Navigating business, nurturing connections in uncertain times

From swiftly evolving technology to cultural shifts to political and social unrest, the world is rife with uncertainty that affects the way we live, work and conduct business.

The W. P. Carey School of Business' first Research Ideation Lunch of the fall 2025 semester took an innovative and thought-provoking approach to doing business in unstable times through the "Apocalypse Pop-Up Café," a series hosted by Athena Aktipis, associate professor of psychology, director of The Cooperation Lab and co-director of the Human Generosity Project. W. P. Carey, the Global Futures Lab, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences' Department of Psychology and the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics co-hosted the event.

"The Apocalypse Pop-Up Cafés give researchers a playful space to discover shared interests, build trust and spark collaborations while also cultivating genuine connection. When we put our heads together, new opportunities emerge. These events are designed to surface what people are intrinsically motivated to do, and to help them find ways to work together in meaningful ways," says Aktipis, an expert in cooperation science and managing risk during crisis, who founded the series in 2024.

The event highlighted the concept that, when people face uncertainty, human collaboration and resilience are crucial to adapting to disruption. Attendees from a range of disciplines and ASU colleges began the event by writing down problems they deemed apocalyptic on post-it notes — with many participants citing uncertainty across sectors due to AI, cultural shifts away from education, widespread misinformation, social isolation and a lack of trust in others and leaders as today's pressing issues. Participants then had the opportunity to review and share what their colleagues wrote.

Attendees concluded the event by breaking into small groups to share practical ideas — such as using resource limits to spark collaboration, reframing uncertainty as an opportunity for ethical exploration, and designing student projects that connect resilience with real-world research.

PhD aspirant Meghana Sridhar ('23 MS in business analytics), an academic professional at the School of Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, described the event as an energizing experience, especially given her work with the school's Center for Small and Medium-sized Businesses, where her team helps founders and students navigate uncertainty, experiment responsibly and build technology-driven strategies.

"It introduced me to colleagues in different fields like education, policy and sustainability, and sparked new questions of curiosity about how my research can shape real-world impact," says Sridhar. "I was struck by how educators are embracing the responsibility of teaching students to use AI ethically and responsibly, a commitment that made me reflect on how I will approach my own research in the future. The event left me inspired to keep the momentum going and continue collaborating across disciplines in ways that feel both innovative and deeply human, especially in today's age of AI."

"People left with a sense that we're all working toward many of the same goals," Aktipis says, "and that by working together we can accomplish them more effectively. Rather than feeling weighed down by fatigue or reluctance, I saw people laughing, energized and excited to discover new connections, learn from colleagues and realize what they could accomplish together."

The next Research Ideation Lunch: Apocalypse Pop-Up Café will take place on Monday, Nov. 17, and will explore the future of AI as a tool for transforming business, education, health care, supply chains and finance.

Read more about past Research Ideation events.