Dr Joanna Butler
Senior Knowledge Exchange Fellow
Work, Employment and Organisation
Personal statement
Personal statement
A Chartered Occupational Psychologist, my interests cut across areas of work and organisational psychology, specifically, human resource development in public sector organisations. As a practitioner psychologist and academic, my research and KE focus is two-fold: (1) the design of employability and education services for a variety of learners and (2) the people strategy that underlines the effective delivery of those services.
I introduced and lead Scotland's only British Psychology Society and Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development accredited MSc Occupational Psychology, and lead Strathclyde Business School's Executive Education offer as Director of Programmes and Partnerships.
Since 2016, I have taught across professionally accredited postgraduate programmes in the Business School, including MSc Human Resource Management, MSc Business and Management, Masters in Business Administration, and MSc International Management.
My KE interests are predominantly focused on social inclusion of disadvantaged groups. Having successfully commercialised an online employability tool, I am the first Strathclyde Business School academic to have successfully completed a spin out, MyEmploy.
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Area of Expertise
- Occupational and Work Psychology
- Human resource development
- Training and development
- Employability and Welfare Reform
- Professional practice in welfare provision
- Coaching and personal development
- Organisational development and change
- Consultancy and professional practice
Prize And Awards
- Best in Business (Nominee) - Teaching Excellence Awards
- Recipient
- 2025
- Best in Business (Nominee) - Teaching Excellence Award
- Recipient
- 2024
- Stephen Young Entrepreneurship Award
- Recipient
- 16/11/2023
- Winner of "Innovator with Future Impact" at the KE Excellence Awards
- Recipient
- 1/6/2023
Qualifications
University of Strathclyde
- PhD Work, Employment and Organisation (2020)
- MSc Occupational Psychology (2010)
- BA (Honours) Psychology (2003)
British Psychological Society (BPS)
- Awarded Associate Fellow status (2016)
- Register of Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors (RAPPS) (2015)
- Qualification in Occupational Psychology (QOP) (Stage 2) (2012)
- Assessment Test User: Occupational (Ability and Personality) (2010)
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Publications
- Career Transitions for the Ageing Workforce
- Butler Joanna, Lindsay Colin, Scholarios Dora, Anderson Pauline, McCarthy Tony, Shepherd Sarah
- (2025)
- The individual and situational factors predicting unethical behaviour in the workplace : a direct and conceptual replication of Jones & Kavanagh (1996)
- Evans Thomas Rhys, Bartlett James Edward, Gourdon-Kanhukamwe Amelie, Allen Tim, Antoniou Georgia, Arent Sara, Asmarani Dea, Binns Neelo, Boulton Clara, Bowhay Joshua, Cederlund Linnea, Chana Ramnik, Chou Yu Yang, Dookheea Kevina, Guglani Gurbani, Hamson-Ford Abi, Hood Holly, Hostafci Eci Balim, Jahanzeb Suha, Jones Kaylie, Joseph Gemma Katie M, Kemalesh Tephilla, Karoui Lamiss-Roya, Khan Soha, Kviatkoyskyte Renata, Lee Jing Xuan, Lewis Rahimah, Logan Odelia, Martin Georgia, Masuleh Samaneh Vahedi Moghadam, McCulloch Rebecca, Modi Pragya, Nakro Susan, Nguyen Vy, Phan Minh, Philcox Edward, Pliego Ana B, Raman Sasha, Ramji Anusha Vaithianathan, Ramsay Anna M H, Rhone-Parkinson Natasha E, Rizzo-Powell Tayla, Simony Attila, Sobolak Roksana A, Thompson Maia, Ujobundo Believe, Vijayakumar Bhagyashree, Wells-Dean Natalja, Wernick Michaela Natasha, Wood Gemma, Yang Chan Young, Zahid Zareen, Addicott Colleen, Bending Hazel, Bradford Elisabeth E F, Branney Peter Edward, Butler Joanna, Chu Irene, Clark Oliver, Dean Laura, Griep Yannick, Hatton Tom, Heard Caroline, Kowalczyk Olivia, Lautarescu Alexandra, McCarthy Tony, More Kimberly R, Sabo John, Schleu Joyce Elena, Scholarios Dora, Searle Rosalind, Sebah Ilham, Wallis Laura, Wang Ruijie, Wilson-Lemoine Jérémy E, Wilson-Lemoine Emma, Burns Calvin
- Comprehensive Results in Social Psychology, pp. 1-33 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1080/23743603.2025.2507434
- MyEmploy : transforming employability services through occupational psychology and AI innovation
- Butler Joanna
- EWOP in Practice Vol 19, pp. 44-60 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.21825/ewopinpractice.94692
- Disability & Inclusion Consultancy (spin-out)
- Butler Joanna, Smith Marisa, Remnant Jennifer
- (2024)
- Advancing occupational psychology in Scotland
- Butler Joanna
- 18 (2024)
- https://doi.org/10.21825/ewopinpractice.90426
- Employability Assessment Tool (Spin Out) : MyEmploy
- Butler Joanna
- (2024)
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Teaching
I teach several areas of work and organisational psychology across professionally accredited postgraduate programmes in the Department of Work, Employment and Organisation and Strathclyde Executive Education & Development.
