BUSINESS BRIEFING
All the latest updates from across AMBA’s global network
Featured among the latest selection of updates from AMBA-accredited schools is research into stress that goes against the grain, the positive societal effects of women in power, tackling a talent recruitment shortfall in Africa, plus a new take on the gender pay gap. By Tim Banerjee Dhoul and Ellen Buchan
WHEN FEELING STRESSED MIGHT BE A HELP RATHER THAN A HINDRANCE
SCHOOL : Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University COUNTRY : Singapore
Stress doesn’t have to be an obstacle but could instead act as a catalyst for accelerated learning and adjustment in unfamiliar cultural settings, according to new research led by Shilpa Madan, an assistant professor of marketing at Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University (SMU). The analysis found that participants who had stronger stress responses were quicker to adapt to new cultural contexts and learn sociocultural norms. “Our research offers a fresh perspective on stress, highlighting its potential benefits in sociocultural learning,” Madan surmised. The research sought to replicate the challenges individuals face when adapting to new cultural norms. For example, participants were introduced to greeting customs from Kyrgyzstan; a culture presumed unfamiliar to them. Specifically, they were tasked with selecting appropriate greetings in various contexts. They then received feedback on the suitability of their choice, allowing them to adjust subsequent responses.
The SMU professor highlighted that people vary in the amount of stress they experience from different events, referred to as their “stress reactivity” and that this can be an advantage when tasked with cultural adaptation. “We found that participants who were high in stress reactivity experienced greater stress from the sociocultural learning task early on and this spurred greater learning. Once they knew the relevant sociocultural norms, the stress experienced declined, indicating that they put their stress reactivity to good use,” Madan detailed. While the study is quick to acknowledge the dangers of stress in relation to wellbeing, it says there are important takeaways for anyone operating in multicultural environments. “The dominant workplace narrative treats stress as the enemy – to be avoided, minimised, or seen as a sign of weakness. Our research shows that being stressed easily isn’t always a liability. In many cases, it signals deep engagement, faster learning and greater adaptability,” Madan reasoned. TBD
8 Ambition • ISSUE 3 • 2025
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