Ann-Mari Lillelokken
PhD Candidate
BI Norwegian Business School
ann-mari.f.lillelokken@bi.no
Related Research Interests
My background is a bit of the extraordinary as I have lived in seven different countries. This drew me to psychology, after experiencing so many different cultures and nationalities as an adolescent. I wanted to develop this insight and therefore completed a BSc in Psychology and an MSc in Mental Health Studies. I am extremely dedicated and enthusiastic about my work whether it be at BI or from my previous job as an assistant clinical psychologist. Although you might view my work experiences as extremely different, they have similar and relevant points of contact that I wish to draw into my research. When I look back at my first personal statement applying for a BSc in psychology my main aim in life was to help people. When I worked in marketing and sales, I did not perform my tasks in order to sell. I saw my job as one centred on helping people in their career choices and making sure that they were informed on their options in life. When I was working as a psychologist, I was similarly working on interventions to improve clients’ welfare in a substance abuse recovery setting. I completed research and developed materials that would make services more accessible and better for clients. My interest is in reciprocity and helping behaviours, they are evident in both health care and sales settings.
In my PhD, I want to bring my experiences together taking a comparative perspective on success and reciprocity in both health care and sales organizations. Most industries do some type of sales although they might not see it in this perspective. Whether you are delivering care to a substance misuse client or selling higher education, you are delivering a product to a customer. I believe that the greatest success in customer relations can be achieved by having a genuine interest in the customer, being authentic which is where the relationship and trust is formed.