Topics include:
- Leading with Impact
- Managing Talent and Succession Planning
- Managing People in Organisations
- Employability and Welfare Reform
- Developing Talent (Training and Development)
- Employee Reward
- Coaching and Mentoring
- People Analytics and Professional Practice
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Research Interests
My research interests lie in the delivery of welfare programmes, specifically personalised employability and skills provision directed at disadvantaged jobseekers.
Examples of projects include:
- social impact in Saudi Arabia;
- evaluation of local and national employability programmes;
- inclusive recruitment for disabled people;
- skills mismatch across Glasgow’s workforce;
- monitoring and evaluation strategies for national Welfare programmes;
- retention issues in social care organisations;
- attraction, retention and development of chefs in Scotland;
- distance travelled (employability) at a national disability charity.
Professional Activities
- Scottish Union for Supported Employment (SUSE) Annual Conference
- Invited speaker
- 19/5/2026
- Invited Venture Insights Presentation on MyEmploy to the Scottish Government
- Speaker
- 26/2/2026
- Help to Grow Alumni Network Annual Conference
- Invited speaker
- 12/2/2026
- The Herald: Major Milestone for University of Strathclyde Business Courses
- Interviewee
- 29/1/2026
- Organisational Justice: Fairness in the Workplace Seminar for SUSE
- Invited speaker
- 17/11/2025
- MSc Student Research Conference
- Organiser
- 5/11/2025
Projects
- Employability Adviser Training for SUSE - £1800
- Butler, Joanna (Principal Investigator)
- Develop purposeful communication skills to build rapport, uncover barriers, and co-create action plans.Active listening, questioning, and structured conversation techniques; building rapport quickly and establishing trust; applying conversations purposefully; practical exercises and role-play scenarios.
Provide practical guidance to support service users’ progression and risk management in employment. Delivering in-work support; progression discussions; practical advice and guidance; employability development and progression; identifying and mitigating workplace risks; scenario-based exercises. - 20-Jan-2026 - 01-Jan-2026
- An Autistic and AuDHD Exploration of Leadership Models Based on Adult Development Theory: Towards an Eco-Systemic and Neuro-Inclusive Approach (T. Jayne)
- Butler, Joanna (Principal Investigator)
- Examining how leadership development theories exclude autistic and AuDHD intelligence, and exploring eco-systemic coaching approaches to centre autistic strengths in leadership
- 01-Jan-2025 - 01-Jan-2031
- User Experience and Interface Usability Testing of Connect: A Reporting Tool for Reporting Around Young People in Care and Education
- Chopra, Taranjot (Principal Investigator) Butler, Joanna (Academic)
- 27-Jan-2025 - 27-Jan-2025
- KTP-Solutions on Demand Limited - To embed capacity in user adoption and management methodologies to evaluate and scale the commercialisation of Connect, a Software-as-a-Service care management platform for residential care
- Butler, Joanna (Principal Investigator) Cunningham, Ian (Co-investigator) Joshi, Manish (Co-investigator) Steckley, Laura (Co-investigator)
- 04-Jan-2025 - 03-Jan-2027
- Evaluating the Impact of Coaching and Mentoring in Business Education: A Pilot Study on Personal and Professional Leadership Development (PPLD)
- Butler, Joanna (Principal Investigator) Smith, Marisa (Principal Investigator)
- The Personal and Professional Leadership Development (PPLD) initiative will provide coaching, mentoring, and workshops to MBA students and alumni throughout the 24/25 academic year. This project aims to evaluate PPLD's impact on participants' leadership development.
Success will be measured on both individual and institutional levels. Individually, success will be reflected in measurable advancements in leadership skills, self-awareness, and career-related progress, such as securing internships and job offers. Programme impact will also be gauged by increased student engagement, positive feedback, and improved retention, reflecting an enriched student experience.
At the institutional level, PPLD aligns with the university’s goals of fostering career readiness, providing high-quality student support, and promoting holistic development. Integrated with professional modules like SLD, the programme aims to create a diverse, inclusive environment that supports all students' needs, ultimately contributing to their academic, professional, and personal growth. - 11-Jan-2024 - 01-Jan-2026
- Cracking the Code: Can Objective Personality Tests combat Social Desirability Responding, Impression Management and Faking?
- Butler, Joanna (Principal Investigator) Scholarios, Dora (Principal Investigator)
- 01-Jan-2024 - 30-Jan-2026
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Contact
Dr
Joanna
Butler
Senior Knowledge Exchange Fellow
Work, Employment and Organisation
Email: joanna.butler@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 3219