Rohini Jalan

I am grateful to the ILR School and the International Travel Grant Committee for the financial support they provided for my participation in the European Group of Organizational Studies (EGOS) Colloquium 2015 in Athens, Greece (July 2-4). At the colloquium, I presented my MS Thesis to a group of esteemed scholars from top research universities (such as Harvard Business School, Yale School of Management, and Tel Aviv University). I participated in the subtheme entitled “Reflections on New Worlds of Work.”

Over the course of three days, participants in our track presented research examining shifts in the nature of work and the tensions and opportunities that mark a variety of emergent work forms such as temporary and contract work, work performed remotely, increased remote-monitoring of work, and computerization of work. We worked closely with one another, providing feedback and general comments. I too received valuable suggestions on how to improve my thesis and prepare it for academic publication. Specifically, the group was able to point out limitations of my sample that I had not considered before, and they also referred me to the literature on occupational narratives as a potential theoretical framework, which I think will be a better fit.

I also learned about the latest research being conducted in the field and met several new scholars - a mix of doctoral students and faculty from all over the globe. Through conversations with them, I was able to get reactions to some nascent ideas for my dissertation and possible lines of inquiry that I can follow. Furthermore, I forged some relationships with a few scholars whose work I greatly admire and who have generously offered to mentor and guide me as I start my dissertation project and continue to refine my MS Thesis. Overall, the EGOS Colloquium has been an incredible learning experience and has provided invaluable exposure to a budding scholar.  I look forward to my continued participation in this colloquium in the future.