RSM Erasmus University, Dealing with Complexity and Multidisciplinary Approach
Thank you Rector Magnificus for your enlightening introduction.
I always thought that cultural biases and epistemological problems explain gender IQ differences. It is very good news indeed for us males that there is also a rather straight forward biological explanation for the so called glass-ceiling problem. It seems to me that we can hardly be blamed today for activities in the nucleus accumbens that result from a very long evolutionary process.
Although, actually, in management and business we know that emotional intelligence, EQ, is at least as, if not more important than IQ. Some would even argue that too high an IQ is counterproductive. And females score slightly better on EQ than males.
Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen:
As Professor Lamberts has already said, today marks not only the 92nd Dies Natalis of this university but also the 35th anniversary of RSM Erasmus University -- its business school. In the past 35 years we have accomplished quite a lot. No matter how tall our parents are, the growing up we had to do ourselves. From the humble beginnings 35 years ago, we have emerged as one of the more successful business schools in Europe.
I would therefore like to take this opportunity to tell you a little about the objectives of our school, and to introduce a man who, we feel, exemplifies what we strive for.
As business school, one of our main objectives is to disseminate knowledge and skills that will enable our students to lead organisations in an entrepreneurial, effective, prolific and sustainable way. Our other, equally important objective however, is in the business of knowledge creation.
At RSM, we strongly believe that outstanding research is consistent with high quality teaching. And as the largest business school in the Netherlands, with one of the top-ranked research faculty in Europe, we are in a good position to do just that.
Perhaps what differentiates us from some other academic domains however, is our belief in the necessity for research that is externally relevant. By this we mean research that is not just academically or intellectually stimulating; but research that relates to broader society. Research that means something to the people in the business community from which it has arisen. Research that is driven by issues and needs pertinent to the external world and finds its way back into society, to be absorbed into management practices and business processes . By remaining in continuous dialogue with the business world and by placing their problems at the heart of our endeavours we try to ensure that our research impacts our constituents.
One man who has achieved phenomenal success in this area, is Professor Richard H. Thaler, of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business.
If the hallmark of a great academic is his ability to challenge insufficient assumptions and create new insights on subjects of relevance to many people, then Richard Thaler is a very great scholar indeed. Thaler is not just an outstanding thought leader, he has succeeded in integrating his ideas into practise in a way that few researchers manage to do.
His work has influenced areas of society, spanning from social security design, to consumer behavioural theory, and economic and financial theory at large. Thaler has brought world-class research to bear on problems and issues that affect each and every one of us.
Perhaps one of the clues to his success can be found in the approach he has taken.
At RSM, we have always emphasised the strengths of a multi-disciplinary approach to management research and learning. Our research is multi-disciplinary by default, functioning across many academic fields – economics, psychology, sociology, technology, applied mathematics and computer science. And even medical biology, as we just heard.
Our new building houses both the business school, and the Institute of Psychology, and they share the use of the behavioural lab. Apart from a more stimulating gender mix in the restaurant, the unified housing of two different schools of thought could perhaps also be seen as symbolic of the philosophy we foster.
At RSM we believe that in knowledge creation, the walls that exist between disciplines are man-made constructions. They are simplifications of the complexity of reality, put in place for ease and clarity of operation. In reality, all fields of knowledge are ultimately inter-connected and inter-dependant. In the business world this is intuitively clear. Managers often realize that efficient, faceless markets hardly exist. Businessmen in Rotterdam and elsewhere know that social networks and social capital have a major impact on commercial success. They understand that trust and psychology often plays an important role in running a business.
Richard Thaler has exploited this reality in his approach to knowledge creation. By bringing the insights of psychology to bear on economic and financial concepts, Thaler has crossed boundaries to create new knowledge, and with outstanding success.
In his multi-disciplinary approach, and in his achievement of research that is relevant to broader society, Richard Thaler’s work is exemplary. We believe it signifies what we uphold here at RSM Erasmus University, and what we intend in the future, to strive for.
Therefore, it is great honour for me to give the floor to Professor Richard H. Thaler.
