75 Orsini Pharmaceutical Services LLC in the UK

Team Reflection

Over the last month, team 91 has spent an extensive amount of time trying to understand the impact that businesses can have on Sustainable Development Goals. Subsequently, Orsini Pharmaceutical Services LLC has allowed team 91 to analyze their company’s innovation regarding the Sustainable Development Goals that this company is trying to achieve. Moreover, this provided team 91 with an opportunity to learn from this cross-cultural experience as we had to work with different cultures and issues that came from working with an international team. Thus, this reflection will focus on what team 91 learned from working on this project with students across the globe. To be specific, we will be talking about what we learned from this cross-cultural experience, how our learnings from our courses supplemented our work, how the work was conducted, and what worked and what did not.

In context of what was taught in our courses, team 91 learned that one of the most difficult things that came from working in an international team is the cultural differences in values that everyone practices, which was also mentioned in 3.6 Globalization and Principles of Management. For example, Assertiveness in the United States and Canada is a value that is highly practiced in these countries while it isn’t practiced a lot in England. This held true as team 91 experienced some communication issues when trying to get in contact with one of the students in the United Kingdom for one of the weekly zoom meetings. Team 91 also learned how to make appreciative enquiry which was discussed in MGMT 301. An appreciative enquiry is a question that is strength-based, focuses on the positive aspects of the company, and highlights was innovations are working. Using this tool to make interview questions allowed team 91 to secure a company to interview because they believed it would be beneficial for their publicity. In the first few weeks, team 91 had a lot of issues when trying to find a company that would consent to being interviewed and published on Aim2Flourish. Despite this, the appreciative enquiry tool allowed us to get a company to interview and publish as they recognized the potential opportunity for growth that can come from this interview as it would be focusing on the positive aspects rather than the negative. “3.6 Globalization and Principles of Management.” Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.

A lot of things that were taught in our courses greatly helped team 91 complete our work efficiently and effectively. For example, section 12.3: Understanding communication allowed us to communicate more effectively and efficiently. By using the process model of communication, we figured out how we should be communicating by saying exactly what we are thinking and provide our interpretation of the message to the sender that way there is not any miscommunication. We felt like communicating thoroughly would help mitigate the effects of noise. Noise is anything that interferes with the message, and this can even be a wrong interpretation of a message, and this is why we emphasized thorough communication even if it can be tedious. Another lesson that was taught in the course that helped supplement team 91’s teamwork was MBO, management by objectives, as we put emphasis on the goals of this project. Our main goals were to have the story and the reflection done within the third week of this project and to have the poster done by the fourth week of this project. Despite the complications that slowed us down, the goals we set really helped us stay determined and focused. It was this shared commitment that ultimately allowed us to see the project through to completion. “12.3: Understanding Communication.” Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.

The work was conducted throughout the last month with extensive meeting time trying to decide the best way to distribute the tasks in a way that allows for the work to be completed the smoothest and have little interference. To do this, we decided to break into three groups of two people based on the school we attended so we can have easy communication because of the ability to meet in person whether in or out of class and with somebody in the same time zone, which eliminates the time of day being an issue in communication. We broke the main assignment down into three parts, which were conducting the interview, designing the poster, and writing the story. We felt like this allowed everybody to contribute equally to this project. We decided on the group from Wales to write the story, the group from Canada to design the poster, and the group from the United States to do conduct the interview and do the bulk of the reflection essay. To determine who was going to do what part of this project, we first decided that whichever company we were doing, that country will conduct the interview and do most of the reflection work, we then decided that since the group from Wales wanted to write the story, that they would be able to work on it which left the group from Canada to design the poster.

Throughout this project, there were several things that did and did not work. Despite having some initial communication issues on deciding the best time to have the weekly meetings due to the several hour time difference between the United States and Wales, but once we were able to have a time where everyone was available, we were able to have positive discussions relating to the project, and we were able to use that same time slot for almost every other future meeting that was needed. There were some things that did not go as smoothly as anticipated during this project, including finding a company willing to be interviewed that was available during the project’s duration. Between having business leaders out of the country to be with family members to multiple business individuals being on parental leave, the majority of the time spent during this period was spent trying to find a willing company, which took countless hours and perseverance, but  thankfully a business person was gracious enough to take time out of their busy schedule to answer our interview questions, which allowed team 91 to complete the project.

In conclusion, team 91 was able to navigate through the difficulties of working with fellow students from differing countries and use new ideas that were being learned while working simultaneously on this project, like how to use appreciative enquiry in our interview questions that would show the prospective businesses that we reached out to for interviews that we worded the questions in a way that would give a publicity to the positive aspects that the companies were doing to promote sustainability. We were also able to use what we learned in class about how to communicate more effectively and efficiently to communicate exactly what we wanted to while trying to block out the noise. Team 91 was able to use effective communication to evenly distribute the work and decide on a meeting time that would work for everyone, while also developing our perseverance skills to find a company willing to be interviewed, no matter how many companies we reached out to as a team.

Individual Reflections:

James Dymitrowicz

As a member of this team, I thought that there were several obstacles that we all had to climb through to successfully complete the various aspects of this project. The difference in time zones was one of the most difficult things that we had to navigate through, since it could be midday in the United States and in Canada while in would already be nighttime in Wales. I felt like the opportunity to work on this project allowed me to have learning experiences about effective communication and how to be more respectful about the different circumstances that everybody must deal with and work through to successfully complete the project. I feel like communication was an issue due to the difference in time and how active we all are on our chosen group chat platform, Instagram. I feel like our communication during this project could have been better, but it could also have been a product of not being on our devices and social media, which could be considered a good thing in a non-school setting. Overall, I feel like this project taught me a lot about effective communication and how to be aware of the differences between students from differing countries and continents.

