Leading with Humanity Summit explores compassion and connection in the workplace
The University of Huddersfield welcomed more than 100 delegates to an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-funded summit: Leading with Humanity: What Connection and Compassion Offer Organisations.
The event was a collaborative initiative led by colleagues from across the University’s School of Human and Health Sciences, the School of Business, Education and Law, Careers and Employability and the People and Organisational Development Team.
Its design was informed by external partners from education, health, business and third sectors, who took part in a sandpit event earlier in the year to shape the summit themes and approach.
Professor Liz Towns-Andrews, 3M Professor of Innovation at the University, formally opened the summit before the first of three keynote presentations.
Wendy Showell Nicholas, a Psychotherapist and Organisational Consultant, began by exploring what humans need to thrive and the importance of compassion and connection for wellbeing and professional performance.
Dr Nic Stenberg, School Director of Executive Education, focused on the extensive research evidence about how organisations can move beyond individual goodwill to embed compassion into their systems and routines and the organisational benefits this brings.
In the third keynote, Professor Melanie Rogers, from the Department of Nursing, explored spirituality as a fundamentally human concern and showed that when hope, meaning and purpose are part of professional practices, the experiences of patients and service users can be transformed.
The keynote themes were developed further through interactive workshops led by Deputy Head of Careers and Employability Dave Stanbury and Leadership Development Manager Helen Walker, alongside panel discussions led by Dr Elisabeth Gulliksen, Senior Lecturer in Nursing and Brian Culleton, Director of the Academy of Teaching, Learning and Skills (ATLaS) at the University. These sessions provided opportunities for delegates from different sectors to share experiences and consider how compassion, connection and humanity can be translated into organisational and professional practice.
Closing the summit, Professor Towns-Andrews reflected on the key message that compassion and connection are fundamental human needs and vital to the prosperity of our region.
Professor Towns-Andrews said: “This summit is a great example of what can happen when we work collaboratively across the University and with our external partners. It demonstrates the appetite for conversations about how we create organisations in which people can thrive. Universities have an important role to play in bringing research and practice together to challenge established ways of thinking and develop new approaches."
External partners who directly contributed to the day as speakers and workshop leaders comprised: Calderdale Council, Forget Me Not Children's Hospice, Global Banking School, Howarths, Prestige Plant Room Services and South West Yorkshire Partnership Teaching NHS Foundation Trust.
To get involved in further events, visit the Compassionate Leadership Hub to sign up to the Hub's newsletter and/or join the Spirituality and Compassion Special Interest Group run in the School of Human and Health Sciences by emailing m.rogers@hud.ac.uk.