Being able to work with successful and important companies is a goal for many college graduates. As companies aim to employ competent and efficient personnel in order to come up with quality results, it is vital for students to interact with company representatives and be exposed to workplace values, expectations, and cultures prior to graduation.
An integral part of Daimler AG (DAI), the Mitsubishi FUSO Truck and Bus Corporation, a center for light-duty truck and hybrid technology development, represents the unique combination of a German-style workplace, an international workforce, and a Japanese location.
Recently, Mitsubishi FUSO held a team building workshop at iCLA, together with a few iCLA students and led by iCLA Professor William Reed. The workshop was separated into four sections, which combined team building exercises in the classroom with lessons from Japanese culture through Shodo and Nanba:
- Team Profile and Communication
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Team Strategy, Vision, and Mission
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Shodo—Meet Musashi, Meet Your Mission
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Nanba—Head, Heart, and Hara
Before the workshop began, we took a simple online test that produced a profile of our personalities and the make up of the team. The results of these tests were then examined and analyzed by Professor Reed. These results helped us understand how each of us can contribute to the team. We used these results to see how the team can effectively communicate and implement our vision and mission, which the team had already written in advance of the workshop.
Halfway through, we had the opportunity to practice Shodo, learning the basics of how to use the brush, then copying a masterwork by Miyamoto Musashi to absorb the samurai spirit. Lastly, we painted a phrase often used by Musashi reflecting how to see the whole as a distant mountain, but also to be able to see detail and how everything is connected, linking all the themes we discussed in the first part of the workshop.
Finishing up the workshop, we moved to the Dojo on the third floor and were introduced to Nanba. In this Japanese art form, we were taught how to find and maintain posture with good alignment and centering, as well as how to maintain a calm center in walking and sitting. This training can be used in ones studies and work in order to maximize one’s skills.
Throughout the workshop, we frequently reviewed what we had learned and how it could be applied in work or academics. Everyone came away with new insights and inspirations about how to work well as a team towards a common mission, while developing awareness of one’s strengths and contributions as an individual.
It was a great opportunity for everyone to learn from people of different generations and degrees of experience. The program was coordinated by one of our iCLA students, Kaho Tanaka, who is currently finishing up her internship at Mitsubishi FUSO, and no doubt will come back to iCLA with wonderful things to share from her internship experience.
This is the first workshop which we have conducted at iCLA with one of our partner corporations. These partners have already seen what the students of iCLA can do, as a number of interns have gone through the full experience. No doubt, all in the university look forward to doing similar trainings with other partner companies.
For more information on Mitsubishi FUSO, please visit their website.