107 Sustainability Victoria in Australia

Team 56 Poster

Team Reflection

The story of Sustainability Victoria is both inspiring and practical, showing how real change can start with simple ideas. They’re not just trying to recycle more; they’re working to change how people think about waste, aiming to reduce it before it even begins. Their work with local communities and industries to promote a “circular economy” is impressive, and programs like the Repair Cafes really stand out to us. There, people can bring broken items to get fixed instead of just throwing them away. It’s such an amazing idea and knowing that over 1,500 people have taken part makes us feel hopeful. It shows that people are ready to make small sustainable changes when they have the opportunity.

Hearing from Jenny Littlewood adds a personal layer to this story. She doesn’t just talk about the environment, she’s genuinely invested in helping people gain control over their choices. Her enthusiasm for the “right to repair” movement and her push for community initiatives show her commitment to building a sustainable culture where people feel empowered. Her words resonate with us because they’re about real change driven by ordinary people. Jenny’s approach makes us think that sustainability is achievable and that it’s not just an abstract goal. It makes us reflect on our own habits and how we could take small steps like repairing or reusing that could add up to a bigger impact over time.

Engaging with Sustainability Victoria revealed how deeply they have integrated sustainability into their core operations, moving beyond superficial efforts to genuinely impact society and the environment. Our interview with a dedicated team member highlighted her passion for volunteering and her commitment to creating meaningful change, inspiring us to expand our understanding of circular economies. Prior to this experience, our team had limited knowledge in this area, but learning about the organization’s success challenged our assumptions about what businesses can and should do in terms of sustainability. It reinforced the importance of the triple bottom line—people, planet, and profit—and emphasized that genuine sustainability practices can enhance accountability and transparency, ultimately driving innovation and positive social impact.

Upon completing the Aim2Flourish project the team has cooperated together very succinctly and efficiently. Different tasks were delegated accordingly which ensured equal contribution across members and any confusion we had was resolved in our weekly online calls. Strengthening group collaboration is a valuable skill in all areas of commerce, and working on a project with an environmental focus felt meaningful, as sustainability is crucial both for people and the planet.

In reviewing our team’s reflections a common theme emerged: a strong interest in engaging with individuals from diverse backgrounds. Initially some were a bit skeptical about cross-culture communication but ultimately proved to be a very rewarding experience. Although communicating online removes geographical challenges there are always common difficulties with connectivity and audio problems when talking on either Teams or Zoom that most people in the group faced at least once. Looking into the future I think online technology is only growing and will continue to be a platform of commercial communication, therefore incorporating the posters in the metaverse is definitely an interesting concept that many might become more acquainted with. Finally, the importance of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be overstated; humanity’s progress relies on actively working toward these goals to ensure a sustainable future for all.

Through this cross-cultural encounter, the team gained important insights about working together, effective communication, and being flexible in an international setting, which supported the main ideas covered in our classes. An important lesson learned was the importance of being culturally aware and sensitive, which aided in understanding and honoring various viewpoints and approaches to work.

This instance reflected our learning about cultural dimensions and communication styles, demonstrating the effects of divergent approaches on team dynamics and decision-making. We witnessed for ourselves the difficulties and tactics involved in working as a team virtually across different time zones. Ideas such as asynchronous communication and scheduling flexibility were sometimes complicated to the achievement of our project, directly relating to the significance of adaptability and resilience in overseeing cross-cultural projects. In the end, this encounter emphasized the significance of empathy, attentive listening, and open-mindedness, allowing us to apply theory and develop as a united, culturally conscious group.

The knowledge we gained from our classes greatly contributed to improving our collaboration and enabled us to effectively handle challenges. Gaining an understanding of cultural frameworks provided us with knowledge about possible variations in communication styles, attitudes towards hierarchy, and time management strategies. This recognition helped us in better understanding each team member’s contributions and preventing misinterpretations.

In the first meeting, we discussed and scheduled meetings once a week at a time that suited everyone, taking into account the different time zones of our team members, and we shared Google documents between us so that each member was aware of what was happening in the meetings and what is important, and this helped us to stay on track and continue to progress. After that, we discussed the companies that support sustainability and how we can meet with them as soon as possible to do the other tasks and we chose the sustainability company Victoria, Ben and Anna interviewed the company’s public relations and media Lead.

After that, Denise and Amanda worked on the story, Reem and Nouf worked on the poster, and then all the members of the group wrote the group and individual reflections. We think one of the things that worked well during this project was the division of tasks among the members of the group, as well as taking into account the time difference and synchronization. In general, there is no major issue that we encountered. We may have had limited time to think in-depth about the interview, story, poster, and reflection, and we think that more time would have been better.

Individual Reflections

Ben’s Reflection 

Working on this project has been an enjoyable and unique experience for me, as I’ve never been involved in something quite like it before. I found it particularly interesting that we were given the freedom to choose our own company and conduct a candidate interview, which felt like a real-world challenge and offered practical insights. Although I’m used to collaborating with people from diverse backgrounds at my home university, communicating online with students living overseas added a new perspective. Coordinating a video call that worked across multiple time zones was another valuable lesson in the logistics of global business and communication.

