32 Fayview Holistic Care in Canada
Connor Legault; Amirhossein Davoodikhoo; Hanita Zarrin; Filip Rutkowski; Timaya Banuri; and Beulah Kiru
Team 69 Poster
Team Reflection
Faye Salemi established the healthcare staffing firm Fayview Holistic Care Nursing Services with the goal of addressing the lack of qualified nursing personnel in underserved and rural areas of Canada. In order to provide excellent patient care and meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3, 8, and 10, they assign nurses with at least five years of experience. In order to create a positive work atmosphere that benefits patients and healthcare professionals alike, the organization also offers nurses on-the-job training, coaching, and assistance. Where it is most needed, Fayview improves healthcare outcomes and access by filling vacancies in staff in rural places. Faye’s personal story and her resolve to establish a business that solves staffing shortages and puts nurses’ and patients’ health first really stood out to us. As we learnt more about Fayview’s narrative, we were aware of their work’s enormous influence on the quality and accessibility of healthcare. Our academic understanding is strongly tied to this innovation, especially the ideas of sustainability, the triple bottom line (profit, planet, and people), and corporate responsibility. Fayview’s concept emphasizes the significance of providing not only sufficient healthcare but also exceptional care, especially in underserved areas. Because it guarantees that healthcare standards are maintained everywhere, this is in line with the larger objectives of sustainable development. Furthermore, the focus on professional growth and fair pay emphasizes the importance of respectable working circumstances, a subject we have covered in-depth in our classes. Seeing these ideas put into practice and understanding their real-world applications was enlightening. This tale also helped us identify certain knowledge gaps, especially with regard to the difficulties faced by rural healthcare providers and the best ways to deal with them.
Analysing Fayview Holistic Care Nursing Services’ AIM2Flourish story has caused us to consider how we might use these lessons for our future professional aims. Although we frequently concentrate on financial metrics as business students, this exercise has made it clear how important it is to also take social and environmental effects into account. We will work to adopt a more balanced approach in our work life going forward, making sure that the choices we make benefit the environment and society. The significance of cross-cultural interaction and understanding has also been underlined by this experience. Our perspectives and critical thinking skills about global challenges have been enhanced by working on this project with team members from a variety of cultural backgrounds. As aspiring business leaders, we want to create work environments that, like Fayview, value and support their people. Since these factors are essential for long-term success and sustainability, we will fight for equitable pay, professional growth, and a positive work environment.
Cross-Cultural Experience: As aspiring business leaders, we want to create work environments that, like Fayview, value and support their people. Since these factors are essential for long-term success and sustainability, we will fight for equitable pay, professional growth, and a positive work environment.
Course Learnings: Our study was greatly influenced by the ideas we studied in our classes, including corporate responsibility, sustainability, and the triple bottom line. These guidelines enabled us to assess Fayview’s approach objectively and comprehend its wider ramifications for both business and society.
Teamwork and Task Sharing: We divided the work according to each person’s interests and strengths. We found this approach to be effective since it made sure that everyone could contribute in a meaningful way. Our success was largely due to open communication and frequent meetings. To guarantee that everyone could participate completely, it was difficult to coordinate schedules across time zones, but we managed it and took extra work.
Identifying What Worked and What Did Not: Our ability to work together and divide jobs according to skill was what made things go smoothly for us. However, managing our time and making sure everyone on the team was consistently involved presented some difficulties. We discovered that to keep everyone on track, it is critical to establish clear deadlines and communicate frequently.
We feel more prepared to pursue jobs that strike a balance between social and environmental responsibility and profitability after incorporating what we learnt from Fayview and our classes. We will keep helping each other develop and use these insights in our future careers.
INDIVIDUAL REFLECTIONS
Hanita Zarrin
As a student majoring in Global Management at my home university in Canada, I constantly learn about global businesses and how they work. I have taken multiple courses on managing interpersonal relationships with members of different cultures. However, this assignment allowed me to bring those lectures to practice. I was able to experience firsthand how to manage different work ethics and perspectives while having everyone work toward the same goal as I am. Being Canadian and working with students from Canada, I could understand their dynamics. Luckily, the other two group members are from England; this holds excellent value as Canada and England are very similar in culture. The group maintained excellent communication throughout the deliberation process of the assignment, making it a seamless process for everyone. Regarding challenges within the group, there were slim to present, as we all respected each other’s timelines. Although we had to work around multiple time zones, all group members participated significantly during the meeting. If there were members who were unable to attend a meeting, the rest understood and filled them in on the topics discussed in the group chat.
