Leading Through Connection with Carl Davidson and Sarah Wright

Join us to celebrate UC’s 150th Anniversary and hear UC Business School Adjunct Senior Fellow, and Director of Research First, Carl Davidson, and UC Business School Associate Professor Sarah Wright, offer insights into tackling social isolation and loneliness in our organizations and communities.

The future of work is here! Fast-tracked by the pandemic, technology is changing how we interact with work and our colleagues faster than any other time in modern history. Given the lingering impact of COVID and the increase of working-from-home, it is clear that now more than ever, loneliness needs our attention. Leaders have an opportunity to foster a culture of companionship, one in which relationships can naturally grow and thrive.

In an increasingly digitally connected world loneliness is becoming a hidden challenge undermining the workplace. Globally, loneliness has been described as ‘a silent epidemic’, and in May of this year the U.S. Surgeon General called loneliness ‘an underappreciated public health crisis’. Yet while loneliness tends to be talked about as a social or public health problem it is also very much a business one. The link between loneliness and workplace health and wellbeing is clear, with lonely staff engaging less, producing less, and being more likely to leave. Research out of the UK showed that loneliness costs UK employers £2.5 billion a year.

In this presentation Carl will share insights from Research First’s Pulse survey that asks the question: How are we really doing in Christchurch? Then Carl will be joined by UC Business School researcher Dr Sarah Wright for an interview style discussion with MBA Director Elsamari Botha.

Carl Davidson - Adjunct Senior Fellow of the UC Business School, Director - Research First

Carl is one of New Zealand's best-known social researchers and a Fellow of the Research Association of New Zealand. His career stretches over 30 years and includes stints as an academic, practitioner, and author. Carl is the author or editor of ten books and in 2023 he was named as one of the Global Insight250 winners, an award celebrating worldwide pioneers, leaders and innovators in market research, data-driven marketing and insights.

Dr Sarah Wright - Associate Professor - Management, Marketing and Tourism, UC Business School

At the heart of Sarah’s research and teaching is a focus on human relationships within groups and organisations, with a particular focus on workplace loneliness and relationship quality. Sarah is a scientific advisor for Ending Loneliness Together in Australia, a research advisor for the Coalition to End Loneliness in NZ, and the Foundation for Social Connection in the USA. Sarah has published in leading academic journals such as Human Relations, Journal of Business Ethics, The Leadership Quarterly, and contributed to managerial articles in Harvard Business Review, and the New York Times. She is a Fellow with the Higher Education Association and is a Director for the Management and Organizational Behavior Teaching Society in the USA.

UC MBA Thought Leadership Series 2023

The UC MBA Thought Leadership Series brings together leading business minds from New Zealand and abroad to feature in our Thought Leadership Series. Industry, students, and alumni are invited to be inspired by innovative and insightful expertise from executives and entrepreneurs.