CER doctoral student Felicia Melanie wants to understand how leaders create engagement at work

Tell us a little bit about yourself – who are you?
My name is Felicia Melanie and I'm from Singapore. Previously, I have worked in customer and client service, which has given me valuable experience of meeting people in different situations. Almost three years ago, I moved to Sundsvall where I started studying Swedish through adult education. Recently, I also took my master's degree in Business Administration, Marketing and Management at Mid Sweden University. Sundsvall and Sweden in general has really become my second home and I think it has been a very rewarding journey,  both personally and academically.

Tell us more about your dissertation project – what are you going to do?
My dissertation work is about leadership, which is a subject I am really passionate about. I will take a closer look at, among other things, different leadership styles and how this can affect both the work environment and culture. I especially want to compare this from a context from Singapore and Sweden because it feels exciting to see how two such different countries can inspire and learn from each other when it comes to leadership and the way you work together.

My main supervisor is Professor Heléne Lundberg and my assistant supervisor is Senior Lecturer Edith Andresen. I have had the opportunity to work with them before during my master's thesis and am really looking forward to working with them again and taking part in their experiences in the field.

How did you come to be interested in deepening yourself in this field?
During my master's studies, my interest grew in how different leadership styles affect motivation, job satisfaction and collaboration from both the employee's and the leader's perspective. This was also strengthened by my previous experiences of working in both Singapore and Sweden, which has given me valuable insights into how cultural differences affect leadership and work environments.

I think it's incredibly exciting to see how good leadership can make a difference for both employees but also the success of businesses. With my project, I hope to contribute to a greater understanding of how leaders/managers can contribute to a work climate where people feel motivated, involved and seen in today's fast-paced working life

Something we don't know about you – what do you do in your spare time?
I have studied Mandarin as my second language in Singapore and can speak it on a conversational level. In my spare time, I like to relax with crime documentaries and think it's so exciting to try to understand how people think and why they do what they do.