Filip Rutkowski
I enjoyed this activity. It was new for me to work with people all around the world using only online communication. But it allowed me to polish my leadership and managerial skills, which I am really happy with. Sometimes, it was challenging to organize all the assignments we had to do, but we worked it out. I did not feel the cross-cultural dynamics that strongly. I am a person who likes getting right to the point and completing what’s on the agenda as efficiently as possible, and I felt the same attitude from the Canadians and the English, which was a positive thing because we could get done with the agenda for each meeting quickly. The time zone wasn’t really a problem, just a slight misstep when we went back 1 hour on the 27th of October, and I forgot about it, so the Canadians were waiting for us to start the meeting at 19, and we usually met at 20, but that’s just a thing to keep in mind for the future. Overall, I grew from that experience and developed new skills therefore, I am satisfied and eager to participate in similar projects.
Connor Legault
I was very excited when the COIL project was first introduced to me at the beginning of the semester. I thought this would be an amazing opportunity for me to gain more experience with working professionally to complete a project. Being part of an international team was a very exciting aspect of this project as I have never had the opportunity to work or collaborate with people from around the world like I was able to with COIL. Within our group, outside of UoG, we had two members from Spain and two from the UK. Cross-cultural dynamics did not have an impact on our group; I did not experience any situations where I was required to adapt to different cultural perspectives or approaches during the project. At the beginning of this project, the different time zones that we are all in did pose an issue initially, as Spain is six hours ahead of Canada, and the UK is five hours ahead of Canada. This gave us a challenge when deciding when we would meet since mornings and evenings worked best for me since I had classes in the afternoon. These times also worked best for members in the UK and Spain however, when it is morning on that side of the plant, it is the middle of the night here, and in the evening in Canada, it is the middle of the night in that part of the world. So, unfortunately, there was no convenient time for any of us. Ultimately, we agreed on Mondays at 2 P.m. Canadian time, which worked out since this was during the evening for Spain and the UK, and I had a break in between classes at this time. This was a very unique experience since I have never been in a situation where I was required to work with individuals from around the world and in different time zones. This experience has changed my approach to time management and flexibility while working within a global team. The COIL project has greatly improved my teamwork and global group collaboration skills, and I am excited to hopefully put these skills to use in real within a professional role.
Beulah Shiyani Kirupainayagam
As a Sri Lankan student studying Business and Management at the University of South Wales (USW), participating in the COIL project with students from Canada and Spain was an exciting and enriching experience. Meeting new friends and working with people from different backgrounds allowed me to appreciate diverse perspectives and approaches to problem-solving. We divided tasks based on our skills, which made our work more efficient. Despite the time differences, we managed to organize our meetings and discuss everything necessary. Using various communication tools helped us stay connected and keep things on track. The experience of coordinating across time zones taught me the importance of time management and adaptability in a global team setting. This project improved my leadership and management skills. It also highlighted the importance of flexibility and good communication when working with a diverse team. Overall, this activity enhanced my understanding of teamwork, cross-cultural communication, and project management. I am grateful for the experience and the insights gained, and I look forward to participating in similar projects in the future.
Bimaya Ellepola Gedara
I gained a deeper understanding of sustainability and the international efforts promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN by participating in the COIL project with an international team. Working with a global team gave me an understanding of how various nations effectively approach sustainability. Time zone differences caused scheduling issues for the team. However, we discovered efficient ways to use Zoom for more in-depth conversations and WhatsApp for instant updates and reminders. Despite the distance, we were able to maintain organization and move the project along solely due to these tools. This experience was a great way to become adapted to different working methods and cultural viewpoints. In addition to improving my capacity for collaboration, this project gave me hands-on experience with international environmental initiatives. I am excited to use all of these skills in future projects while applying what I’ve learnt to promote sustainable practices in my professional life.
Amirhossein Davoodikhoo
As an international student studying Finance and Management at the university of Guelph, the COIL activity steps further into a collaborative environment working with students across the world. Before my studies at the university of Guelph, I was studying at Columbia International College boarding school for four years allowing me to meet students from 78 countries across the world. With my academic background and experience with diverse cultures, I was excited to be gifted the opportunity to collaborate with my international group members. I believe the most important aspect of the COIL studies as mentioned by Professor Ruben Burga is to be open-minded and flexible. With our group-mates located across in Spain and UK, all the members promote a supportive and communicative environment to ensure an effective approach and further our understanding to the COIL assignment. Moreover, our early discussions and decisions reaching a common ground on standards and norms as well as shared responsibilities resulted avoiding confusions and cross-cultural dynamics. With our team meetings held on Mondays at 2pm Canadian, 6pm Spain and 7pm Uk, all the members had full attendance to all the meetings. Our team stayed on top of the rubric and expectations ensuring satisfactory performance for all group members. Moreover, with an effective communication and members engagement our team ensured the appropriate deliveries meeting deadlines. My approach to international teamwork has improved as a result of this experience, and I have gained useful skills that complement my interest in international business. My teamwork and collaboration skills have been significantly enhanced by the COIL project, and I am eager to use them in a professional setting.
References:
Slaper, T. F., & Hall, T. J. (2011). The triple bottom line: What is it and how does it work. Indiana Business Review, 86(1), 4-8
