02.10.20203 Questions to Lauren C. Howe

Since 1 October Lauren Howe is an Assistant Professor in Management at the Department of Business Administration. Her research focuses on how individuals and organizations can harness fundamentally human attributes – such as emotion, empathy, and social relationships – to improve the world of work as rapid advances in technology and other forces change it.

What do you focus on in your research?
I focus on what I call the «human side» of the future of work. The world of work is changing rapidly, in part because of advances in technology. I’m interested how in the context of these changes, the very things that set us apart from machines and make us human – such as social relationships, emotions, and empathy – continue to matter. I believe that by studying these human aspects in tandem with technological developments, we can understand more about how to shape the world of work in ways that enhance employees’ well-being, productivity, and performance.

What would you like to convey to your students?
The same enthusiasm for science as a tool for solving important problems that the professors who taught me conveyed, and which sparked my interest in an academic career.

What were the decisive factors for you to join the University of Zurich?
The support for doing research that matters for society, such as the innovative approaches that the University takes to foster collaboration across disciplines and with multiple stakeholders in order to tackle today’s pressing challenges. (The view of the Alps from the office certainly helped too!)