95 Jrnalize in Saudi Arabia

Team 9 Poster

Team Reflection

Jrnalize’s narrative is one of ingenuity, tenacity, and sustainability. Established in 2020, this emerging company focuses on creating handcrafted sketchbooks and notebooks for artists, illustrators, and others who value organization. The proprietor, who has a background in graphic design and a passion for art, found bookbinding as a means of combining her digital expertise with handicrafts. She started making during the COVID-19 pandemic after being inspired by other female creatives, turning her free time into a worthwhile endeavour.With its use of recycled materials and emphasis on sustainability in all of its products, Jrnalize stands out for its dedication to environmentally friendly methods. Many entrepreneurs may relate to the initial difficulties of choosing high-quality materials and marketing without any prior experience, but it is wonderful that the owner is determined to learn from these setbacks. A specialized work area, a distinct design concept, and a strong internet presence are important components of her success. She successfully displays her own style and handmade philosophy by working with local agencies and utilizing social media sites like Instagram. Because her story mirrors a larger picture towards sustainability and community support, I find it to be both inspirational and relevant to issues in our world today. In addition to establishing her brand as socially conscious, the owner’s commitment to always choosing eco-friendly materials inspires their customers to make wise decisions. Her goal to encourage journaling as a way to improve mental health also highlights just how important self-expression is in today’s modern environment. All things considered, Jrnalize combines creativity with a dedication to sustainability and community, embodying the traits of a contemporary innovator. This innovation has prompted more awareness surrounding the issue of environmental sustainability. I see the value of an individual daily making eco-conscious decisions and from a business perspective carrying out practices advocating for positive change. I can connect this to my academic knowledge by understanding the importance of sustainability and accountability. The textbook “The Integration of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability into Responsible Management” by Ruben Barga, touches upon the global importance of such practices, “environmental sustainability is interlinked with a global complex adaptive system that is framed by our responsible management of societal and natural resources” (Burga, 2022). Thus, looking back at the company, Jrnalize, we can see that being implemented by the responsible use of raw recycled materials, and the impact this has on society. Understanding the story of Jrnalize, sets a standard for other businesses to be creative with meeting SDG 12; Responsible Consumption and Production.

Furthermore, I learned that Jrnalize also fulfills one of the Millennium Development Goals, “reforming the UN mission towards environmental and societal positive changes” (Burga, 2022), with goal number 7 being to “Ensure Environment Sustainability” (Burga, 2022). I have learned how valuable it is for a company to address environmental sustainability and actively practice it. Jrnalize using recycled materials to combat climate change is an important practice being continuously performed by this business. I’ve learned the issue of climate change “has caused a drastic impact on ecosystems globally with a disproportionate impact on Indigenous communities world wide” (Burga, 2022), therefore, it’s crucial for a business to integrate similar practices using Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The AIM2Flourish group work with Jrnalize demonstrated how innovation may have a positive social impact. Journalz’s emphasis on making educational technologies easily available supports the SDG of “Quality Education,” empowering marginalised people and advancing equality. To ensure efficiency and uphold a high-quality outcome, we thoughtfully set tasks. Group discussions emphasized Journalz’s adaptability to different cultural contexts, showing the importance of inclusivity. Personally, I learned the value of purpose-driven leadership that prioritizes long-term social goals over immediate profit. For example, with a passion for art and a background in graphic design, the entrepreneur discovered bookbinding as a way to combine her handcraft skills with her digital abilities. The story we studied was a clear example of how innovation, when oriented towards solving social or environmental problems, not only benefits the community, but also strengthens the long-term viability of the company. My perspective on leadership and entrepreneurship has changed as a result of this experience, and I am now motivated to incorporate sustainability and ethics into business choices to make sure that innovation benefits the environment and society. By emphasizing sustainable behaviors, I hope to encourage others to make thoughtful choices that benefit the environment and the community. The AIM2Flourish group project with Jrnalize showed how innovation may benefit society. The SDG of “Quality Education,” which empowers marginalized individuals and advances equality, is supported by Journalz’s commitment on making educational tools freely accessible. We carefully define duties in order to guarantee effectiveness and maintain a high-quality result. Journalz’s capacity to adapt to many cultural situations was highlighted in group discussions, highlighting the value of inclusion. For my part, I discovered the need of purpose-driven leadership that puts long-term societal objectives ahead of short-term financial gain. The case study we looked at demonstrated how innovation that is focused on addressing environmental or social issues not only helps the community but also increases the company’s long-term sustainability.

