Professor Alexandra Gerbasi, Executive Dean highlights some of the latest research from Exeter and its role in helping to address some of the most pressing challenges.
7 July 2022Global growth is expected to decrease from 5.7 percent in 2021 to 2.9 percent in 2022. Citing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this is one of the main findings of the World Bank’s latest Global Economic Prospects report.
This is the prediction at a global level, and on a local level, the impact of rising prices is plain to see. For example, the British Retail Consortium estimates that the price of basic goods in UK stores is rising at the fastest pace in almost 14 years.
Against this worrying background is the ever-present challenge of environmental change, readily experienced by many of us through the extreme heatwaves in several parts of the world.
When you consider these global, national, and local challenges we are facing, it can be overwhelming. However, I am a firm believer that through effective leadership, collaboration, the use of technology, and the bringing together of academia, business, and public policy, innovative solutions can be found.
It is an approach that is at the heart of what we do as a business school here at Exeter. Our mission is focused on both developing academic insights and informing everyday practice amongst individuals, organisations, and policy makers.
A superb example of this is the recent work of Gail Whiteman and colleagues. In May, Gail and her Exeter colleagues were at Davos, where they hosted an event examining how business and science can come closer together to better identify and address the global risks from climate change. The session featured Nigel Topping, the UN High-Level Climate Action Champion for COP26 and Honorary Professor at the University of Exeter Business School.
Later in June, Gail and colleagues were present at the Glastonbury Festival at the new Science Futures area, allowing festival-goers to hear about the latest climate change science, its implications, and what as individuals we can do to affect change.
Our involvement at Davos and Glastonbury are reminders that a business school’s research and work can not sit in isolation but need to be firmly rooted in the challenges we all face. Above all, as academics, we need to find further ways to engage with both individuals and organisations. It’s through bringing diverse audiences together, that I believe we can make a difference and find solutions.
A key to addressing any challenge is having effective leadership at all levels. This is espoused in the latest book edited by Morgen Witzel, Fellow of the Exeter Centre for Leadership. Post-Pandemic Leadership – Exploring Solutions to a Crisis, features several Exeter authors and looks at what we can learn from the challenges of the Covid pandemic, but also key global problems such as climate change and inequality. Essentially, how does our leadership need to evolve?
One of the key global challenges at the moment is of course Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Amongst other things,. it has refocused the world’s attention on the plight of refugees and the dynamics of supporting those that are in desperate need of help. Based on research amongst humanitarian field office workers, Niels Van Quaquebeke’s recent Exeter Expertise piece argues why a new model of leadership is needed for humanitarian efforts. It proposes that the identities of different groups involved in humanitarian efforts and the way they operate need to be recognised. Called intergroup leadership, it proposes that each group is a different entity, but that for one group to be the best version of itself, they need the other. And vice versa.
As an academic institution, we have an important role in generating rigorous data and insights. This is more important than ever at a time where the spread of information has never been as quick and widespread. Addressing this, I would encourage you to listen to the recent podcast by Mohsen Mosleh on the very topical subject of social media disinformation, and the challenge it presents to both individuals and organisations.
As always, I welcome your thoughts on the research and work we do here at Exeter. I do hope you find our insights interesting and, above all, useful.
Professor Alexandra Gerbasi
is Acting Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean at the University of Exeter Business School.
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