Project Takeaways

Today was the day. Ten weeks of research, meetings, phone conversations, and PowerPoint-making culminated today, taking the form of one awesome presentation.

Over the past ten weeks or so, I've worked with fellow Dwellworks interns - five from Cleveland, Ohio; one from Ottawa, Canada; and one from Truro, England - on a project focusing on Hofstede's cultural dimensions in the countries in which we currently operate. It was a mind-opening experience, during which time I learned both valuable information related to cultural relativism and valuable skills related to what I'd like to call the "long distance business relationship."

It is sometimes hard to put into practice the information we read or are presented. However, in my role at Dwellworks, I have had several opportunities to apply what I've learned about cultural relatively - both generally and specifically. For example, we learned during the course of our project that many Latin and Central American countries prefer to nurture relationships before jumping right into business discussion. This is something I have taken into account when handling phone calls and emails with associates from our Mexico and Costa Rica offices, during which I make a conscious effort to open with engaging and genuine small talk. 

Aside from the fruits of some extensive research, I have also experienced long-distance business meetings in practical application. Phone meetings definitely have their challenges. The sound is sometimes muffled by the phone, and the lack of visual cues more-often-than-not leads to people unintentionally talking over each other, followed by an awkward pause while both retreat and then accidentally talk over each other again. Given that there were six interns in the Cleveland office, we had to be ever conscious of being considerate of Shane in Canada and Sophie in the UK; we had to make sure that we spoke loudly and clearly into the microphone and that we didn't speak over each other or engage in any side conversation. I also personally made a conscious effort to ask Shane and Sophie for their opinions, since I imagine it would be hard for them to chime in when members in the Cleveland office could so easily speak one after another. For an insightful look into what it is like on the other side of the phone, check out Sophie's blog post "Conference Dimensions." 

After ten weeks, two practice presentations, and many re-accommodations and adaptations, our presentation was delivered today in what I believe to have been a success. Members of our audience expressed praise, and we were very gracious that they all came to support us - although I was not the least bit surprised, given the company's supportive and encouraging culture.

While I am (surprisingly) sad that my time spent with my teammates has come to a close, I have taken away valuable insight, knowledge, and skills that I know will serve me in my future endeavors, both inside the business world and out. For that, I am pensive and grateful.

-Kaitlyn