BU, MIT and Cornell Cohorts Gather for Re-Entry Workshop

On Friday, April 7th, the cohorts of MIT, Cornell, and BU gathered at Endicott House in Dedham, Massachusetts for a full day of activities focused on Fellows’ re-entry into their respective countries and cultures. Endicott House is a Normandy French-style chateau with 25 acres (100,000 square meters) of gardens, lawn, woods, and ponds that MIT owns and operates as a conference center.

American University Professor Gary R. Weaver

In preparation for the event, the Fellows read an essay entitled “The Process of Re-Entry” by Gary Weaver, a professor at American University for over 45 years who presented several times on the topic of cross-cultural adjustment at the Program’s Global Leadership Forum in Washington, DC.

The day began with a continental breakfast followed by welcome remarks by directors Bish Sanyal (MIT), Peter Gregory (Cornell), and Jack McCarthy (BU). Fellows and coordinators then divided into groups to discuss these questions:

  • What have you learned about the U.S.?
  • What have you learned from one another?
amir Khan of Pakistan summarizing his group's discussions
Zamir Khan of Pakistan summarizing his group’s discussions

Following the discussions, Bish Sanyal and Peter Gregory led a debrief session in which representatives of each group summarized their groups’ responses. The exchange was vibrant and informative, with Fellows sharing many candid insights and reflections in response to the above questions.

Jack McCarthy then led the Fellows outdoors for a round of the team-building game “Pipeline” as an exercise in leadership under uncertainty and complexity. Pipeline is a group cooperation and problem solving activity in which teams create a moving, free-standing “pipeline” by constructing a makeshift conduit as a metaphor for moving water from a remote well to a village or town in need. In this exercise, marbles are used as a proxy for precious water; Fellows must work collaboratively in diverse teams to move as much “water” as possible without contamination or spills from a starting line into a cup about 25 feet away. The challenge is that each participant has only one short length of pipe, and the marbles must be allowed to roll freely, which requires careful coordination, adept communication, and inclusive leadership—all of the skills that they will be exercising as global leaders upon their return home. It is always a dynamic and meaningful exercise with many leadership lessons!

BU HHHP Director Jack McCarthy leads Fellows in the team building exercise "Pipeline"
BU HHHP Director Jack McCarthy leads Fellows in the team building exercise “Pipeline”
Yesssss!
Nooooo!
Nooooo!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch, Associate Coordinators Nimfa de Leon and Louise Elving (MIT), Francine Jasper (Cornell), and Jelena Durkovich and Cyrus Konstantinakos (BU) led the Fellows in another round of discussions, this time focused on the topic of Re-Entry. The Fellows responded to these questions in their groups:

  1. How have you changed (if at all)?
  2. How do you think people back home will perceive how you’ve changed?
  3. With (1) and (2) in mind, what challenges do you foresee?
  4. What are you looking forward to?

In the ensuing debrief, Fellows again shared a wide range of insightful and moving reflections.

We were joined at this workshop by Dr. Yseult Freeney from Dublin City University in Ireland, a faculty colleague serving as a Visiting Fellow in the Organizational Behavior Department at the Questrom School of Business. Dr. Freeney is a scholar and expert on career transitions and was able to have many valuable conversations with Fellows at the workshop about their upcoming transitions for re-entry back home.

This workshop was useful to the Fellows in contemplating their own journey home—and it also served the coordinators who will again, soon, have to bid farewell to another wonderful cohort.

View all posts