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Ontario Tech acknowledges the lands and people of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

Learn more about Indigenous Education and Cultural Services

Igor Kotlyar

Igor Kotlyar
PhD

Associate Professor

Organizational Behaviour and HR

Faculty of Business and Information Technology

Contact information

Business and Information Technology Building - Room 3050
North Oshawa
2000 Simcoe Street North
Oshawa, ON L1G 0C5

905.721.8668 ext. 6588

igor.kotlyar@ontariotechu.ca


Research topics

  • simulations for evaluating soft skills
  • identification and development of high-potential employees
  • experiential learning
  • cognitions in the workplace
  • leadership
  • technology

Background

Dr. Igor Kotlyar’s research agenda focuses on identification and development of employee talent in the workplace. He is currently developing an online simulation for assessing interpersonal skills (skillsimulator.com), which have been shown to be critical for job performance and yet remain difficult to evaluate. His previous research addressed a range of related organizational issues, including high-potential employees, leadership and technology.

His papers have been published in a range of internationally renowned academic journals, including:

  • Computers in Human Behaviour
  • Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies
  • Journal of Management Development
  • Management Decision
  • Small Group Research
  • The Leadership Quarterly

His articles have also appeared in many practitioner publications, including:

  • Canadian HR Reporter
  • HR Magazine
  • The Globe and Mail
  • Training Report

Dr. Kotlyar has also been quoted in the print media (The Globe and Mail, Profit Magazine and Toronto Star) and interviewed on national television (Discovery Channel, E! Entertainment and NBC News).

Prior to joining FBIT, Dr. Kotlyar founded two technology companies. One of his companies developed simulation-based software for training, selection and recruitment of employees. It was the first company in the world to build an online video simulation assessment and was widely covered by the media for its innovation. Dr. Kotlyar’s other company created online avatar-based communication tools to facilitate real-life relationships. Its innovative products were featured on CBC, Discovery Channel, Fox News, NBC and TIME, to name a few. That company received a prestigious Top 100 Global Companies Award from Red Herring, which recognizes the most promising technology companies leading the next wave of disruption and innovation. (Past winners of this award include Google, Yahoo!, Skype and YouTube.)

Education

  • PhD in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management Joseph L. Rotman School of Management in University of Toronto, Ontario
  • Master of Business Administration University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario