Hult Dubai hosted the first Hult International Business School Alumni Summit in conjunction with Ashridge Business School, marking the newly formed alliance between the two schools. In total, we welcomed more than 80 delegates from the region and beyond.
The highlight of the summit was a Masterclass from Dr. Vicki Culpin, Ashridge’s Dean of Faculty, Director of Research, and a member of the Ashridge Leadership Team. With an MPhil and PhD in Psychology from Lancaster University and an MSc in Applied Forensic Psychology from Leicester University, Dr. Culpin specializes in memory, sleep, research methodology, and statistics. She has spent over 17 years researching memory, and the effects of reduced sleep on workers and managers.
Dr Culpin called on managers to take the issue of sleep deprivation seriously, warning that lack of sleep can seriously affect performance in the workplace, costing the U.S. economy a staggering USD63.2 billion a year. If a manager has a team of three members who are working with only 1.5 hours of sleep deprivation, then the impact on performance is equivalent to one full-time individual.[Tweet “Sleep deprivation is costing the U.S. economy a staggering USD63.2 billion a year.”]
The effect on managers and executives is especially pronounced as sleep deprivation effects key management skills such as risk assessment and decision making. Dr Culpin pointed to the global disasters of Chernobyl, Exxon Valdez, Three Mile Island, and the Challenger Shuttle as examples of bad decisions that had been made as a direct result of sleep deprivation.
The topic proved popular with media in the MENA region, with Gulf News highlighting the particular relevance to the U.A.E. where 65% of workers are reported to be sleep deprived as opposed to 32% in the U.S.[Tweet “65% of workers in the U.A.E. are reported to be sleep deprived”]
Read more on the summit:
Gulf News: How sleep-deprived UAE workers are hurting firms
Kipp Report: Are you getting enough sleep?
Trade Arabia: Managers need to consider sleep benefits to improve skills
Al Bawaba: Sleep time is money: How sleep-deprivation is affecting the UAE workplace
Business Intelligence: Need to improve your management skills? Getting more sleep is key, reveals research
CNE Egypt: Need to improve your management skills? Getting more sleep is key, reveals research
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