An in-depth review of work culture in my virtual internship.
The term culture, or more specifically “work culture,” was primarily the atmosphere, priorities, and values that a company emphasizes and reflects their motivations and goals for the market or as an establishment. For the company I am doing my project for, Parque Tecnológico - São José dos Campos, the motto that is championed by them encompasses the culture that is apparent in the workspace: Inovação sem Limites (No Borders for Innovation). As I’ve stated in the previous submission, this idea of innovation is really the heart of the culture. Dissecting this motto in of itself, especially the bold phrasing of “No Borders” (or Without Limits), is an intriguing process: one could argue that it is there to represent the endless capabilities and limitless potential that can come out of the work that is done in the company, and yet the wording could be interpreted as a daring invitation to break the status quo and think outside the box. Although I doubt this motto serves a higher exigence and value for the employees as the one in the Marseilles McDonalds, this would be the perfect message I would give to motivate workers to produce more bold and creative ideas.
In relation to my experiences thus yet, their culture certainly has pushed me to explore some skills I’ve always been lacking in: realizing sometimes that having no filter can be beneficial. I’ve always thought that things need to be meticulously planned to the point that I fall into the trap of being overcritical. Especially during the early stages of my internship experience, brainstorming innovative ideas was a real challenge. I filtered my thoughts, oftentimes discarding ideas that were too far-fetched and discrediting others that lacked information or past research. Yet, it wasn’t until I started to loosen this filter that some ambitious, unique ideas started to emerge. In hindsight, it was clear that I had to fully embrace this motto that’s embedded in the culture of the company to become more productive in my innovation research.
With respect to the social dynamics and formatting of the internship experience, I’ve found that there are some clear differences in the way the U.S. and Brazilian students approached the project given the same directions from our mentor. Due to our limited capability to collaborate, we have 1-2 zoom sessions to work together and clear up some confusion. I believe that zoom sessions like these really have a lifetime, since silence over virtual calls and having the thought of being monitored while you’re trying to work is not the most productive. Therefore, the end result is often slightly different since we are sticking mostly to what we deem is best (which is predominantly stringent on our past individual experiences and not really our current collaboration). Providing employees with the proper space and method for collaboration is important in fostering productivity, yet due to given circumstances I feel companies can’t truly achieve this level of productivity virtually.
Comments
I like the fact you are thinking about a before and after analysis- i.e. your 'no filter' in other environments...it is interesting how a company ethos can be a good fit with your dispositions and in other cases- not so much! Also- the format here is very telling (and a bit ironic)- your remarks about zoom specifically are insightful because I find that Roman, Dorothy and I can sit online and collaborate on a syllabus for hours (it's exhausting but we get the work done) and it roughly emulates what our in person sessions would look like (to a fairly exact degree)- however- when you're in a foreign environment or working with a brand new crew- this difference and newness is amplified- and you get that surveillance bent to your communication/ambience and the black hole of communication/silence. Thanks! - Kate Abney
I would say I still tend to filter out my thoughts constantly, but I’ve gotten better at not being so harsh and know when to lower the filter. I think it’s important to evaluate whether you can adapt to a company culture early on so that you have the opportunity to gauge your experiences and learn from it or back out if it’s too much of a toxic environment for you. I still believe that words hold so much meaning and can be interpreted differently. This is why as a Company, you must establish those clear meanings so that other people don’t twist your words or use it to their advantage. This goes back to the responsibility of a company in establishing a proper work culture: they must unify their employees under the mission of the company.
I still stand by the Zoom call efficiency 100%, but I think it’s a generational difference. I feel like the newer generation can barely pay attention with in-class sessions but left to their own on a virtual format is even harder. It’s almost as if in person interactions and group work forces you to work together with others, but when virtual it can be done individually once the group responsibilities have been established. I think the newer generation especially hate the awkwardness and lack of fluidity on the Zoom calls, especially when working with people you’re not close with. It’s an already awkward situation in-person, but when that awkwardness is amplified through a hollow virtual medium it gets more uncomfortable. Those are the challenges I feel with virtual meetings; however, it can be minimized if you break the ice early on and establish a fluid and open environment virtuall
With the upcoming school year, I’m both apprehensive and curious as to how students will cope with the virtual communication. I have a feeling those who have a hard time being disciplined will struggle since being in a predominantly virtual format requires you to be highly organized and self-disciplined. Usually in-person, you can feed off of the energy of other students and “get in the mood” to be productive, but that doesn’t really apply as much in virtual environments. You don’t feel the exigence and motivation to work as much since you are mostly alone in your room where there are so many distractions and options that are available other than the work. It's also going to be very interesting how the transition will be when we escape these virtual interactions and return to our physical interactions. Will we be worse or better? I'm thinking it'll be very awkward in the beginning since we'd be used to the virtual format but we would return to our normal ways quickly as we (at least from my eyes and from my peer's experiences) prefer the face-to-face interactions. - Josh
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