Dr Olivia Tomlinson PhD, MSc, BSc (Hons)
Lecturer in Strategy and Sustainabilty | Departmental Disability Coordinator | Active Listener
My profile
Biography
I am lecturer in Strategy and Sustainability at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. Prior to this, I held the post of Research Fellow in Responsible Business at the University of Birmingham. I completed my doctoral studies (PhD Business Management- International Business) at the Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester. My research interests lie in exploring the utility of critical systems thinking and complexity management to counter social, environmental and economic challenges. I am particularly interested in processual manifestations of these challenges and the role that firms, as actors in the socio-ecological and economic system can play in countering crises, uncertainty and inequality.
Interests and expertise
My research explores how businesses can generate social, environmental, and economic value across time and scale. I focus on understanding organizational dynamics and systemic approaches that enable sustainable and inclusive outcomes. Specifically, my work examines:
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SMEs and sustainability — the interlinkages between capabilities, competencies, and strategies of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and their impacts on socio-ecological systems.
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Sustainable leadership and entrepreneurship — how leaders and entrepreneurs can effectively navigate uncertainty and complexity to foster resilience and long-term value creation.
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Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) — identification of intervention points and development of better practices for creating inclusive, equitable workplaces.
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Systems thinking and the SDGs — applying systems thinking as a framework for research and practice in advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Teaching
Departmental Disability Coordination (DDC)
I have served as the Departmental Disability Coordinator for SES since September 2023. Students based in the Department of Strategy, Enterprise and Sustainability (SES) who are registered with the Disability Service, are encouraged to contact me via email.
My focal responsibilities in this role are:
•To be a point of contact for the Inclusion and Disability Service around matters relating to the student’s course and department.
•To feed back to the Inclusion and Disability Service any disability related matters in respect of the department
•To be a point of contact for staff members in the department.
•To ensure staff are aware of what to do if a student discloses a disability to them.
•To ensure that staff know how to access Personal Learning Plans and implement adjustments.
•To be a point of contact for students around the implementation of adjustments in the department, in particular coursework extensions.
•Where a student has very complex needs, the Disability Service may need support in arranging a meeting with relevant staff in the department.
•This may include support with fitness to study and fitness to practise and pre-entry queries.
•Raising through the appropriate channels, when adjustments are consistently not being implemented.
•Attendance at Faculty Disability Support meetings - 1 per semester.
•Dissemination of communications.
Teaching Experience
2022-2023
- Level 5: Principles of Strategic Management
- Level 7: Critical Enquiry for Entrepreneurs and Leaders
- Level 7: Dissertation Project
2023-2024
- Level 4: Personal Academic Tutor
- Level 5: Principles of Strategic Management
- Level 6: Strategic Management in the Global Context
- Level 6: Business Research Project (Dissertation)
- Level 7: Critical Enquiry for Entrepreneurs and Leaders
- Level 7: Business Simulation (Dissertation)
2024-2025
- Level 5: Principles of Strategic Management
- Level 6: Strategic Management in the Global Context
- Level 6: Sustainability Management- Project Planning
- Level 6: Sustainability Management- Project Delivery
- Level 7: Critical Management and Enterprise Studies (Co-unit lead)
Supervision
I welcome applications from PhD students interested in exploring how business can contribute to sustainable and inclusive futures. My supervision focuses on projects that examine the relationships between organizational capabilities, strategies, and impacts on social and ecological systems; sustainable leadership and entrepreneurship in uncertain or complex contexts; equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace; and the use of systems thinking to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. I particularly encourage proposals that take an interdisciplinary approach, combine theory with practice, and seek to generate insights with real-world impact.
Research outputs
- Internet publications
Internet publications
Tomlinson, O. (2023) Having a diverse workforce is not only right, but good for business. https://bmmagazine.co.uk/in-business/having-a-diverse-workforce-is-not-only-right-but-good-for-business/.
Tomlinson, O. (2022) How insincere attempts at diversity and inclusion are failing the UK’s ethnically diverse workforce. https://blog.bham.ac.uk/business-school/2022/10/17/diverse-workforce-2/.
- Journal articles
Journal articles
Tomlinson, O., Nix, A., TyreeHageman, J. (2025) 'EDI Failure: Experiences of Racialized Interpersonal Misconduct and the Delegation of Moral Responsibility.' Journal of Business Ethics,
Tomlinson, O., Sinkovics, N., Sinkovics, R.R., Fath, B. (2025) 'Crisis as a catalyst: how the pre-existing values of entrepreneurs shape strategic crisis responses.' Small Business Economics,
Career history
Lecturer in Strategy, Enterprise and Sustainability, Manchester Metropolitan University
Research Associate, Centre for Responsible Business Research, University of Birmingham
Research Fellow, Lloyds Banking Group for Responsible Business Research, University of Birmingham
PhD Business and Management, Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester
“Organisational Continuity during Political-Economic Crisis: An exploration of the role of social and environmental considerations on organisational resilience”