27 SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities – Team 30

Team Reflection
Embarking on the AIM2Flourish project allowed our team to delve deeply into the transformative role of business in society, particularly through the lens of Sustainable Development Goal 10 (SDG). This reflection is a collective synthesis of our journey, insights, and the profound realization of the potential businesses have in driving social good.

What
We began our journey by delving into our SDG: Reduced inequalities, and our country’s endured efforts to make this SDG a reality. We then analyzed various narratives, both sought out by us and provided, to explore how diverse perspectives could contribute to our Sustainable Development Goal and others. This process allowed us to identify common themes and peculiarities across these stories and contemplate how they influenced and why they impacted our SDGs.

So What?
Our collection of stories directly sought to reduce inequality while actively creating shared value in their surrounding community. Each business initiative was an effort to address an issue that was related to a problem in their direct vicinity. They saw business opportunities in providing value to under-resourced and under-served groups, embedding inclusion within their operations and creating value through their skill allocation.
This activity has reinforced some of our pre-existing knowledge about sustainability or corporate accountability but has also covered gaps and challenged our assumptions in these areas. These stories and the analysis of them have provided us with a fresh perspective on the potential that businesses to contribute to societal good.

Now what?
The action we are going to take in our individual realities stems from the lessons learned in this project and our reflections on the future. During the work, we have deepened our existing knowledge about the SDG and expanded our understanding by exploring how this goal is experienced in different countries. Looking ahead, we are interested in investigating how companies address the SDG, as well as identifying ways to promote equality in various areas and establish relevant strategies. This project has motivated us to seek to generate a positive impact in all our activities, by recognizing the importance of the SDG. Furthermore, by comparing circumstances and situations in different places, we have gained a greater awareness of the relevance of the development and effective implementation of this goal worldwide.
The AIM2Flourish stories have changed the way we perceive business in society, as a driving force incorporating social development within the community. Through adaptive inquiry, it was demonstrated that businesses have easily embraced sustainable development within existing initiatives. As future business people, we see a clear connection between these stories and our future actions through a commitment to sustainability and ethical practices.
With the collaborative nature of our project, diverse perspectives were essential in enriching our understanding of business utility. Despite the difference in time zones, we demonstrated effective teamwork through shared tasks, constructive feedback, and weekly meetings. Our dedication to consistent communication highlights the importance of collaboration in achieving our group’s goals.
Reflecting on this project prompts a broader contemplation of business practices’ implications on society and the environment. Businesses have the potential to integrate sustainability more deeply into their core strategies, but this requires a paradigm shift in how business success is defined and measured.
The cross-cultural collaboration involved in this project provided a wider range of perspectives regarding sustainable business practices, reinforced by background knowledge acquired within our respective institutions. Regulatory business standards differ across the world, but globally there is a unified effort to push businesses to incorporate socially responsible practices within corporate policies. Businesses that support the communities are the businesses we strive to support.
Reflecting on the integration of sustainability into business strategies, it’s clear that businesses need to adopt a holistic approach. This involves not only recognizing the importance of sustainability for the environment and society but also understanding its economic benefits. Businesses can start by embedding sustainability into their vision and mission, ensuring it becomes a core part of their identity rather than an afterthought. This means rethinking supply chains, product life cycles, and even the way they interact with consumers and communities to be more sustainable, because innovative thinking is crucial
What did the team learn from this cross-cultural experience in the context of what you were taught in your courses?
Working in a cross-cultural team has provided us with different perspectives and approaches towards sustainability across various cultures. Additionally, it has helped us understand the practical aspects of the SDGs, know how to implement them through businesses and analyze the different strategies and key points for the success of sustainable companies. It has helped us complement our course, learning to work with different viewpoints and cultures and to see different approaches in the field of sustainability.
How did the learnings in your courses supplement your teamwork?:
Our courses have provided us with some insights into sustainability practices, as well as social responsibility, which has helped us to analyze the businesses and their main aspects, regarding their impact on the Sustainable Development Goal. Also, working in other courses in teams has helped us to know how to organize teamwork and how to divide the work or apply different perspectives.
How was the work conducted (describe how you shared the tasks):
We meet once a week to develop the task assigned to that week. Previous to that meeting we have individually worked on the task and brought to the meeting some insights to share with the others. Then, in the meeting, we divided the task among the participants of the meeting, and after all of us had done our part, all of us had a look at all the parts and added something or discussed some other things to be all aware of all the parts of the task and agree with what was done.

Individual Reflections
Cam
As part of the virtual team, I felt global time differences would provide much difficulty, but from participating group members I felt a unified sense of engagement for sustainable business initiatives. A relative appreciation for business innovations and a shared group mindset for sustainability made facilitating conversation around sustainable business opportunities worthwhile. There were some difficulties in coordination, though generally the meetings were efficient and productive. I felt we prepared adequately in advance so that meetings could progress in a timely manner. This activity was difficult in the communication of urgent details, weekly tasks or instructions require effort and time, by consistently attending the weekly meetings we had a good sense of each activity. The aspect of providing our individual perspectives from various geographical points of view allows for a proportioned understanding of how businesses contribute to social good.