Research interests

• Strategic Management
• Innovation and Dynamic Capabilities
• Responsible Leadership and Sustainability Transitions
• Strategy Process and Practice
• British South Asian Pioneers

Current research

Current Research Projects 

Responsible Leadership for Sustainability Transitions

Collaborators: UK Green Building Council (UKGBC)

This project focuses on leadership development for the building industry. Drawing on primary data from participants on the UKGBC leadership programmes, this project aims to understand how leadership development programmes can achieve meaningful impact.

This project has received funding from the ESRC IAA (to fund Dr Nayak’s secondment with the UKGBC in 2022), and Research England (New Things Fund).

Strategic transformation: Building new consultancy capabilities

Collaborators: Griffon Hoverwork Limited (GHL) and Sanjay Nagaraj (Southampton)

The vision for this project is to achieve strategic transformation at GHL from a product-based engineering company to a market-leading marine technology consultancy, leveraging its specialised engineering and design skills and world-leading reputation. To align the transformation with skills, market opportunities and global net zero challenge the project will develop a Zero Carbon Marine System Integration consultancy service by championing world-leading engineering skills base in the UK.

This project is funded by an mKTP grant from Innovate UK.

Digital Transformation

Collaborators: Spearfish Security and Enrico Gerding (Southampton)

The vision for the project is a transformative change in Spearfish's value proposition, business model and managerial structure, supported by digital implementation. The key objectives are Spearfish to improve productivity by 1) increasing the volume of decision-making; 2) integrating existing information sources to enhance advisory services, and; 3) diversifying their client base.

Spearfish is an independent SME that has provided security risk management for a number of large UK foreign aid programmes in such places as Nigeria, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and Kenya.

This project is funded by an mKTP grant from Innovate UK.

Ethnic Minority Business Data in the UK (EMBD-UK)

Collaborators: Enrico Gerding (Southampton)

EMBD-UK is an interdisciplinary project aimed at developing a visualization map of ethnic minority businesses in the UK. The main goal of this project is to create a data-based dashboard to visualise ethnic minority businesses in the UK over time. This project has found a novel and interdisciplinary approach to answering questions about EMBs at the granular level (e.g. geographical regions, sectors) and over time. By bringing together techniques from data science to answer business-related research questions, this project aims to make a unique contribution to academic knowledge and achieve wider societal impact.

The Ramniklal Solanki Pioneers Project: Successful South Asians in Britain

Collaborators: Jane Falkingham, Sabu Padmadas, Bindi Shah, Priti Mishra (Southampton), Asian Media Group, India Business Group, Barnie Choudhury (editor-at-large Eastern Eye) and Lord Kamlesh Patel)

This is an interdisciplinary research project focusing on South Asian individuals who have made significant contributions to shaping modern Britain. The overarching goals are two-fold: i) to systematically capture, collate and document the unique contributions and multifaceted experiences of successful British South Asians, and ii) to understand the associated wider economic, sociocultural, and intellectual impact that these individuals have had on British society.

We are currently collect data for this project. We have nine who have agreed to participate – Meera Syal, Neil Basu, Chaand Nagpaul, Ramniklal Solanki, Sardar Harnam Singh Roudh, Southall Black Sisters, Azim Rafiq and Poppy Jaman.

https://southampton.likn.co/indiacentre/research/the-pioneers-project.page#biographical_case_studies

Dr Nayak has taught Strategy for over two decades at the MBA, MSc, and undergraduate levels. Prior to joining Southampton he taught at Bristol Business School, Bath School of Management and Exeter Business School. Dr Nayak has developed and delivered executive MBA modules on Strategy for large companies such as Sainsbury’s, BAE Systems and Siemens. Dr Nayak regularly supervises MBA projects.

Dr Nayak is Professor of Strategic Management at the Southampton Business School. His research interests revolve around strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship in changing environments. Dr Nayak’s current research focuses on how firms innovate and develop new capabilities, achieve digital transformation, and how CEOs achieve sustainability transitions. Dr Nayak welcomes PhD applications in any of these areas.

Prizes