Thought Leadership

From the closure of workplace premises during the Circuit Breaker and adoption of work-from-home and split teams arrangements in 2020, to 75 per cent of employees returning to the workplace in April 2021, before reverting to working from home as a default arrangement just over a month later, it’s been a rollercoaster ride for organisations and employees during the pandemic.

   

In recent years, diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI) have become more than mere buzzwords in business organisations. Instead, effective DEI initiatives have grown to serve as critical drivers for organisational success. In particular, the events of 2020 have propelled DEI issues to the forefront, with impactful social movements and effects of the pandemic resulting in greater proactivity in achieving true diversity and inclusion.

The health of a society can only be as robust as the health of its most vulnerable members — this has become clearer than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the heightened susceptibility of marginalised groups to the coronavirus has life-or-death implications for the global community.

No man is an island — that proverbial expression rings especially true now, when the health and safety of each individual depends so acutely on the decisions and behaviours of others. In the time of Covid-19, it becomes more apparent than ever that what makes or breaks a community is the result of individual actions.

At the inaugural SMU City Dialogues Series, nearly 60 key industry professionals from around the world shared ideas and debated strategies for battling climate change.

A recent symposium at SMU brought together key industry players and thought leaders to discuss the relationship between sustainability and economic growth. Three of these experts share their views with SMU Engage. The science has spoken. Climate change is a global emergency that is forcing us to rethink the way we spend Mother Nature’s precious resources as we try to forge a better way of life.

For the first TY Lee Mindfulness Distinguished Lecture Series 2019, distinguished psychologist Dr Steven Hickman explored the value and practice of mindfulness and how it can help to shape a happier future. With rapid technological advancement and socio-political turmoil roiling the world today, it’s not surprising that a pervasive sense of isolation is on the rise. That probably explains why mindfulness has become the subject of increasing attention in recent years.

Private racism and economic injustice may work against a society’s ideals and values, but explicitly enlarging the scope of justice to address these private acts can make a world of difference, says Dartmouth College’s Associate Professor Sonu Bedi . We usually think of justice as being under the purview of governments, typically expressed in legislation that is shaped by social norms and shared values, and whose workings continue to reinforce these norms and values.

The 2019 SPF Annual Lecture highlights three inspiring women from its Connecting Dots photo exhibition and their impact on society. The Shirin Fozdar Programme (SFP) Annual Lecture, which explores the challenges women face [link], marked its 10th anniversary this year by partnering with Women in Asia, a community that aims to bridge cultural and gender differences.