Teachers shape lives. This is even more so for those who teach PhD students, many of whom will graduate to become professors and shape the next generation of leaders. This story on Associate Professor Jayanth Narayanan and his former PhD student Michelle Zheng, who is now an assistant professor at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), is part of a Teachers’ Day series.
On Zoom, Assistant Professor Michelle Zheng from the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) spoke confidently about her teaching career and how she benefitted from her PhD programme at NUS Business School.
She did her PhD from 2007 to 2012, on the topic of interpersonal forgiveness and power dynamics in the workplace. To her, those five years were one of her most precious memories. “It actually transformed me from a very shy doctoral student to a very independent and confident scholar,” said Michelle.
She credited the professors from the Department of Management & Organisation for creating a very nurturing environment for the PhD students. It was an intellectually stimulating process, in an atmosphere where ideas were bounced freely. She also credited the administrative staff for going out of their ways to support the students and faculty in their research needs.
Michelle’s teaching journey
Now teaching organisational behaviour at CEIBS, Michelle has her own teaching journey to tell. When she first started teaching the MBA and Executive MBA programmes, where the students were a bit older, she tried to put up a stern front to make up for her young age.
“But then I realised that kind of built a wall between me and the students, because they found me very distant,” Michelle noticed. She decided to be more authentic and found that when she spoke about things that really mattered to her students, they would appreciate it even if this teacher looked young.
She likes to tell her students to empty their assumptions about knowledge and teachers, so that they will learn things that they never knew before. She also feels that teachers do not have to be so serious. They can be engaging, and students will appreciate it.
Michelle takes a leaf out of the book of her NUS PhD supervisor, Associate Professor Jayanth Narayanan, more commonly known as Jay. “Jay’s really spontaneous, fun, caring…” said Michelle, who listed many other positive adjectives. Under his guidance, she found her true passion for research. “In terms of teaching, his highly interactive and engaging teaching style still inspires me today,” she added.
Don’t forget to watch a movie
Michelle remembered that in the first year of her PhD programme, she was stressed about the coursework and research ideas. Then in one of their research meetings, Jay said, “Before our next research meeting, you have to go to the cinema and watch a movie.”
She felt bewildered at the statement, then realised that Jay wanted her to relax. Michelle reflected, “He not only wanted me to study very hard, but also wanted me to have fun in my life, so that’s what makes my PhD journey both meaningful and enjoyable.”
In another incident, Jay told her not to be so self-focused when teaching students. After all, our body and voice are just tools to deliver knowledge to students. This was a remark that Michelle found to be very helpful and enlightening.
Finding meaning
Years after graduation, the two have kept in touch. This year, Michelle entered the list for Poets & Quants 2021 Best 40 Under 40 Professors. One of the people who nominated her was Jay. “I was like, really happy. It’s kind of like an acknowledgment for all my past efforts and also, of course, my mentor Jay’s nurturing effort, so it’s a very fulfilling moment for me,” Michelle revealed.
The two have also continued to collaborate in research. Recently, they did a research project on how mindfulness can reduce stress for people during the COVID-19 pandemic. What struck Michelle was that Jay had not said “let’s publish in a top-tier journal”, instead he said this research was to help those who are troubled. This way of finding meaning in things they do had given her great motivation.
Michelle had always wondered what Jay finds as his calling, or meaning in his life, after he has achieved so much.
His answer is to be someone who can create containers for human transformation. The word “containers” refer to spaces. Jay does not think that he makes the transformation happen. Instead, he thinks of himself as the one who brings the space together and the magic happens.
Jay said that transformation is a process, and education is pretty much central to what he does. Research is also important, because “unless I create that knowledge, unless I keep myself informed and curious, I cannot be that agent of transformation for others”.
Being a part of his students’ journey
Jay has taught in NUS Business School for 15 years now, with a two-year gap in between. He is also the Academic Director for the Master of Science in Human Capital Management and Analytics programme.
To him, the last class of each semester is sentimental. There are fleeting moments where he ponders whether he will see the undergraduates again. PhD students are different as he would coach the same PhD students for those few years. A bond is formed. After graduation, the PhD students become his peers, as academics in the same or another university.
Jay wants to be a part of his PhD students’ journey, to see them get tenure and get endorsed by the wider research community. He said being a teacher is almost like being a parent. “You want your children to grow up and leave the nest, but when they actually do grow up and leave the nest, you feel mixed emotions.”
When asked about his tips for Michelle when it comes to advancement in academia, Jay said that now he sees her more as a colleague than a student who needs tips. But if he were to offer advice, it would be to remind her to go see a movie. To relax and have fun, because that’s a key part of their profession too.
He wondered if he could have done more for her as a PhD supervisor back then.
Michelle as a first-year PhD student was very quiet and barely spoke during seminar class. But he saw the potential in her and felt that his key role would be to get her to believe in herself. If Michelle didn’t speak in class, he would comment “I think Michelle has something to say”. When she questioned “Why me?”, he would prompt her to overcome her self-doubt and think “Why not me?”.
It is this kind of encouragement that Michelle is grateful for. To her, Jay has done everything he could as a PhD supervisor to nurture students. Michelle said that sometimes people would ask questions, such as if you had a second chance to go back in time, would you do it differently? “I always think to myself, thank God, I entered NUS Business School, did a PhD with Jay. I wouldn’t trade it for anything to change that experience.”