Afbeelding
“Our group was fairly small in the first year, which means we got a lot of attention from the lecturers. I think it was a huge advantage as we were able to ask lots of questions, learn a lot and really connect with the lecturers. We were able to just be ourselves and it was a comfortable learning environment. Our project groups were smaller than usual for project work at NHL Stenden, but we still had to learn to work with different characters and handle different situations. I think students often don’t understand how useful group work is for their future career, but it is something you need whatever line of work you’re in.”
Team work means trust
“Even if group work doesn’t go as you hoped, it’s still a learning experience. One of the key things is all being on the same level and having the same goal. Along with working on longer projects in each module, we also do design sprints, short, one-week assignments for a company or organisation. I think these have been the most valuable experiences for me so far. One of them was an assignment in Finland with RUN-EU where we had to be coaches for teams during a Short Advanced Programme. The teams themselves were working on a problem from a company and it was my job to guide them as a group. Some of the team I was coaching had a history with each other and really struggled to make an effort and work together. It meant that the solution they came up with was inadequate and none of them got much out of the experience. Until later… sometimes people need time to think about their actions. At another RUN-EU meeting a few months later, I saw some of the team again. They actually said they were sorry about the situation and we talked about why we couldn’t change the dynamics at the time. For me, it was a learning experience because I understood that this could also happen in a company. It was a perfect example of how multicultural teams work in real workplaces. And it showed me that cooperation is built on trust – and that in this case there simply wasn’t a trust relationship within the team.”
Diversity and plans
“When I look at problems like this, I look at them very simply. That’s how I am. I think I’m good at solving problems because I don’t overthink things. And it means I make decisions and react quickly. In my internship now, I see how much I enjoy doing things like interviews, onboarding, being there for the people in a company. I like assessing a situation and then offering advice. But it’s just one side of the job. Human resource management offers so many options and the subjects we do within the programme are fascinating, like neuropsychology. I know we can do that as a minor subject in our third year, but I want to take it a step further so I’m already making plans: I’d like to study it as a master’s."