MIND OVER MATTER
STUDY HIGHLIGHTS UNIQUE PROFILES OF SMART CITIES COUNTRY: France SCHOOL: HEC Paris A study of six award-winning smart cities across the globe has been released by the Society and Copenhagen, Singapore, Toronto, and Vienna, the study seeks to identify the main challenges and issues involved in urban transformation. It also puts forward further steps by which cities can develop and implement sustainable initiatives and policies. In the study, the six cities are assessed across 18 dimensions (including everything from recycling services and green spaces to data management and whether ‘minorities feel welcome’) that are divided into seven analytical categories (such as mobility, governance, and opportunities). The ensuing comparative analysis concludes that each of these six cities’ approaches to becoming a smart city corresponds to its own unique profile. Amsterdam, for example, is heralded as the ‘Collaborative City’, with the study highlighting its ‘decentralisation of the Organizations Institute at HEC Paris. Looking at Amsterdam, Barcelona, municipality’s authority through a collaborative spirit wherein every individual can undertake initiatives without running up against bureaucratic processes.’ Barcelona becomes the ‘Digital City’ for ‘its adoption of novel technologies… within every aspect of the city.’ Vienna, meanwhile, is labelled the ‘Framework City’ as ‘the constant monitoring and updating of the project framework allow all the actors involved in the smart city projects to develop a long-term vision and ensure that the innovations and solutions created respond to the real needs of the city’. The study is authored by Bertrand Quélin, Professor of Strategy and Business Policy at HEC Paris, and Isaac Smadja, a graduate of the School’s MSc in sustainability and social innovation (SASI) and now a Project Manager Officer at Capgemini. / TBD
COUNTRY: Ireland SCHOOL: Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin
Most of us have felt groggy when trying to work after a poor night’s sleep. Concentration can feel impossible when all you can think about is the need to lie down and shut your eyes. However, a person’s belief in their own willpower can mitigate the impact of a lack of sleep, according to research published by Trinity Business School, Dublin. If a person believes in the strength of their willpower – defined as the ‘mindset about the resource-draining nature of self-regulation’ – they can remain productive when they have not slept well. The research, led by Associate Professor in Organisational Behaviour, Wladislaw Rivkin, and entitled The Role of Regulatory, Affective, and Motivational Resources in the Adverse Spillover of Sleep in the Home Domain to Employee Effectiveness in the Work Domain , examined 214 employees across 1,317 working days. ‘Believing that your willpower is unlimited helps you to sustain your effectiveness at work, particularly on days with a lack of sleep,’ said Rivkin. For those without this control over their willpower, a lack of sleep had a marked negative impact on their productivity at work. The paper suggests techniques that companies could use to mitigate the negative impact of a bad night’s sleep. These include allowing employees to have ‘micro naps’ when they have had insufficient sleep, and providing staff with guided mindfulness sessions which could help improve their sleeping habits and general quality of sleep. It also argues that a boost to an employee’s mood, such as watching a funny video, can help to maintain their effectiveness at work. / EB
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