Biggest Takeaway

I definitely learned a lot from this internship this past summer. My biggest takeaway by far was working on our intern group project. My group researched the cultural dimensions of the different countries that Dwellworks operates in. Working on the project for a total of ten weeks was an eye opener for everyone that participated. We all came from different cultures, environments, and schools which lead to somewhat of different opinions throughout the research process. Ultimately, we learned to adapt to one another and found out some interesting facts about each other that we wouldn’t have came across otherwise. The fact that milk comes in bags in Canada still is odd to me… J This project shows that we need to adapt to every day situations in the business world and that the world is becoming more global. Working with our international offices and learning about different cultures is something I will certainly takeaway with me for the future.

-Amber

A Summer's Worth

I can’t believe it! We are coming into the last week of the internship and it is a bittersweet moment.  In the past few weeks the office has been quite busy with a few people out of the office. I am glad that I was able to step in when help was needed. I was tasked with a couple new projects to help with the Supply Chain team in which I was excited to help lower the work load because this summer has been a busy one in recruiting new DSCs for increasing volume in certain metro areas.  The projects included creating scorecards, coverage surveys, and identifying suitable suppliers.  This whole summer has been fun yet productive. That surprises me because usually it’s either a fun or productive summer, but it was both. During the month of July a couple of the newer employees at Dwellworks including Ben and I actually got a tour through our beloved cities of Royal Oak and Birmingham.  The Detroit office has been working diligently in closing the month of June and had a billing prize drawing that Ben and I were included in as well. I was surprised when my name came out as I won a Subway gift card, but it was definitely nice to know that we were included in something like that because I wasn’t expecting anything out of it. Dwellworks is truly something that sticks their values and is expressed in every action.  As the interns are in the closing week of the internship, I cannot thank Dwellworks enough for this great opportunity!

 Also, this coke was sitting at my desk and I thought this was one of the coolest things. Thanks Amber! After a summer of getting to know some of the people at Dwellworks, I can say that they are what makes you come in and enjoy the work you do.

Andrew Tam

Detroit

Intern, Supply Chain

Worthy of a Recommendation (For Some)

Throughout the summer, I have learned that Dwellworks hires people not just based on their skills, but also, possibly even more importantly, based on their character.  For this reason, I would recommend this internship to my friends and classmates, but only those that would thrive in this type of environment. 

I would recommend Dwellworks to my friends and classmates that are ambitious, friendly, open-minded and team oriented.  This type of work environment is not for everyone; I have some friends and know plenty of classmates that prefer to work independently.  Independent workers have the tendency to have a narrow perspective and are motivated by self-glorifying results; therefore, they wouldn’t fit in here.

This summer, I have seen and experienced that Dwellworks employees thrive when working as a team.  This includes setting high goals for the team, the willingness to be open to and accept different ideas/opinions and the friendly interactions that come before, during and after the business interactions. 

Our cultural dimensions group project was a perfect example of this.  Having only been here for the summer, subconsciously and consciously, we began adapting to this environment and replicating the strong characteristics of our leaders.  This couldn’t happen unless we were open and eager to learn from others, 

which is one of the most important aspects of success here at Dwellworks.  

Alex  

Global Supply Chain

Cleveland 

'Our Strength Lies in Our Differences'

For our multi-national Cultural Dimensions team, yesterday saw the climax of our summer-long intern project. In one and a half short hours, we collectively delivered the culmination of eleven weeks' worth of research hours, conference calls, script-writing and practice presentations.

As its name would suggest, the aim of our project has been to acknowledge and understand the cultural diversity that exists in each of the countries in which Dwellworks operates. From the research that Shane and I have conducted into the USA and the interactions that I have been lucky enough to have with my fellow interns in Cleveland and Ottawa, I can wholeheartedly confirm that this has been achieved.

While working internationally can often prove a little logistically challenging, the minor technological hindrances that we experienced over the weeks were not enough to detract from a premise that was central to our presentation - 'culture only exists by comparison'. Indeed, from all of the countless hours of research and meetings this is undoubtedly the strongest idea that sticks in my mind. After all, if culture can only be defined in relation to other cultures, then how this is defined is not by what is the same, but by what it is unique.

