36 SDG 12 Responsible Production and Climate Action – McCain Foods

Group Reflection

Through the AIM2Flourish story assignment, we learned a lot about working within a cross-cultural environment that will heavily benefit us in the future. One of the biggest things we learned was to not only be open to new ideas but to share our own individual ideas that might be unique to each of us because of our points of view. Another big thing we learned was how difficult working in an international group can be for scheduling and completing assignments. We learned the best way to do this was to adopt an individualism style/dimension to our group work and projects. This doesn’t mean every part of the assignment was done alone, but each job was split up, and we were each responsible for our own, as it could become difficult to help the group members, not from the same school. Connecting to this we learned how difficult scheduling can be in an international/cross-cultural group. Time zones can make it very difficult to schedule weekly meetings, especially adding that everyone in our group had full-time classes. This meant we would have to find a time when everyone didn’t have a class and it wasn’t the middle of the night for anyone in the group. With our particular innovation (Farms of the Future) being international we found it very helpful in writing the story to have a group from different parts of the world as it helped us expand our story and have ideas that are not only built upon the experiences of one nationality. This group project helped us understand the value of cross-cultural groups and how the different ideas brought forward can combine and create an interesting and in-depth story on business innovations.

Throughout the semester, we’ve learned a lot about environmental sustainability. It was significantly beneficial to our group that by the time COIL began, we all had a similar base understanding about climate change, SDGs, etc. This way, when our project began we all started with a strong foundation of understanding, and it was easier to transition to the work of COIL. Specifically when it came to teamwork, learning about other cultures (such as doing the cross-cultural analysis), and learning about team effectiveness really equipped us to be successful. Learning better ways of communication, collaboration, and problem-solving was incredibly useful, especially when working with students from other backgrounds and cultures. In addition, Professor Chaudhry significantly helped us prepare for this project due to her extensive knowledge in sustainability as well as introducing us and equipping us with the En-ROADS simulation. By diving into all of the intricate details of the simulation tool, we gained a lot of valuable insights into how complex climate change is and it helped us learn how to
effectively assess other businesses involved and the impact they have as well. This hands-on experience not only expanded our overall knowledge in environmental dynamics but also provided us with a solid foundation for evaluating other businesses. All in all, we were well prepared to navigate the challenges of climate change and make those informed decisions when it came to interviewing the business and having those conversations.

Throughout the last few weeks for our project, our team collectively decided to use WhatsApp as our mode of communication due to time differences and location differences. We were very good at discussing what needed to be done for the week, clarified any confusion we may have had, and made sure that we were all on the same page. In addition, we had team meetings every week to ensure we were always communicating with one another and to make sure each group member had a voice when it came to making group decisions and separating roles. During our meetings, we talked about our progress each week, what we needed to work on, how to split it up fairly, and addressed any concerns or challenges anyone may have had. To make sure it was split up equally, we divided the workloads among the team members who were participating. Moreover, we were flexible with each other’s schedules and adapted our strategy whenever it was necessary such as meeting on other days or holding last minute meetings when we were available. In situations where some team members were unable to contribute, we collectively reassigned tasks to make sure we were staying on top of our tasks and progress to ensure the success of our project.

Our project was a unique and enlightening experience. One aspect that undeniably worked exceptionally well was our strong communication. Despite being in different time zones, we managed to stay connected effectively through various communication tools, ensuring that we were always on the same page. This facilitated the exchange of ideas, updates on individual tasks, and problem-solving. Further, we exhibited a high level of efficiency, finishing our respective parts well before the deadline. This not only reduced last-minute stress but also allowed us time for revisions and improvements. The quality of our work was another success, as we all contributed our best efforts and ensured that the final project was of high standard. However, there were a few challenges as well. Occasionally, the time zone differences made scheduling group meetings a bit tricky, requiring some flexibility from all members. Additionally, while we were strong on communication, there were moments when we could have been more proactive in addressing potential issues. Overall, the experience was positive, with our effective communication and timely completion of tasks outweighing any minor hurdles we encountered.

Individual Reflections

Adam: Reflecting on the group project, I must say it was an incredibly positive experience. Collaborating with students from different countries not only expanded my horizons but also made the project a lot more enjoyable. It was fascinating to work alongside individuals with diverse perspectives, which added richness to our discussions and approach to the task. One particularly interesting aspect of the project was conducting our interview with Hanna. The interview provided valuable insight and gave us the opportunity to learn about McCain’s commitment to sustainability. Overall, this project was not only a learning experience but also a lot of fun, highlighting the benefits of international collaboration and the importance of embracing different perspectives in our work.

Liza: I found this experience to be very out of my normal expectations in an interesting way. I definitely never expected to work with students across the world but it gave me a lot of knowledge and overall was very fun getting to know my other teammates and I would love to work with them again. In the beginning, I had no idea what to expect out of this and I was pleasantly surprised throughout the project. I would definitely do it again as well as share my knowledge with others. My favorite part was creating the poster and getting to see them all on AIM 2 Flourish was very cool. Ultimately, I am very appreciative that my professor included this project in this class and I learned a lot in all aspects.

Miriam: This group project was definitely a very positive experience, and I feel that I’ve learned a lot. When COIL first began, it seemed very daunting and overwhelming, however things ran really smoothly due to our group having really great communication and how the work was laid out by the professors. It was a really unique experience to be able to work with students from different countries and I believe that also elevated our work because everyone had different
perspectives. Being challenged through time zones and different cultures also made this project very enlightening, and I feel like our group did a really great job at combating our busy schedules and finding ways to work together to get our work done. All in all, I’ve never been involved in a similar experience so I’m grateful for what I’ve learned during this project and for the people in my group.