How to live in a society of evaluations

The annual CIM Summit gathers world-renowned academics from leading global business schools and organisations to share their knowledge and insights on current business topics.

In the framework of this year’s Summit, Thomas Roulet, Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the MBA, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, talked to GOLD magazine about his upcoming presentation discussing the effects of hybrid work and the challenge of maintaining sense of belonging and motivation in the new workplace.

You will be speaking at this month’s CIM Summit 2023 about wellbeing and motivation in the era of hybrid work. Could you elaborate on the topic of your presentation?

We often consider wellbeing and motivation as two sides of a coin but they are more intertwined than we think, especially in the context of remote – then hybrid – work, which has been one of the biggest shifts in the way we work in the last few decades. I will present conclusions of some of the research that we have conducted on the impact of hybrid work on practices and collaboration, their implications for health, productivity and motivation.

To whom is your presentation addressed and how can its content help today’s working professionals?

Everybody is exposed to hybrid working nowadays – and it is here to stay. Hybrid working is not just a policy to set up for human resources; it is a new context in which to manage, collaborate and connect with colleagues. People need to be aware of those new “rules of the game”.

Can one ever achieve the much-sought-after work/life balance? Has the increase in remote working assisted in this?

It is believed that it has – but the evidence is mixed. It could in some situations but, during the pandemic, it had the absolute opposite effect of harming our work/life balance. This is why we need to set this up carefully.

What are the main problems as regards company leadership and how can companies project a sense of belonging among employees if so many of them are working remotely?

The problem of maintaining a strong organisational culture in a remote or hybrid environment is one that many firms are struggling with. It is possible but it takes more effort and requires more codified interactions and routines to create this culture – such as dedicated away days, weekly meetings – and to feed this culture by bringing people together regularly and creating the key interactions needed to foster it.

What does your last book The Power of Being Divisive: Understanding Negative Social Evaluations deal with? How can ‘being divisive’ have a positive impact?

My last book explores “negative social evaluations” – when individuals, organisations or practices are negatively assessed by an audience. That includes stigma, controversies or scandals. Nowadays, we have to evaluate everything – our collaborators, our employees, our organisation, our Uber ride, or our hotels. We live in a society of evaluations! In this book, I unpack why people – from Ancient Greece to modern times – produce negative social evaluations and how those can actually serve those who receive them. For example, I explain how it helps them foster resilience or create visibility for themselves.

Date: 08 April 2023

Venue: Bank of Cyprus Headquarters (Ayia Paraskevi), Nicosia

Organiser: CIM-Cyprus Business School

Platinum Sponsor: Green Energy Group

Gold Sponsors: Char. Pilakoutas Ltd, VE Very Exclusive Accessories Ltd.

Silver Sponsors: Alphamega Hypermarkets, Cablenet, C.A.Papellinas Group, Gan Direct, Iron Mountain, McDonald’s, MetLife

Bronze Sponsors: Cyfield Group, GR8 Tech, Jamie Oliver Kitchen, KEAN, KPMG, NetU, Remedica, Spyros Vassiliou & Associates LLC, Provident Corporate Services, Tototheo Maritime, Zorbas Group

Supporters: Commercial General Insurance, Cyprus Forum, DHL Express, LandasColour, LightBlack Solutions

Special Partner: Bank of Cyprus

Media Sponsors: IN Business, GOLD

Coordinator: IMH

For more information:

Tel: 22505555,

e-mail: events@imhbusiness.com

This interview first appeared in the March edition of GOLD magazine. Click here to view it.