Dr Matt Offord
- Senior Lecturer in Experiential Leadership Education (Management)
telephone:
0141 330 3680
email:
Matt.Offord@glasgow.ac.uk
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5659-1992Biography
Matt teaches leadership and management through experiential methods, in short learning by doing. The main method of doing this is through 'ecopedagogy' which focuses on sustainable and responsible leadership by experiencing the impact of business decisions in the real world. Matt's lectures often involve an element of outdoor learning where students are encouraged to look again at familiar spaces and the built environment. Additionally, Matt is a business simulation instructor using various simulations and educational escape rooms to bring management and leadership theory to life.
Research interests
Matt is a member of the School's Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour research cluster.
Matt is a leadership scholar with an interest in postdigital ecopedagogy as an approach to teaching responsible leadership. Matt is interested in the cultural evolution of leadership and how our ideas about it are transmitted and amended through prestige networks and imitation. This has taken on a special interest in data and AI, and how these impact on authentic leadership with respect to the rise of the artificial in the 21st Century. From a learning and teaching perspective, Matt is very interested in games based learning and simulation.
His specific interests are:
- Postdigital ecopedagogy
- Imitation
- Prestige
- Simulation
- Games Based Learning
Grants
|
Grant | Description |
Amount |
|---|---|---|
|
Innovation Audit 2024 | Funding for the development and commercialisation of educational escape rooms for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training in the maritime industry | £35000 |
|
Chancellor's Fund 2023 - 2025 | The Ecopedagogy Teaching Project: Creating Sustainable and Affordable Impact for Future-Oriented Leaders | £1500 |
|
Aspect Innovation Fellowship 2023 | Development and evaluation of escape room games for teaching in maritime education | £8000 |
|
ASBS Research Reinvigoration Fund 2022 | Research into free-riding in group work in business education |
£2000 |
Supervision
Matt is interested in supervising in the following fields:
- Ecopedagogy
- Postdigital Ecopedagogy
- Experiential Learning Theory
- Outdoor Learning
- Digital business education
- Pedagogy of simulation
- Cultural Evolution
- Gabriel Tarde
- Post heroic leadership
- Evolution of leadership
- Mazid, Tasfia
The Role of Paradoxical Leadership in Influencing Followers to Deal with Multiple Contradictory Demands'
Matt currently supervises three PhD students studying paradoxical leadership, post-heroic leadership and emotional intelligence. Matt has also supervised undergraduate Business & Management students and MBA students.
Teaching
Matt is a Senior Fellow of Recognising Excellence in Teaching (RET) and Certified Management and Business Educator (CMBE). He is the School academic lead for Technology Enhanced Learning and Teaching (TELT) and AI. As an Associate Director of Learning and Teaching, with a focus on scholarship, Matt supports other teaching focused academics to publicise their work and develop teaching focused careers. He also mentors early career learning and teaching academics and PhD tutors.
Matt specialises in the use of experiential learning theory in outdoor learning, serious games, simulations and case teaching. He teaches at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and has delivered executive education around the world. Matt has published research on the use of educational escape rooms and also works with business partners to use escape rooms in learning development programmes.
Professional activities & recognition
Prizes, awards & distinctions
- 2024: Shortlisted for the Best Innovation Strategy Award (Association of MBAs and Business Graduates)
- 2023: Shortlisted for the Innovation in Business Education Award 2023 by QS Reimagine Education 10th Anniversary Edition (QS)
- 2023: Distinction in MSc (Digital Education) (University of Edinburgh)
- 2021: Distinction in Post Graduate Certificate of Academic Practice (University of Glasgow)
Research fellowships
- 2023 - 2023: Aspect Innovation Fellow
- 2016 - 2017: RN Hudson Fellow (Oxford University)
- 2010 - 2017: RN Defence Fellow
Editorial boards
- 2022 - 2023: Continuity and Resilience Review (Special Edition)
Professional & learned societies
- 2023: Member, British Academy of Management
- 2022: Senior Fellow, Recognising Excellence in Teaching (RET)
- 2020: Certified Management and Business Educator, Chartered Association of Business Schools
- 2017 - 2024: Fellow, The Institute of Leadership
Selected international presentations
- 2024: AMBA and BGA Global Conference (Budapest)
- 2022: 27th International Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium (Quebec City)
Additional information
Matt is a former naval officer with 30 years experience, much of it at sea. He served as a submarine officer and later as mine warfare and clearance diving officer. On leaving the Royal Navy in 2018, Matt worked as a freelance training consultant, working with prestigious consultancies, like Kaplan as well as blue chip companies, such as Babcock International Group and social enterprises like Police Now. All of this experience was data and technology led and heavily team-based.