Jorge Perez

As a member of this team, I felt like this experience was overall a positive experience where I learned a variety of lessons. One of the most important lessons was thorough communication since it can be very easily to misinterpret a message when the people you are trying to communicate with are in a whole other part of the world. Moreover, it is extremely important to elaborate what your message is as someone might be too shy to ask you to explain it. Additionally, providing a clear message that is well explained when communicating can always help any group flourish and become efficient and effective. Although I had a positive experience, team 91 still had some complications trying to find a company to interview and consent to being published on Aim2Floursish. This was a very difficult situation to overcome as we kept getting declined by companies and we could not make any progress with the project. I think that everyone provided equal participation as we all did different parts of the project. Dealing with different time zones was the most difficult barrier to cross as we could only communicate at specific times of the day. Once we were able to establish our meetings, this issue was not as dominant as it was in the beginning of this project.

James West

As a member of team 91, I felt that being involved in this experience was very beneficial although there were some obstacles along the way that we were able to eventually tackle. The first issue we had to overcome was setting up the weekly zoom meeting as the group members consisted of people from different countries around the world which included Wales, America & Canada so we had to find the perfect time that fits all members due to the circumstance of dealing with different time zones. Another issue during the experience was that the different companies we tried to get in contact with were not available to be interviewed whereas other companies did not provide consent for the interview (story) to be uploaded on Aim2Flourish. However, in the end we were able to find a company to interview which allowed us to proceed with the set tasks of completing the story and poster. This experience has allowed me to understand the importance of effective teamwork as it allowed us to understand each team member’s role to ensure we were on the right track. I am grateful to be involved in this experience as I was also able to enhance my teamwork skills such as efficient communication, which I view as a vital skill that will benefit my future self in the world of work.

Aidan Schultz

Participating in the AIM2Flourish project provided tremendous learning opportunities that emphasized the advantages and disadvantages of international collaboration. Navigating time zone disparities among team members from the United States, Canada, and Wales was difficult, demanding meticulous planning and adaptation. Teaching the values of mutual respect and adaptability, improving our team’s resilience. This project’s success relied heavily on effective communication. Using Instagram for group chats displayed the convenience of casual communication while also revealing limitations when organized talks were required. This experience reinforced the need of clear and precise communications to avoid misinterpretation, motivating me to develop my proactive communication skills and adjust for clarity and inclusion. Finding a firm to interview presented significant challenges that strained our team’s persistence and ingenuity. Facing numerous rejections required tenacity and illustrated the necessity of maintaining team morale during a slow process. It was great to see everyone participating equally to overcome these obstacles, demonstrating our collective dedication. The project indicated that effective cooperation involves more than just the division of jobs; it requires proactive listening, adaptation, and leveraging each other’s strengths. Our eventual success in landing an interview and finishing the assignment was a result of our teamwork and commitment. In conclusion, this experience offered me valuable lessons in adaptation, and concise communication. It also emphasized the significance of perseverance and dedication when faced with adversity. I am thankful for the opportunity to work with such devoted peers, and I look forward to implementing what I’ve learned in the future.

Nigel Kasirye

Participating in the AIM2Flourish project seemed to be great too, although difficult at some points. Meeting with teammates based in Wales, America and Canada, for instance, was a great challenge in terms of adjusting time zones and communication patterns. I am not saying they were always simple points to discuss, but we managed to get over such conflicts through respect towards one another and tolerance on a large scale. We communicated on Instagram, which allowed us to have quick discussions, but often stated that there was a need for a more serious approach to detailed and thorough project planning. From this case, I have learned how effective and assertive communication should be practiced almost on a daily basis, or small issues can really accumulate over time. I improved myself in the sense that I was more articulate and made the deliberate effort to include all the voices in the conversation. Perhaps the most difficult of our problems would be locating a company to prepare to do an interview with and allow us to tell their story. It was such a relief to secure an interview after a number of refusals, this felt like a true victory for the group. So, for me in this case thanks to people management training it’s crystal clear, work is not only about splitting tasks but actually accomplishing them through encouraging each other, listening and adapting to others’ requirements. Finally, I wish to emphasize what a pleasure it was to work with such determined team members. Through this experience I was able to improve in patient work, effective communication and teamwork, all skills that I’ll definitely carry forward.

Joseph Grout

Being a part of this team that has members from across the Globe has been hugely beneficial in developing my skills as we have had to overcome obstacles that we have encountered throughout the process. The first hurdle we had to tackle was setting up a meeting plan that would be beneficial for all team members as we had to take into consideration different time zones as we had members from Wales, Canada and America. We were able to set a time and day that suited everyone, meaning we were able to all get together once a week and discuss the necessary work that needed to be completed throughout. As a team we were also able to overcome a major challenge in that we were unable to secure an interview for our project for a while as companies that we were going to interview were unable to give us consent to publish the story. However, a member of our team was eventually able to conduct the interview meaning we could write our story. This project has been a massively positive experience as I have been able to work with students from across the globe and it has allowed me to improve my communication and collaboration skills which will massively benefit me in my future career.