Apr 1, 2021
Working on an International Project
Collaboration is certainly a buzz word these days for teams and people working together. We can all picture project teams sitting round a table or more likely, having Zoom/Teams meetings these days. You might say that this type of online collaboration is easier to do especially when your team are spread across the world, however,
I would like to take you back to ‘pre-Covid’ times though, and to a project with a consortium of nine different international organisations, and two case-study locations.
The project I am referring to is called ‘Green Bubbles’. If at this point, you are very curious, and want to know what this project with an unusual name is about, check out the link: www.greenbubbles.eu
What was Green Bubbles about?
The project was dedicated to recreational SCUBA diving. For the non-divers among you, SCUBA (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus). This is an essential piece of kit that allows you enter and explore the wonders beneath the waves and still be able to breathe. The activity of Scuba-diving is enjoyed by millions of people around the world, including me.
The aim of the project was to maximise the benefits associated with diving while minimising its negative impacts, thus achieving the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of the system.
The Green Bubbles project was funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement. The project was run by a consortium of nine entities, including universities, research organisations, educational organisations and SMEs from Italy, the Netherlands, Malta, Turkey, South Africa, and the United States. We often met, and worked together at many different locations across the globe.
There were two case-study locations: Italy and South Africa.
My Project Team
Representing Breda University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands, I lead our project team of seven members consisting of experts in Business Strategy, Business Models, Marketing, Research and Games development. Note that at the time, the University was called NHTV.
My team and I were not marine biologists, far from it, but our mission was to bring the theories from our specialist subject areas and apply them to real-life businesses such as those of the dive operators in the case study location. Our case-study location was Portofino, in the Liguria region of Italy. This region is a Marine Protected Area (MPA) and that is why it was chosen. We were really excited to work on this project.
My focus in this post is on the challenges we faced in applying the theory and working in an international context.
Key Stakeholders
The dive operators at the Italian case study location were our key stakeholders. Their business was to sell scuba-diving equipment, train and take divers out to sea to experience beauty of the MPA. The operators were always invited to the key meetings and presentations that were held during the project. Some attended, some did not. Their interest and involvement in the project was crucial as we also wanted them to consider “…minimising its negative impacts, thus achieving the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of the system.”
Challenges of working with the dive operators
As a project team, we worked closely with the dive operators and spend time trying to understand their business i.e., what they did, why, how, when etc. The findings would not be the same for each dive operator, because factors such as location, size, facilities, and experience all contributed to the variations in their businesses.
This fact-finding mission might sound simple, but it was not always the case. Often, the dive operators were not available at the times when our meetings had been scheduled for. Understandably, they were often busy with their daily tasks such as taking groups out to sea, cleaning, preparation and maintenance of their equipment and boats etc. We had to be patient and re-schedule meetings sometimes, as we understood that their Business as Usual had to continue.
On occasions, we needed someone to translate, and were dependent on the availability of someone who was fluent in Italian and English. Our questions were based around the theory from our areas of expertise, and therefore we had to be mindful of using the correct terminology and context. The communication had to be clear in order to fully understand, deliver and receive the right information. Trust was an important element we had to build and to form a good working relationships with the dive operators. This took time.
After many visits and discussions, we were able to get the information we needed so that we could make a reasonable analysis, i.e., an assessment of the current ‘system’.
What did we do with the data?
Our mission was to assess the current system and then propose improvements to their Marketing, and Business Models. For some aspects, we were able to collaborate with the partners from North-West University, South Africa, as there were some areas where our research overlapped. This was really interesting as we could collaborate, despite coming from very different domains.
Marketing
We explored the ‘Customer Journey’ and the ‘touch points’ the operator had with the customer and how these could be enhanced to provide a better service and customer experience.
Business Models
Based on the findings from the data, we created generic or sample Business Models. These gave an overview of how the dive operators set up their businesses and provided a good baseline.
Diversify the offer
Our suggestions included the collaboration with other types of businesses in the area to offer more activities for the non-diver for example; or for when diving could not take place.
Gamification
Our Games department developed a really cool Virtual Reality experience that simulated being in a marine environment. Wearing the headset, the ‘player’ could walk around on the sea bed. Fish and turtles would swim past to make it feel like you were really underwater. All this, without the risk of getting wet!
The Virtual Reality experience was presented at the Dutch Design Week and at the Genoa Expedition. Over five hundred people, of various ages, engaged in the Virtual underwater experience. It was a great success and raised the curiosity and interest of the ‘not-yet diver’ or anyone interested in the marine environment.
Key Takeaways from working with International and Multidisciplinary Teams
There is a certain richness when people with different areas of expertise such as science, safety, business, research etc. all contribute towards the aims of the project. Each area of expertise respecting the other. Every organisation developed some amazing work; you can learn about that from the Green Bubbles website.
Working with international partners meant acknowledging different time zones, languages, cultures, work and communication styles.
The importance of being flexible, accepting that changes may be necessary at the last minute when so many different organisations, time zones and perspectives are involved.
Theory cannot be applied as per the ‘text book’ and adaptations need to be made as ultimately, we are working with people and their real-life businesses and situations. Collaboration and involvement with key stakeholders is essential, to encourage commitment, and to develop an understanding of what can or cannot be done and why.
On a personal note, my main takeaway is that I consider myself very lucky to have the opportunity to work with my team, on such a large project. A project with a very worthwhile cause is motivating and provides a real purpose to everything we did. I met and worked with some great people, some of whom became great friends.
I can’t wait to go back to that region of Italy!
