Dr Maria Wishart

Maria is an experienced qualitative and quantitative methods researcher with a strong focus on the workplace, underserved regions, and underrepresented populations. Her areas of expertise include workplace mental health, business resilience, ethics, and entrepreneurship.

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Background

Prior to joining ARU, Maria spent seven years as a Research Fellow at Warwick University Business School, where she conducted and led research projects on resilience in underrepresented entrepreneurs, rural enterprise and workplace mental health. Her work has been published in, among others, the Journal of Rural Studies, the International Small Business Journal, the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, and Occupational Medicine.

Maria is currently Post Doctoral Research Fellow with the Allied Health Professional (AHP) Workforce Research Partnership, working on a major five-year study in collaboration with Sheffield Hallam, Sheffield, Leeds and Lincoln Universities that addresses the sustainability of the AHP workforce in rural and coastal areas.

Spoken Languages

French

Research interests

• Workplace mental health
• Rurality and rural entrepreneurship
• Small and medium-sized businesses
• Business resilience
• Underrepresented entrepreneurs
• Identity and ethics

Areas of research supervision

• Identities and identity work
• Business ethics
• Workplace mental health

Qualifications

• PhD Moral Identity and Ethics, The Open University
• MA Philosophy (Distinction), The Open University
• MSc Management and Business Research Methods, The Open University
• BA (Hons) Business Management with French, University of Bradford Management Centre

Selected recent publications

Hill, I., Wishart, M. and Merrell, I. (2025) 'Fanning the flame – a process-relational view on creative hub practices for rural development', Entrepreneurship & Regional Development.

Nguyen, T., Phillipson, J., Wishart, M., Roper, S. and Gorton, M. (2025) 'Understanding rural business resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic', Journal of Rural Studies, 114, 103580.

Dulal-Arthur, T., Hassard, J., Bourke, J., Wishart, M., Bartle, C., Roper, S., Belt, V., Leka, S., Pahl, N., Thomson, L. and Blake, H. (2025) 'Organizations offering line manager training in mental health and presenteeism: A secondary data analysis of organizational-level data', Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 98(1), e12552.

Blake, H., Hassard, J., Dulal-Arthur, T., Wishart, M., Roper, S., Bourke. J., Belt, V., Bartle, C., Pahl, N., Leka, S. and Thomson, L. (2024) 'Typology of employers offering line manager training for mental health', Occupational Medicine, 74(3), pp. 242-250.

Dulal-Arthur, T., Hassard, J., Bourke, J., Roper, S., Wishart, M., Belt, V., Bartle, C., Leka, S., Pahl, N., Thomson, L. and Blake H. (2024) 'Line manager training and organizational approaches to supporting well-being', Occupational Medicine, 74(6), pp. 416-422.

Hassard, J., Dulal-Arthur, T., Bourke, J., Wishart, M., Roper, S., Belt, S., Leka, S., Pahl, N., Bartle, C., Thomson, L. and Blake, H. (2024) 'The relationship between line manager training in mental health and organisational outcomes', PLoS One, 19(7), e0306065.

Jibril, H., Wishart, M. and Roper, S. (2023) 'From adversity to advice: Survival threats as a trigger for sustained engagement with external business support in small firms', International Small Business Journal, 41(5), pp. 488-507.

Campagnolo, D., Laffineur, C., Leonelli, S., Martiarena, A., Tietz, M. and Wishart, M. (2022) 'Stay alert, save businesses. Planning for adversity among immigrant entrepreneurs', International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research, 28(7), pp. 1773-1799.

Recent presentations and conferences

Mole, K. and Wishart, M. (2024) ‘Navigating the tensions related to Environmental Sustainability: Discursive Insights from British Entrepreneurs’, Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship conference, Sheffield, 6-7 November.

Bourke, J., Roper, S., Leka, S., Blake, H., Wishart, M., Hassard, J., Thomson, L. and Bartle, C. (2024) ‘Do more inclusive workplaces lead to more innovation?’, Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship conference, Sheffield, 6-7 November.

Thomson, L., Wishart, M., Hassard, J., Bourke, J., Roper, S., Belt, V., Bartle, C., Leka, S. and Blake, H. (2024) ‘Mental Health, Well-being and Performance at Work: The role of organisational, leadership and team-level factors’, British Academy of Management conference, Nottingham, 2-6 September.

Wishart, M., Jibril, H. and Goswami, K. (2023) ‘Looking at the stars: ambition and advice-seeking in entrepreneurs from deprived regions’, Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship conference, Birmingham, 8-10 November.

Nguyen, T., Wishart, M., Roper, S., Gorton, M. and Phillipson, J. (2023) ‘Understanding Rural Business Resilience during the Covid-19 Pandemic’, Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship conference, Birmingham, 8-10 November.

Wishart, M. (2023) ‘Managing stigma: line managers as allies for employees with mental health issues’, British Academy of Management conference, University of Sussex, 1-6 September.

Hill, I. and Wishart, M. (2023) ‘A process theory perspective on line manager changes to workplace mental health support during COVID-19 lockdowns’, British Academy of Management conference, University of Sussex, 1-6 September.

Mole, K. and Wishart, M. (2022) ‘Crisis, What Crisis? Business Resilience and Risk Planning in Rural SMEs in Three English Regions’, Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship conference, York, 27-28 October.

Wishart, M. (2022) ‘Emotion work as a coping strategy for line managers dealing with employee mental health issues’, Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship conference, York, 27-28 October.

Wishart, M., Jibril, H. and Roper, S. (2022) ‘Resilience in small business leaders and the link to resilience planning in their firms’, Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship conference, York, 27-28 October.

Wishart, M., Roper, S. and Belt, V. (2021) ‘Workplace mental health and inclusion: how do managers in SMEs construct and engage with employee mental health issues?’, Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship conference, Cardiff, 28-29 October.

Wishart, M. (2021) ‘How do discourses of mental health shape managers’ identity work?’ European Group for Organizational Studies conference, online, 8-10 July.

Wishart, M., Roper, S. and Jibril, H. (2019) ‘Resilience in under represented entrepreneurs and their businesses’, Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship conference, Newcastle, 14-15 November.

Wishart, M., Schaefer, A. and Reid, K. (2018) ‘Becoming and being a moral manager’, Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship conference, Birmingham, 7-8 November.