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, they 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 $63.2 billion per year. If a manager has a team of three members who are working on 1.5 hours of sleep deprivation, the impact on performance is equivalent to one full-time individual.
The effect on managers and executives is especially pronounced, as sleep deprivation affects 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 decisions with negative consequences that were 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.