From working so closely with Shane in Ottawa, I can definitely attest to the fact that 'strength lies in differences'. Although we realised quite early on that we have an uncanny amount of things in common, the things that we found the most interesting about each others' cultures were undeniably the things that were different. Let's be honest, I think we were all a little blown away by the fact that Canadians store milk in bags.

But all jokes aside, if there's one thing that I'd like the various teams at Dwellworks to take from yesterday's presentation, it is the idea that global diversity can only enhance and improve a company's prospects. This is something that I have experienced week-in, week-out during my time here at Dwellworks in the UK; I am confident that with this kind of mentality, the company can only continue to grow and expand.

To my fellow team-mates: Valarie, Zach, Amber, Colton, Alex, Kaitlyn and of course, Shane - I'd like to extend a huge thank you for all of your patience, time and hard work. The presentation was pretty killer, even if I do say so myself.

What a great way to spend a summer!

- Sophie Moore,
  DS Intern, UK

Week 11: Why Would You Recommend This internship to your Classmates?: Treehouses

                As this summer slowly rolls to a close (just 5 more days left after today, so that means just one more week), the two prompts I’ve saved til the end are holistically reflective.  This one, particularly, is considerably presumptuous. 

                It’s a bit of a gamble, to set up the intern program with set blog prompts, and have one that outright assumes the internship will be recommendable on the other side.  That gambit, I believe, probably pays off 9/10 times.  Truthfully, it’s hard to believe there are all that many internships aimed at undergraduates that are better than Dwellworks. 

                But therein lies the rub.  My classmates are no longer undergraduates.  I have not been an undergraduate for 5 years.  My eligibility for anything but the legal intern position ran out 6 years ago. 

                At the end of the day, I can whole-heartedly say that I have enjoyed the internship.  I am thankful for the opportunity, for the people I’ve met and worked with, and for the skills I’ve gained.  But I don’t know if I would recommend it to the majority of my classmates.  But I say that, not because there is anything wrong with the internship, but because of the profound differences between what the internship aims to accomplish, and what most students entering their last year of law school are looking to achieve. 

                As I mentioned last time, Dwellworks legal department is combined with compliance.  That’s fine and it works for a company like Dwellworks- but it doesn’t lend itself to stereotypical legal experience.  There’s no filing motions, no going to court rooms, no real negotiations of settlements, etc. etc.  For me, that’s fine.  I spent the last year in a litigation setting and this was a welcome change of pace.  Indeed, it’s a good change of pace, and probably mirrors more realistic legal experience. 

                But it’s likely not what most of my classmates are looking for.  Top that with blogposts and an absolutely un-legal, undergraduate style group presentation, and it’s just not altogether an attractive experience, from the outside looking in.   But not all of my classmates are so cutthroat that they wouldn’t be interested. 

I would recommend this position to those who might not be all that excited about practicing law after law school (the amount of those is significantly astounding).  I would recommend it to anyone who has struggled to find their preferred practice field.  I would recommend it to anyone with a somewhat entrepreneurial streak.  There is certainly real and valuable experience in this internship, but it’s not exactly of the sort most of my classmates are looking for.

And maybe, just maybe, that’s exactly how it ought to be.  Perhaps those who don’t want it are the one’s missing out.

-Zack

               

Fun

Integrity + Teamwork + Performance + Innovation + Fun

The above words comprise Dwellworks' core values. Yes, they might be written on a giant wall in the office, and yes, they might be talked about once or twice (or more). But Dwellworks' associates don't just plaster those five words on a wall superficially; rather, Dwellworks culture lives its values. 

This includes the often underrated value of fun.

To explain how I have had fun during this internship, we must first look at the definition of fun (which is conveniently spelled out on the wall right behind me).

Fun (adj.) 1. providing entertainment, amusement, or enjoyment <a fun party> <a fun person to be with> 2. full of fun: pleasant <have a fun time>

Based on the above definition, coupled with my experience at Dwellworks, I've come to one very simple conclusion:

Fun isn't just the big events; it's all the little things in-between. 

It's staying 20 minutes late after a meeting to engage in light-hearted conversation.
It's trying Thai and Vietnamese restaurants for the first time with colleagues. 
It's laughing with a coworker about something trivial.
It's indulging in 3-pm hot chocolate or watermelon.
It's talking about your upcoming weekend.
It's happiness that comes easily.
It's smiling because it's natural.

-Kaitlyn

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