Exploring the Transformative Power of the Active8-Planet Project
Bringing Together Diverse Stakeholders
In the Active8-Planet project, we brought together industry professionals, academics, and university students to tackle some of today’s most pressing social and ecological challenges. In recent focus group interviews, the stakeholders provided valuable insights, delving into various aspects of the project, its impact, and the challenges they faced.
Students: Agents of Change
The students participating in the project were driven by a shared recognition of the urgent need for change in response to social and environmental challenges. Their motivation stemmed from personal commitments to sustainability and a strong desire to contribute actively, utilizing their diverse skills and knowledge to affect positive change. The project’s interdisciplinary approach and international collaboration, added to their enthusiasm. They viewed the project as a genuine opportunity to collaborate with like-minded peers and companies to work towards tangible solutions for a more socially and environmentally responsible future.
Miha Robnik Kračun:
“It’s an excellent source for gaining experience and knowledge. I enjoy working in interdisciplinary environments, and I believe that by strengthening collaboration between the university, the market, and the state, we can improve society.”
Balancing the project’s demands with their academic coursework and other commitments was a challenge for some of the students. For others, understanding and integrating different perspectives and knowledge from diverse backgrounds, aligning with all the team members, was complex and time-consuming, particularly in defining the challenge, the aim, and the approach of the team. Although international collaboration was a significant aspect of the project, the students missed extensive interaction with their peers from different countries.
Despite this, participating in the Active8-Planet Project provided the students with valuable opportunities for personal and academic growth and contributed to their future development.
Servant Leaders: Guiding the Way
The servant leaders express similar experiences in their interviews.
One striking observation was the stark contrast between working with industry partners who had a well-established, long-standing relationship with the university and those in which the partnership was relatively new. In the former, the familiar terrain helped to avoid unnecessary tension and saved valuable time that would otherwise be spent on getting acquainted with each other’s work dynamics. In contrast, in collaborations where both the university and industry partners were novices in working together, it became evident that dedicating ample time to partnership preparation, aligning expectations, and defining the collaborative approach was essential for a smooth journey ahead.
For the teams consisting of students from various academic departments, that diversity brought a rich tapestry of perspectives together. Rewarding but complex in practically organizing all their schedules with the availability of the industry partner. Physical meetings, which fostered the co-creation process, were at times hard to come by, highlighting the need for meticulous planning.
The Active8 Matrix, the brainstorm and evaluation tool developed in the Active8-Planet project, was seen as a valuable tool by several servant leaders to broaden the view of the team, expand the scope of their challenge and see the interconnections. It encourages to consider local and global, ecological, and social perspectives, fostering a deeper understanding of complex issues. At Uhasselt, the Active8 Matrix is now implemented in several courses, not only at the start but also in the middle and at the project’s conclusion to evaluate the impact seen from its four lenses.
Dimitrios Gkouskos:
“The good thing about it was doing it multiple times and then comparing how we were thinking the first time with how we’re thinking in the halfway point of the project. It was yet another way to help us track our trajectory of how the research question changed or how you learned something you would pivot in a certain way, so I think that was really useful.”
The servant leaders noticed that students sometimes found it difficult to step outside their comfort zones and trust methods from different disciplines like this new tool. While it’s a valuable way to break down academic silo-thinking and prepare for complex problem-solving in the real world.
As a challenge-based project, it’s very much about ‘learning by doing’. To avoid a lack of theoretical grounding, encouraging the students to reflect on their experiences and learning was considered vital.
The shift toward focusing on practical and applied skill development, in addition to academic skills, has influenced the VUA to create a new master’s track, Professional Anthropology, showcasing the successful translation of Active8’s principles into the curriculum.
Industry Professionals: A Fresh Perspective
The industry professionals found that working with students offered a fresh perspective and renewed or increased their focus on social and environmental issues.
Koen Post, Huygen:
“It influenced our approach to community building in real estate development, adding an extra layer to our concept development process.”
Despite encountering some challenges, such as aligning individual student goals with project objectives, they successfully improved collaboration over time. A common obstacle for all industry partners was the need to transition students from a hierarchical mindset to a collaborative one, as students initially expected guidance rather than co-creation. This transformation was seen as a valuable aspect of students’ education, promoting proactivity.
Creating a project organization with specific roles for each team member was proposed to address the lack of hierarchy in the servant leader approach.
Regular physical team meetings, including a hackathon at Uhasselt, proved highly effective in fostering collaboration and productivity without hierarchy. In some teams, students were encouraged to work on practical solutions, while in others, the primary goal was to inspire by challenging the challenge.
Tanya Alvarez, Volvo Cars:
“The students thought they had to deliver on the same level as our engineers, provide a solution, but what we are after is to get inspired”
Bart:
“The mockups were really interesting because they allow to explore the idea more in depth and you can see what it does and what it does not do.”
The Matrix tool was mainly implemented as a kick-off workshop for generating ideas and insights, missing out on its potential to track the projects impact.
Tanya Alvarez, Volvo Cars:
“If you’re used to working with a premium market then you kind of forget that there are people from all sorts of motivations and economical background that also needs to be able to benefit from shared mobility. So that was good input for the researchers.”
The industry partners are enthusiastic about future collaborations and had suggestions like: involving multiple companies to facilitate interdisciplinary work and establishing one clear overarching goal to encourage collaboration across countries and teams.
In summary, the industry professionals in the Active8-Planet project appreciated the students’ fresh perspective and focus on social and ecological issues but encountered challenges related to mindset shifts and team dynamics. The project was very ambitious, you need much more time so you can only achieve part of the overall objectives.
Conclusion: Navigating the Path Forward
The Active8-Planet Project showcased the power of interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary collaboration, uniting students, servant leaders, and industry professionals to address pressing social and ecological challenges. It was a transformative experience for all involved, with each team bringing a unique perspective and valuable insights to the table.
As we move forward, it’s clear that successful collaboration in each unique context requires customized strategies. Challenges related to interdisciplinary collaboration, time constraints, and international communication arose, but these challenges were seen as opportunities for growth and learning.
The students found motivation in their commitment to sustainability and a shared vision of a socially and environmentally responsible future. For the servant leaders, building strong partnerships and ensuring a clear collaborative approach were crucial for success. Industry professionals discovered a renewed focus on social or environmental issues and the value of a fresh perspective.
In the ever-evolving landscape of education, the Active8 approach reminds us that collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to positive change are essential elements. The Active8-Planet Project serves as a testament to the potential for meaningful change through academia-private sector collaboration. As we reflect on the challenges and successes of this project, we’re reminded that the journey towards a sustainable and socially responsible future is one that requires continuous effort, learning, and adaptation. As Planeteers it’s a mindset and the path forward.
