About this webinar:
Compassion can be defined as the ability to see the other person’s needs, suffering, and joy, and act upon it. We know from research that compassion contributes to an organisation's financial resilience and retention of customers and staff after cutbacks. Compassion feeds creativity, learning and well-being, which in turn contributes to a sustainable competitive advantage. An organization that encourages acts of compassion has a positive impact on innovation, collaboration, retention of staff and customers and willingness to change.
Still, we know that acts of compassion are rare. In this webinar we will talk about the myths that prevent us from acting compassionately and share stories from our work and research that show how, in fact, it is difficult and even rebellious to act compassionately because if often requires that norms or conventions are broken.
At its core, compassion is the ability to empathize with the suffering and struggles of others, coupled with a genuine desire to alleviate their pain. Ultimately, compassion is a rebellious act because it challenges the dominant paradigms and invites us to envision a more just world. It is a call to action, urging us to step outside the confines of societal expectations and prioritize the well-being of others.
Speakers:
Henrika Franck
Henrika Franck is Dean of the Graduate School and Research at Arcada UAS and affiliated professor at Åbo Akademi University and Aalto University in Helsinki. Her research focuses on ethics in organizational settings, particularly in strategy work. Her research has been published in journals such as Strategic Management Journal, Organization Studies, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, books, and book chapters. Prior to her academic career, she worked as a journalist and communications director.
Jan Nåls
Author, scriptwriter and film scholar Jan Nåls is passionate about combining academic research with creative practice. His Ph.D. from the University of Helsinki in 2019 examined the functions of empathy in intercultural visual narrative. He is currently a principal lecturer in Film and Media at Arcada in Helsinki, Finland, mainly focusing on scriptwriting and directing. He also works as a scriptwriter for film. Nåls has published extensively in academic journals relating to communication, film, and film education.
