Helen Spencer-Oatey

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Helen Spencer-Oatey
Helen Spencer-Oatey.jpg
Helen Spencer-Oatey in 2024
Born23 March 1952
CitizenshipBritish
EducationBA Hons. Psychology (University of Durham)

MEd (University of Wales)

PhD (Dept of Linguistics & English Language, Lancaster University)
OrganizationUniversity of Warwick GlobalPeople Consulting Ltd.

Helen Spencer-Oatey (born 23 March 1952) is a British applied linguist and social psychologist. She is an emeritus professor at the University of Warwick and managing director of GlobalPeople Consulting. [1]

Contents

Academic career

After studying psychology at the University of Durham, Spencer-Oatey moved to Hong Kong and later to Shanghai, where she taught at Shanghai Jiaotong University. While there, she experienced how closely interconnected language and culture are, and how misunderstandings can easily occur. This formed the foundation for her ongoing interest and research into intercultural communication and rapport management. On her return to the UK, she completed a PhD at Lancaster University and later set up the first masters degree in the UK on intercultural communication at the University of Luton (now Bedfordshire). In 2002 she became manager for HEFCE of their £4M Sino-UK e-Learning Programme, after which she took up the post of Director of Applied Linguistics at the University of Warwick. [2]

Spencer-Oatey researches and publishes on rapport and workplace relationships, as well as intercultural communication and intercultural competence. She has developed a range of resources and tools for professionals on these topics. She retired in 2020 and is now running a consultancy company that specialises in people management, especially in contexts of diversity. [3]

Recognition

In 2023, the book Negotiating Intercultural Relations was dedicated to Spencer-Oatey for her interdisciplinary work in the field. [4]

In 2024, Spencer-Oatey was listed by Stanford University/Elsevier in the top 2% of scientists from all over the world for the impact on other scientists of her work in language, communication, and education. [5]

Selected works

Books

Encyclopedia & Handbook articles

References

  1. "Our People". GlobalPeople Consulting. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  2. "Professor Helen Spencer-Oatey". warwick.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  3. "GlobalPeople Consulting". globalpeopleconsulting.com. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  4. McConachy, Troy; Hinton, Perry R., eds. (2023). Negotiating intercultural relations: insights from linguistics, psychology, and intercultural education. London New York Oxford New Delhi Sydney: Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN   978-1-350-27693-2. OCLC   1369622084. OL   39554101M.
  5. "World's Top 2% Scientists". Elsevier Data Repository. Standford/Elsevier. 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.