Past event

Saints Talk: Professor Paul Hibbert 'How did I come to make those choices... and what should I do next?

Development is delighted to invite you to the next instalment in their Saints Talk series from Professor Paul Hibbert, ‘How did I come to make those choices… and what should I do next?

Prof Paul Hibbert MBA PhD FHEA FCMI FBAM is Dean of Arts & Divinity and Professor of Management at the University of St Andrews. He is also an Honorary Professor at the University of Auckland Business School and Editor-in-Chief of Academy of Management Learning & Education.

It is easy to assume that we go through life making thoughtful choices and using our common sense… but it is not so simple. Scientists have shown that our bodies and brains work in dialogue with our emotions as we make sense of our experiences – and decide how we should adapt in response. To add to that, we are all shaped by the culture and society we grow up in and are influenced by those around us with whom we form connections.

Paul's recent research focuses on how we can recognise all of those influences (and decide what to do next) through reflexive practice. Reflexive practice involves developing an awareness of what is ‘going on with us' on four interconnected levels – the embodied level, the emotional level, the rational level and the relational level – and thinking about how they are connected. As well as being important for research in the social sciences, developing reflexive practice in this way can help us to live more thoughtful lives. For those reasons, in this talk Paul will outline the four levels of reflexive practice and what is involved in applying them.

Paul's book, How to be a Reflexive Researcher, was published in November 2021.

More information on this event