Relevance and meaningfulness in social science, empty labour and why some of us idle at work - 13 Sept 2019

Roland Paulsen, Associate Professor of Organizational Studies at Lund university, was invited to discuss relevance and meaningfulness in social science as well as empty labour at work.

Roland presented his results during a roundtable organized by MISUM Breakfast Club in cooperation with House of Innovation, which took place on the 13 September 2019.

Prof. Paulsen discussed the importance of meaningfulness in social science, examining the rise of nonsense in academic research and emphasizing that social sciences need time to learn, not just write and publish. He also proposed alternative goals for research, restoring meaning to the agenda and society.

Additionally, Roland shared his knowledge on empty labour, gained by interviewing forty employees who spent more than half of their working hours on private activities. The focus was to discuss the secrets of slacking off at work and why employees choose to avoid work.

The breakfast seminar was followed by a lively discussion.

References:

Paulsen, R. (2014) Empty labor: Workplace resistance and idleness. Cambridge University Press.

Alvesson, M., Yiannis, G., and Paulsen, R. (2017). Return to Meaning: A Social Science with Something to Say. Oxford University Press.