This experience has altered the way I view leadership and entrepreneurship, and I am now inspired to make ethical and sustainable business decisions to ensure that innovation benefits society and the environment gain more attention. Every day, I witness the importance of an individual making environmentally responsible choices and, from a company standpoint, implementing policies that support constructive change. The things we learned as a team from the (COIL) project, we learned from this multicultural experience that we must have several qualities in order to succeed as a diverse virtual team such as: respect, cooperation, trust, and commitment (Kwantes and Glazer, 2017), respect, so we respect our different ideas, cultures, and ethnic differences, cooperation by helping each other in difficult tasks and trying to share our knowledge, which facilitates the completion and mastery of the work, and commitment, so each person committed to the tasks assigned to him and worked hard and completed them on the agreed time. These qualities are the qualities of a good relationship between the virtual team, which we learned previously and felt their importance of this experience. We also learned that cultural, ethnic, and gender diversity in work groups is better than everyone in the group being from the same country and with the same qualities, because it creates an opportunity for creativity and solving problems in a more effective way (Kwantes and Glazer, 2017), and this is due to our ability to collect more ideas and multiple points of view on things, which is due to our diversity. The information we learned from the courses helped us to manage these differences in a good way so that they do not turn into ineffective conflicts that hinder the team’s performance. We do this by learning about each other’s cultures and countries so that we can respect and understand what is not allowed in each culture and the correct way to deal with it, which facilitates work between us and maintains the team’s effectiveness. The work was efficiently organized and divided among team members, ensuring that each individual contributed based on their unique strengths and skills. To maximize efficiency and maintain a high-quality end result, we strategically assigned tasks. Shoug and Shahad conducted the interviews, using their communication skills to gather useful and comprehensive information. Peter and Ava created the story, structuring and presenting content in an engaging way that resulted in a compelling and coherent narrative. Claudia and Victoria designed the poster, using their creativity and attention to detail to produce a visually appealing and effective message. Everyone participated in the reflection, offering diverse perspectives that enhanced the overall quality of the work. Dividing tasks according to strengths improved efficiency and productivity, with team members feeling confident and motivated. The final interview, story, and poster were polished and comprehensive, created collaboratively in a well-structured sequence. Despite minor scheduling conflicts that were resolved through advance coordination, the strategic task assignment ensured a smooth workflow, making the project a successful collaboration.

Individual Reflections

Shoug Khalid Alqasem

This cultural experience was beneficial to me because it broadened my horizons and also increased my flexibility in teamwork, so I feel that I can work effectively in the future jobs with culturally, religiously and sexually diverse employees. The things that I liked, I conducted an interview for the first time which increased my confidence, and the extent of cooperation of my team members in terms of helping each other and benefiting from each members’ resources, also the fact that dividing the work between us was easier than I expected, as there were no problems and everyone was ready to do the work. But what I did not like and was the most difficult part for me was my attempt to agree with the members on a specific time and day for the weekly meeting due to the difference in time zones and the difference in our university tasks, but I was able to solve the problem by increasing my flexibility in time and dividing my time correctly so that we could find a suitable time for everyone to meet. In general, I felt that it was a beautiful and effective experience and I learned a lot from it, such as that not all things that are acceptable in my culture are allowed in other cultures, and it gave me a positive idea of teamwork with diverse people.

