal example.

MMM even though.

It's up to me, but it's still. I never tell what I have been through, but I can explain through my example.

When I entered academia.

When I entered as a researcher, I was quite young at that time, and when I entered the research, I felt like the subject, knowledge and competence is everything.

If I'll have the subject knowledge, if I'll have the competence.

Then I can function in any organization. I used to feel like that. I used to feel like the organization will solely.

Encourage as well as.

Only my expertise and my knowledge base and my capability of teaching as well as doing good research.

Value.

But as I moved ahead with my research in at ITBHU, as I moved ahead as an Assistant professor at the School of Business Management, Narsi Monji Institute of Management Studies, as I dealt with the other faculties from the other colleges as they came as a visiting faculty and a functioned as course coordinator, I understood that.

My knowledge.

And my expertise.

I just import are important, but they are.

Just a small percentage of a small array of a person of a personality that I can offer to my institution.

If I don't have good soft skills, If I don't have good interpersonal skills.

Then even though I'm performing well.

In the department as a broader team.

I cannot function.

So.

What I teach my students is.

Your soft skills, Your interpersonal.

Relations. Your interpersonal skills.

And the soft skills.

You can say they should apply dignity at work. They should give and receive dignity.

Like.

They should be having the ability to trust and receive trust.

Be able to function through autonomy. They should be ethical in their behavior.

They should.

All these things value when we talk about long run success.

If you talk about short term gains, you think you join the institute, you gain some money, you gain some name and leave the institute, then it's fine. You can go ahead without the soft skills and without your integrity.

And you want to contribute to your country, you want to contribute to the field of your research, you want to contribute to the field of your teaching, you want to contribute to your student and all the stakeholders, the industry people that you're in contact with. Like I'm also involved in some consultancy projects with the companies in Pune.

But if you want to function for long for institution and contribute to it.

So I also do research for them.

So I work as a consultant too.

So if I'm not, I don't have integrity if if, God forbid, I lack the interpersonal skills.

And I like the soft skills, then definitely I cannot function.

And therefore every.

Professional.

Should be having great soft skills and that I try to inculcate not only through the verbal teaching but through how I behave in my classroom and as a researcher.

I tried to lead by example to my students as well as the researchers. Thank you.

Thank you for sharing, Professor Malik. It's clear that you recognize the integral role soft skills play in professional and academic success, and your emphasis on leading by example is commendable. This concludes our verification of your expertise. Thank you for your thoughtful responses and contributions. Is there anything else you'd like to discuss before we end the interview?

Uh, yes, I'm a very dynamic personality.

I not always work for profit. I work for learning I work for.

I can say making the world better.

I love volunteering like I'm doing as a treasurer at the Academy of Management.

And.

I like helping out my colleagues if they're facing any difficulty in research or teaching.

I'm also deeply involved in the extracurricular activities like swimming, like playing, like badminton and.

I also take part in the arts. I also like listening to the songs and I would in future love to learn the playing of instruments, musical instruments.

And obviously I would love to contribute to the VIT.

As it's an engineering institute and I find engineering institutions and the management departments in the industry oriented institutions are better fit for me.

So given my person organization fit, I would love to work with VIT and I think I would be a great asset to VIT.

And in this interview, if something is left out or I missed on something, I seek apologies. I seek my sincere apologies because I was not aware how the AI interviews go on and it could be a little bit of anxiety for me. So I think apologies if I fumble somewhere. But if you would like to know more about me, I am up for the interview that is scheduled for me in person on 29th of January.

3/26.

Uh, great Friday to you all. Have a great weekend and, uh, thank you.

Happy Basant Panchmi and.

For this interview.

And also I would like to tell you that.

I have very good networks, I have good industry connects.

I have connections with good researchers. I can bring in the paper development workshops to my institution. I I can bring in the conferences to my institution. I can also I publish every year and I can publish.

Uh, when I'm it.

That's it. So for Vit, I'll be a great researcher also.

And I I'll use my connections to actually bring in the industry expertise also to the VIT.

And that's all about me. And also I would like to conduct the conferences there as well as I will attend conferences of repute at VIT so that the institutions name goes far and beyond even though it's a very reputed institution, but I would like to add to its name and fame and its expertise. Thank you.

Yes, please. If you would you would like to know something more about me, go ahead. Otherwise we can call it a day and I will wish you a great weekend.

Thank you, Professor Malik, for your comprehensive responses and enthusiasm for the role. Your goals of fostering collaboration, enhancing industry connections, and contributing to the academic reputation of VIT are noted and appreciated. Would you like me to proceed to conclude this interview on your confirmation?