A Day in the Life of a Senior Research Fellow at Clayton Christensen Institute
A Senior Research Fellow's workday, contrary to common assumptions, often involves working from home, balancing meetings on Mondays and Fridays with focused writing and idea development Tuesday through Thursday. The work frequently entails "having conversations and thinking about things and then trying to articulate those... into written pieces" to help others approach challenges differently.
Research, Writing, Communication, Problem-Solving, Collaboration
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Thomas Arnett
Senior Research Fellow
Clayton Christensen Institute
Brigham Young University, 2009
Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business, Master of Business Administration
Economics
Education
Research and Development (R&D)
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans
Video Highlights
1. Works from home, utilizing a flexible schedule that incorporates meetings on Mondays and Fridays, leaving Tuesdays through Thursdays for focused writing and idea development.
2. Often works in various locations such as cafes or parks to change his environment and enhance his thought processes.
3. Focuses on conversation, idea generation, and written communication to produce work that helps people approach problems in innovative ways.
Transcript
What does a day in the life of a senior research fellow look like?
It's funny you ask because it's probably not at all what people would imagine. I work from home, which is not uncommon in the type of organization I work in.
My day-to-day life is pretty structured. I wake up, work out, take my kids to school, and then sit down at my computer to work.
I generally structure my week so that Mondays and Fridays are for meetings over Zoom with colleagues or partners. Then, Tuesday through Thursday, I focus on developing my thinking and ideas and writing them out.
Sometimes I'll go to a deli or a cafe to work, just to shake things up and get out of my usual context. Other times, I'll park my car in a park and do some work there.
Overall, it involves a lot of conversations and thinking. I then try to shape those ideas into written pieces to share. The goal is to help people think differently about the problems they're facing.