Shahad Mohammad Hneef

My experience working with international students has been incredibly inspiring and transformative. Collaborating with colleagues from diverse cultural backgrounds has not only broadened my perspective but also equipped me with invaluable skills in communication and critical thinking. This opportunity pushed me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to learn how to navigate cultural differences effectively, fostering a richer, more inclusive approach to problem-solving. It was truly a fantastic chance to improve my ability to work in a team, communicate across language and cultural barriers, and contribute meaningfully to a shared goal, all of which added depth to the collective thought process and group dynamics.

In addition to this, I recently had the chance to participate in an interview with a company, which was both a new and enlightening experience for me. During the interview, I gained a deeper understanding of the critical role sustainability plays in shaping contemporary projects. I also learned about the challenges that come with implementing sustainable solutions in today’s world. The experience was incredibly motivating, as it highlighted the growing importance of integrating sustainability into different business practices and opened my eyes to the many ways in which these concepts can drive meaningful change. These experiences, taken together, have significantly boosted my confidence and expanded my worldview. Working in a diverse, international setting and engaging with real-world sustainability discussions have prepared me to tackle future challenges with greater readiness and understanding. I now feel more equipped to contribute positively to a global community that is focused on sustainability, innovation, and making a difference. I also realized the importance of teamwork and collaboration in achieving greater goals, which I consider one of the most valuable lessons in my academic and professional journey.

Ava Paul 

I believe that this activity was a unique opportunity to collaborate with others on a global scale to work on something we all understand is valuable to address. It was interesting to learn from my group members how we differentiate culturally, as well as how to collaborate efficiently with the cross-cultural dynamics. Despite some occasional miscommunications, everyone in the group participated outstandingly and was able to communicate their ideas, thoughts, and concerns. The biggest challenge for us as a group was working around the multiple time zones as it got difficult when some of us experienced busy schedules. We all showed efficient communication when this happened and worked around sorting time so that everyone could participate. We learned the best way to overcome this challenge was to be consistent with the time or day that we met, making this a set responsibility needed to attend each week.

Peter Stefanac 

I found this activity to be very intriguing and interesting. I found it interesting to learn from my other group members and hear their perspective on how certain tasks should be completed as well as just communicating to everyone during our zoom calls. I think it was a great way of learning different skills that I can now use in my future projects in order to get work done in a more efficient way. I believe that our group all contributed to the project to the best of our abilities and did an amazing job.The biggest challenge which I think most people in the group would agree with was being able to set up meetings that worked for everyone in the group. Trying to work around the different time zones proved to be more challenging than I had thought but I believe that we worked through it the best we could with great communication and patience from everyone.

Claudia Bailly-Baillière 

Being a part of the AIM2Flourish project was a rewarding experience that gave me the chance to work with a diverse virtual team and investigate effective business techniques. The common objective of identifying practical instances of innovation that support sustainable development inspired me; my future self. . I have  developed as a team player through the experience, which promoted empathy and understanding as we worked to fit our different points of view and produce a coherent analysis. Communication successes came from being transparent and receptive to feedback. We tried to be adaptable when unanticipated problems happened and made sure that expectations and updates were understood. Time zone differences and cross-cultural dynamics were difficult to manage, particularly when it came to scheduling and maintaining effective communication. Nevertheless, these challenges presented chances for development. We discovered how to be adaptable and patient while coming up with original ways to clear up any confusion.

Victoria Encabo González-Cela 

I feel that the AIM2Flourish activity provided a unique chance to cooperate with others on a worldwide basis on something we all see as important to solve. It was fascinating to discover from my group members how we differ culturally. Although we had our miscommunications, everyone in the group contributed greatly. I believe it was an excellent approach to acquire new abilities that I can apply to future projects to help me complete tasks more efficiently. I feel that our group gave the project our all and accomplished an outstanding job. I found it interesting to learn from my group members and hear other perspectives on how certain chores should be accomplished, as well as just talking with everyone during our Zoom conversations.
For me, the biggest struggle was to schedule meetings that worked for everyone, working across several time zones was the most challenging issue. When this happened, we all communicated effectively and worked around sorting times to ensure that everyone could participate. We discovered that the best approach to overcome this difficulty was to remain constant with the time or day that we met, making attendance a weekly commitment.