From solar cooking in Tanzania to upcycling and innovation in London, Ontario, Ivey’s visiting CEMS Masters in International Management exchange students got a firsthand look at how responsible leadership can make the world more peaceful, sustainable, and equitable.
For this year’s CEMS Global Citizenship Seminar that’s part of the CEMS Masters in International Management (MIM) program, the visiting CEMS students heard from guest speakers and toured area organizations that are leading change and innovation towards sustainable development. The students toured Goodwill Industries’ Edgar and Joe's Café to learn about locally sourced food, and the White Oak Goodwill Outlet and Donation Centre to see an innovative upcycling initiative in action. They also visited Trojan Technologies to learn about clean water solutions. Special guests included an eco-social designer who created a clean cooking solution for some African communities and two speakers from 3M Canada who have worked across cultures or collaborated globally to create solutions for health and environmental challenges.
Lessons on responsible leadership
Taught by Kanina Blanchard, assistant professor of management communication and general management and Ivey Academic Director, CEMS Alliance, said the goal of the two-day course is to learn from professionals, leaders, and organizations striving to be responsible. By showcasing both local examples and initiatives elsewhere in the world, the students learned that problems don’t just happen in faraway places and being a global citizen involves seeking solutions for injustices anywhere in the world.
“Being a global citizen is something we’ll never get a badge for because it’s a lifetime pursuit of doing our best,” said Blanchard.
The course is a great example of how Ivey is striving to teach students about Canada’s place in a world that’s increasingly interconnected as well as their responsibility to tackle major problems that transcend geographic and political boundaries. During the course, the students even used an online tool to assess their responsible leadership development needs and progress.
Read about how global citizenship is part of the Ivey Next strategy.
CEMS students touring Trojan Technologies.
Collaborative approach to solving problems
One lesson learned was the importance of using local knowledge to solve problems. In a virtual address from Tanzania, Mira Gayed, an eco-social designer who developed a low-cost solar oven and food dryer called Shamsi in collaboration with communities in Egypt and Tanzania, told how it was tailored to local context and needs. Built using local techniques and materials, such as raffia palm, the device allows people to bake sun-leavened "Shamsi Bread" and cook other foods without using fossil fuels and biomass. It also empowers women toward self-sufficiency, especially in low-income districts.
Gayed said a solar cooker wasn’t on her radar when she was investigating how to reduce harmful mixed-waste burning in Tanzania as part of her master’s program work. However, once she learned how central the oven was to both the big problem (mixed-waste burning) and the local culture, she narrowed her focus to exploring and testing different methods of solar cooking. Her story shows that you should start with questions, not a big idea. Gayed said people and their needs are at the heart of problems so user-centred solutions are key.
“It’s not always about high-tech solutions … We have to look at local traditions and stories and integrate them into the solution,” she said. “The solution brings people and technology together. It’s not just made for them, it involves them.”
Gayed encouraged the students to consider how they can use their backgrounds, knowledge, and passion to better the world.
“Think about how you can be a carrier of change and impact the world around you,” she said. “How can you integrate what you’ve learned to be active?”
Mira Gayed speaking virtually.
Merging profit with purpose
Another lesson was that organizations that combine purpose and profit can fuel more sustainable and ethically-conscious industries. While visiting the Goodwill Outlet and Donation Centre, the students learned how an upcycling initiative has enabled approximately 36 million pounds of unsellable donations to be diverted into other streams. They watched as unsellable items, such as those that are damaged or stained, off-season, or too small, were sorted by material type and crushed into a commodity that can be recycled or repurposed to reduce waste.
“Recycling isn’t enough. We have to innovate so we’re not contributing to a global issue that’s very serious. It’s the right thing to do,” said Don McIntyre, Vice President of Operations, Goodwill Ontario Great Lakes.
The students heard how Goodwill’s non-profit initiative, Worth, which transforms end-of-use textiles into new clothing, is reducing waste, creating jobs, and educating consumers on the social and environmental impacts of fashion. Worth proceeds help provide work opportunities and skills development for people who face barriers such as disability or social disadvantage.
McIntyre also shared that advice from Ivey students through a previous project had contributed to Goodwill launching pop-up shops to sell Worth’s clothing line, including one with Western-branded apparel on campus.
Learning outside the classroom
Bart Venhoek, a student visiting Ivey from the University of Sydney in Australia, said he appreciated being exposed to an organization that’s making a difference and seeing the ingenious processes by which waste can be reduced, recycled, or upcycled.
“I really enjoyed learning off site and being exposed to business in a practical context. Not only is this highly engaging, it is also a more realistic simulation of how learning and working coincide beyond the confines of the classroom,” he said.
Mariana Nunes, who is visiting Ivey from the Nova School of Business and Economics in Portugal, said the course combined fun and practical activities, and the opportunity to visit and learn from different organizations in London, Ontario was especially interesting for an international student. She said she particularly enjoyed the Goodwill Industries visit.
“Overall, the two days were very enriching and exciting as our class had some very unique opportunities such as visiting non-profit organizations, learning in coffee chats with women in leadership at big corporations, and connecting with social enterprises, among others,” she said.
Blanchard said she hopes exposure to such community-minded professionals, leaders, and organizations will motivate the students and stimulate ideas for projects that help people and the planet.
You will be leading people in organizations around the world who may not have the same privileges as you do. The empathy you develop is so important."
– Kanina Blanchard
The CEMS Masters in Management develops a cross-cultural aptitude to better lead in an international environment. Learn more.
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