Insights on the learning community
Being part of a learning community during my internship has given me valuable insights into how culture plays a significant role in international business environments. By listening to my peers and reflecting on the topics we discussed, I have expanded my understanding but also learned to apply these concepts to real-life situations.
In our fist session on march 12th. Luuk had a discussion on corporate culture. His questions encouraged us to reflect on our own work environments and how organizational values shape day-to-day behavior. It made me realize how company culture can either support or hinder open communication and personal growth. Freek had a session on the stages of culture shock, and I had to take notes on Freek. This helped me understand that culture shock isn’t always dramatic. Sometimes it’s even adjusting to a more direct communication style or different team dynamics. These reflections were especially relevant to me as a Belgian interning in a Dutch company. I presented Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. Preparing for this helped me clearly identify the differences between Dutch and Belgian workplace cultures. For example, the Dutch low power distance and high individualism. Jasmijn took notes of my part.
In our second session on March 19th Jasmijn introduced the Trompenaars’ dimension. Her session stood out because it added more nuance to what we had already discussed with Hofstede. The question about decision-making in leadership made me reflect on how much I value a participative leadership style, especially during my internship. Wessel Romijn’s session on international negotiation showed me how important cultural awareness is in business discussions, particularly when building trust and finding common ground. Dennis closed the session with a thoughtful discussion on adapting to a new culture. His questions helped me reflect on my own adaptation journey.
What I valued the most about our learning community was the safe space we created to openly discuss our experiences. And to talk to some school friends again was also nice because you havent seen them in a long time.
Proof of my participation
The proof of my learning community is applied withing a document we made as a group and the transcripts of our two teams meetings. I wont copy the whole transcripts but will paste screenshots of a part of the transcript and the time.
Transcript
Portfolio of Wessel Geenen 