MIB researcher Anna Yström speaks at the Doctoral Confirment Ceremony

On Saturday May 10th, MIB researcher Anna Yström gave a speech representing all the confirmed doctors at Chalmers Doctoral Confirment Ceremony at Gothenburg Concert Hall.  You can read Anna’s entire speech here:

 

My fellow Promoti, Honorary Doctors, Award winners and Distinguished guests, Family and Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honour for me to give this speech as a representative of all the newly graduated doctors here on stage!

I remember the day I defended my doctoral thesis fondly, as it was the culmination of 4 years of hard and sometimes frustrating work. It was with the serenity of an animal knowing it will soon be put to death that I entered the stage on the day of my defence in September last year. Although I may have looked calm on the outside, inside I was a nervous wreck and I kept wondering: What if they don’t like it? What if I have a blackout? What if my opponent thinks my work is rubbish? The days before my defence I had scrutinized my thesis from every possible angle to identify the weak spots that my opponent would no doubt question me about.

But it turned out that I didn’t need to worry too much. From the moment my opponent started her examination by saying “This is very interesting work…”, I realized that she was actually inviting me to take part in an academic discussion rather than an giving me an oral exam, where right or wrong is not as important as being able to justify your opinion. The insight that I was now becoming an academic graduate at the highest possible level dawned on me, and I must say I liked the feeling.

However, it is also with a sting of sadness that I remember that day, as it was my last day as a doctoral student. Despite what people might say, things will never be the same again. Never again will I have the time to work concentrated on a single project for four years. Never again will I be able to pursue my interests and direct my own work in the same independent manner. Never again will I have the same support and guidance by my superiors. My years as a doctoral student have been some of the absolutely best and most interesting years of my life. Being a doctoral student has changed the way I view the world.

As a researcher in the multi-disciplinary field of Technology Management and Economics, I dedicated my four years of doctoral studies to exploring management of open innovation collaboration at SAFER, a centre for vehicle and traffic safety research here in Gothenburg, because I found that there is a need to better understand how people can act and make sense of emerging forms of organizing. When people from different organizations come together to create innovation, like they do at SAFER, situations of uncertainty arise – who is really in charge, what am I supposed to do, who can I share information with?

People keep saying that today, we are living in a knowledge economy, where knowledge is the most valuable thing of all. Nowhere is that more true than at SAFER, and I think the director of SAFER Anna Nilsson-Ehle would agree with me. Here at Chalmers we aim high and our ambition is to lead the charge for a sustainable development.

But, I find that it is easy to forget in the race to find new technological solutions to our problems that we are all humans and our forms of organizing are based on humans taking part in them. Without humans being able to interact and communicate with each other, there will be no innovations. To me this highlights the need for researchers and practitioners to keep an open mind and acknowledge that we need multiple disciplines to grasp the complexity of the issues we are struggling with.

This is a day when we should contemplate who we are and how far we have come. I feel immensely proud of my own and my fellow doctors’ achievements here today. But I also know that we share this achievement and are grateful to so many persons that supported us throughout the process. A supervisor giving the right advice at the right time. A colleague sharing a cup of coffee and talking to you when things are rough. A supporting partner who does not complain when you need to work late for 6 weeks straight.

There have of course been times when I have doubted my ability to complete this journey. As I today look forward with happy prospects on the different roads that lie ahead of us – I think of those who for different reasons were not able to complete their doctoral studies. I know I could have been one of them if I hadn’t met the right person at the right time. That person was the woman who became my supervisor, Associate Professor Susanne Ollila, a great role model for me and a constant source of inspiration. When we graduates here take on new roles as supervisors and mentors for the next generation, we must not become so blinded by our strive for excellence that we cannot see and help those who struggle.

We are not the first to stand here accepting our doctoral diplomas and we will not be the last. When we now finally become full-fledged members of the academic community, we become part of a legacy, part of a paradigm. To me, this is a remarkable community to enter into, with strong principles and roots in ancient times. But I see our role not only as keepers of this legacy, we must also strive to enhance it. I look to my fellow graduates on stage and I see that we are the future faculty of universities around the world, and we are the future scientists and leaders in research institutes and industries. The power to change lies with us. The responsibility to change lies with us.

As a management scholar I find myself going back to the words of Machiavelli, who once said that: ”It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle than to initiate a new order of things”. Machiavelli’s book “The Prince” written in the 16^th century offers practical, if not morally ambiguous, leadership advice on what is necessary for a new prince to establish a stable rule. In other words, how to create and sustain major change. I find that his words ring true also today.

Many brilliant men and women have come before us making giant scientific leaps in the past few decades. The greatest risk to our progress as I see it, is that we become complacent with the way things are now, to think that there is nothing left to explore. That is why I urge you to remember that in our pursuit of excellence, we must always dare to question the current state and challenge ourselves and others around us to do better.

I know that this is easier said than done, because change will always face resistance, from the outside but also from within. Change is scary as it means endeavouring into new, uncertain territories. But I look forward to one day working in an academic environment where gender, sexuality or place of birth does not limit the opportunities that are open to you. I know that as part of this community, I am part of implementing that change.

As we now transition into a new stage in our lives, we will no doubt face new challenges, but certainly also opportunities. For some, becoming a PhD is part of a life-long dream to work with research and education, for others it is merely a stepping-stone towards something else. But I think that one thing we have in common is the love for science and the passion for making things better.

Regardless of where we end up, I hope that we can trust that our years of academic training have provided us with the tools to create new mind-blowing solutions, with the courage to pursue change as well as with friends that will stand by our side as we keep on exploring the unknown!

Thank you!