Dr Azka Ghafoor

Lecturer

Room OBS 7017
Email azka.ghafoor@otago.ac.nz

Azka Ghafoor joined the Department of Management at the University of Otago in 2021 after teaching and coordinating courses at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT). She brings a wealth of academic and industry experience, combining research expertise with hands-on business development and training roles in international firms. This diverse background enables her to integrate real-world perspectives into her teaching and research, equipping students with both theoretical foundations and practical applications.

Azka has previously worked as a researcher on the National Science Challenge (Science for Technological Innovation) and served as a diploma coordinator at AUT. She has published in ABDC-ranked journals and was awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship for her PhD. Her research interests lie at the intersection of human-AI ecosystems, workplace dynamics, and organisational behaviour, focusing on how AI-driven environments influence human behaviour, creativity, and workplace interactions. She employs mixed method and quantitative research approaches to explore these evolving dynamics. She collaborates with national and international universities on research projects aimed at addressing contemporary workplace challenges and enhancing business strategies through evidence-based insights.

Azka’s research holds value for businesses aiming to manage stress, enhance positive behaviours and wellbeing as well as improve creativity and innovation. Her work provides practical recommendations for firms navigating complex, technology-driven environments, helping them stay competitive and future-ready. She welcomes opportunities for collaborative research and partnerships with industry and academia to drive meaningful impact through research-driven solutions. She is particularly interested in interdisciplinary collaborations that bridge management, technology, and psychology to generate innovative solutions for the evolving workplace.

In addition to her research, Azka is actively involved in supervising master's and doctoral students, fostering a multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving in a variety of topics spanning organisational behaviours and organisational well-being.

Teaching responsibilities

Azka currently teaches entrepreneurship and strategy, human resource development, and organisational behaviour courses, leveraging her diverse experience in consulting and training.

• MANT 250 Managing People
• MANT 303 Fundamentals in Entrepreneurship
• MANT 339 Human Resource Development

Teaching philosophy and approach

Azka is committed to a student-cantered learning approach, ensuring that students actively engage with course content rather than passively receive information. She integrates real-world applications into her teaching, drawing from her experience in consulting, research, and industry to make learning relevant and practical.

Azka employs interactive teaching methodologies, including case-based learning, digital tools, and system thinking frameworks, to foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills. She incorporates multimedia resources, simulations, and real-world case studies to enhance engagement and deepen student understanding.

Recognising the evolving nature of education, Azka continuously explores innovative pedagogical strategies to support diverse learning styles, making her courses dynamic and adaptable to modern educational needs.

Other responsibilities

Azka's other responsibilities include:

• Department Course advisor and approver
• Research and Post Graduate Committee
• Research Seminar Coordinator

Research interests

Azka's research interests continue to evolve, spanning the following broad areas:

• Human-AI Interaction
• Creativity and Innovation
• Organisational stressors, work demands and strain
• Workplace Well-being

PhD opportunities

Azka welcomes research students interested in exploring topics within the following broad areas:

• Human-AI synergy at work
• Creativity and innovation (behavioural, contextual and organisational perspectives)
• Workplace Well-being

Azka is seeking highly motivated and independent thinkers who are passionate about their research projects and committed to making meaningful contributions in their field. Ideal candidates should have an interest and experience in mixed-methods or quantitative research approaches and a strong willingness to develop and refine their skillsets throughout their PhD journey. She values students who are proactive, open to interdisciplinary perspectives, and eager to engage deeply with the complexities of their chosen research area.

Current supervisions

Azka is currently supervising the following students:

PhD

• Mashkoor Ahmad – Succession decisions for family businesses (Supervisors: Diane Ruwhiu, Paula O'Kane, Azka Ghafoor, Completed 2024).

DBA

• Karen Goldsworthy – You are who you hang with: How workplace social networks can help embed lessons from corporate diversity and inclusion training programmes (Supervisors: Azka Ghafoor, Maja Graso – University of Groningen, Completion 2026).

Masters

• Yen-His (Scott) Liu - Developing the Expatriate Framework: The Role of Working Holidaymaker in Shaping International Career (Supervisors: Azka Ghafoor, Completed 2025)
• Atis Suksingha - Sustainable Operation of Airbnb: Developing a framework for holiday rentals and property-sharing economy providers (Supervisors: Azka Ghafoor, Completed 2025)
• Dan Mee - Why are Multinational Corporations in the smartphone industry able to act unsustainably with minimal reputational consequences? (Supervisors: Azka Ghafoor, Completed 2025)
• Kate Hebblethwaite – Exploring Effective Biodiversity Focused Collaborative Innovation in New Zealand through Governance Network Theory (Supervisors: Azka Ghafoor, Completed 2024)
• Ben O’Donovan - What does it Means to Be a Born Green Global (BGG)? (Supervisors: Dana Ott, Azka Ghafoor, Joe Cooper, Sara Walton, Completed 2024)
• Sophie Gimblett – Building Workplace Inclusion in a Hybrid Environment: An Exploratory Study (Supervisors: Dana Ott, Azka Ghafoor, Completed 2023).

Media

• Arora, S. (2023). One-third of Kiwi workers think of quitting and moving to Australia – study. Stuff – Business, 1 August 2023
• Massey News (2023). Exploring the current drivers of workforce turnover. Massey News -  Research, 19 July 2023