One challenge I encountered was the lack of clear guidelines for the interview; I wasn’t entirely sure what questions were expected. While I understood that the focus was on the business and its environmental initiatives, I felt the scope could have been a bit more clearer in its contention. Despite this, the project has been a rewarding opportunity to develop cross-cultural communication skills and understanding, from which I’ve learned a great deal. I’m looking forward to seeing how all the posters turn out in the metaverse.

Anna’s Reflection

Participating in this experiential activity as part of a virtual team was both unique and challenging. I found it fascinating to work on a project with a company genuinely committed to sustainability and to have the opportunity to join the interview process. Sustainability is an important focus for many organizations, and seeing firsthand how this company integrates sustainable practices into its operations made me want to learn more about the field.

Connecting with teammates was surprisingly smooth, we adapted well by being flexible with meeting times across different time zones. Although communicating via video calls posed challenges compared to in-person discussions, we quickly found ways to ensure everyone could share insights effectively. Working as part of a diverse, cross-cultural team provided valuable perspectives, and I appreciated how each member brought unique strengths and ideas that enhanced our project. Overall, this experience deepened my understanding of sustainable business practices and strengthened my skills in virtual teamwork and communication.

Amanda’s Reflection

For me, this experience was thoroughly enjoyable. I went into it feeling fairly uncertain about how we would work together as a team and how we could resolve any issues but I quickly saw that this was not a problem. Cultural differences did not pose an issue for us, we were able to communicate efficiently despite our differences. Rather, one of the issues that I felt was present was simply the difficulties that came with working in an online environment. Sometimes someone would not be able to join, or I could not hear, or a computer would crash. Though, despite this we were all still able to communicate even if conversation was not as natural as it would have been had we been in person. All members of our group were very involved, everyone agreed on times to meet, accepted responsibility for various parts of the assignments and treated everyone else with kindness and respect. I think that having these cross-cultural learning experiences is very important in the sense that it is very applicable to the business world and it will likely be applicable in all of our future careers. Also, I would say the same about many of the other aspects. Doing the interview teaches practical skills which will definitely be used as well as contacting the company initially to ask if they would be interested in participating. Overall, this learning experience was excellent.

Denise’s Reflection

Working on the COIL project has been a truly enriching experience. From collaborating with students across the globe to gaining insights into their unique cultures, I found each interaction both inspiring and eye-opening. Managing time zones and coordinating schedules required flexibility and patience, as our team included members from Canada, Saudi Arabia and Spain. Tools like WorldTimeBuddy were essential in keeping us on track, yet it still required everyone to make adjustments and compromises. Navigating cross-cultural dynamics brought diverse viewpoints to our discussions on sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. As we shared ideas and worked toward developing our AIM2Flourish story, I gained a deeper appreciation for sustainability practices worldwide and learned how businesses in different regions approach similar challenges. This activity helped strengthen my collaborative skills, allowing me to adapt and connect effectively with my peers, despite cultural differences. Ultimately, this experience expanded my global perspective and deepened my understanding of sustainable innovation, which I believe will benefit me in future professional settings.

Reem’s Reflection

In the beginning, I was nervous about how to cooperate with people with different culture and how we would communicate, especially with different times and cultures, but on the contrary, the cooperation between us was great and understanding, and we agreed on a specific time every week that suits everyone through the Teams program, it was very easy in order to agree on the distribution of tasks and cooperation between us, it was a new learning experience for me and I learned a lot of skills such as communication and also getting to know different cultures and dealing with them. We searched for a company that supports sustainability together and then we chose a company that already supports sustainability and interviewed two members of the team, after that we did the other tasks related to the interview. This project taught me how to deal with other cultures and how to communicate.

Nouf’s Reflection

Working on this virtual team was a mix of excitement, learning, and growth. Meeting people from different cultures and seeing how each of us approached problems was fascinating. Each team member brought unique perspectives, which made our discussions richer and sparked new ideas. Navigating the different time zones definitely had its challenges, but we worked together and solved the problem by putting a specific time for the meetings and it worked. All of this helped us develop patience and taught us the importance of flexibility and understanding.

Using appreciative inquiry felt inspiring. It encouraged us to focus on positive stories of innovation, which gave a refreshing direction to our work. it felt like we were contributing to something bigger than ourselves. Overall, the experience strengthened my communication and teamwork skills, showing how powerful collaboration can be, even when distance separates us. This project has been a memorable part of my learning journey.

References

Burga, R. (2022). The Integration of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability into Responsible Management. https://books.lib.uoguelph.ca/mgmt-3020/

Milne, M. J., & Gray, R. (2013). W(h)ither Ecology? The Triple Bottom Line, the Global Reporting Initiative, and Corporate Sustainability Reporting. Journal of Business Ethics, 118(1), 13–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1543-8