Reflecting on My Analytics and Info Sys IB Agility Lab Experience
- Describe your experience in the International Business Agility Labs. What was the best part of your experience? What surprised you about your experience?
The International Business Agility Lab was a great opportunity to participate in a business case. Working on a team of international students gave me a global awareness that I normally wouldn’t experience participating in other case competitions at Smith. This is the first time I participated in a case competition with students living and working outside the US. We brought together our individual experiences to develop a perspective on the political and economic issues faced by the insurance technology company, Pentation Analytics. Despite the virtual learning environment, I took initiative and established rapport quickly with the other students.
- What was something that you learned from your participation in this program that you may not have learned otherwise?
I learned how to be more comfortable with ambiguity. I have never worked on an insurance market business case, yet as I became more comfortable conveying my ideas, I was able to think critically about how Pentation Analytics can launch into a European country and address user adoption issues.
- What has this experience taught you about working on multinational teams?
I learned the importance of being able to forecast, analyze, and address business situations from new cultural reference points. Once I understood the cultural differences in software technology adoption in India compared to the US and European markets, I was able to develop stronger recommendations for the business case.
- What advice would you give a student considering participating in this program?
If you are looking to understand global business issues, international case competitions are an accessible method of getting exposure to different geopolitical perspectives. To get the most out of this program, I recommend meeting early to plan, organize, and prioritize the work.
