Africa Innovation is Here Now

November 29, 2018 by tqs5532 2 Comments

When most people think of Africa they think of lions, safaris, and refugees. Today’s Africa is a much different place with a booming economy being driven by innovation in renewable energy, and technology. Africa is at the forefront of taking waste and making it new again thanks to a new Green Growth Forum. (Ntirenganya, 2018) Africa has launched a new effort to become the leader in “green technology” which is environmentally friendly. Their energy efforts include: renewable energy, to energy efficiency for industry and residential applications, recycling technologies (plastic, e-waste, paper waste, among others), clean cooking (biomass, biogas, and energy efficient cookstoves), green building technologies, green transport solutions (such as electric powered motorbikes) that reduce harmful emissions. (Ntirenganya, 2018) One such leader in this industry EarthEnable has created a clay floor that is cheaper than other flooring materials and can help reduce harmful bacteria that is harbored in dirt flooring which has led to a 78% drop in parasite infections. (Ntirenganya, 2018) Leadership in the Green Growth Forum has also found a way to help local farmers boost their crop production by creating manure from organic waste. This effort can help farmers use organic manure to fertilize their crops and bring in more money for their families to reach a higher level of financial independence. (Ntirenganya, 2018)Green jobs are now popping up all over the place. One such entrepreneur Laban Ngeno created a recycling company that has created over 2,000 green jobs. (Ntirenganya, 2018) He never in his wildest dreams imagined that his company would grow the way it has.

Morocco has taken on this challenge and hopes to become the leader in African renewable energy. Masen is the Moroccan leader in solar energy and has set the bar high. They hope they use more than 52% solar or green energy by 2030. (Rogers, 2018) They are utilizing local R&D developers and giving them additional training to help this plan get into place. Their goal for the solar energy program is to “Support African countries, especially those in the Sahel region targeted by the ‘Desert to Power’ initiative, to develop renewable energy technologies adapted to their natural environments and specific energy needs” (Rogers, 2018)

The question of why Africa and why now? In Rwanda, only 18% of the country has access to electricity. (John, 2018) The building that is connected to the energy grid can’t be certain that there will be enough electricity to maintain what they needed daily. This demand for energy has led to Africa importing large-scale power generating sets which have a high rate of pollution. (John, 2018) Due to they’re every growing need for energy African business development leaders have come together to find ways to decrease pollution and increase jobs and incomes (economic development). I think this is a brilliant model for us as future business leaders to learn from. When it would be easy to create fast, cheap, energy leaders said wait a minute and took a step back to find a long-term solution that would benefit business development and citizens. I think all too often it can be hard to think long-term and take the time to find long-term solutions when short terms ones are easier to find and develop. Leadership also is relying on local innovation to help spur their goals along. They have found the talent right around them and are supplying them with the needed education and training to make these plans work. I think this is an astonishing business model that is bringing an entire continent together through research and development to enrich all of their lives for generations to come.

Works Cited

John, N. (2018, November). Blockchain can change the face of renewable energy in Africa. Here’s how. Retrieved from World Economic Forum: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/11/blockchain-will-change-the-face-of-renewable-energy-in-africa-here-s-how/

Ntirenganya, E. (2018, November). Experts: Eco-friendly technologies will spur Africa’s economic growth. Retrieved from The New Times: https://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/experts-eco-friendly-technologies-will-spur-africas-economic-growth

Rogers, P. (2018, November). Morocco competing to be the renewable energy leader in Africa. Retrieved from Intelligent CIO: http://www.intelligentcio.com/africa/2018/11/28/morocco-competing-to-be-the-renewable-energy-leader-in-africa/

Impact felt thousands of miles away

October 10, 2018 by tqs5532 2 Comments

While reading about how modernization has had such a large impact in South American countries (PSU WC L7,2018) it made me stop and think about how modernization has, in essence, shrinking the world and the impact of social and societal issues we have around us can influence those thousands of miles away. It only takes a quick google search to see how the U.S. is influencing women’s right movements in faraway places like the Middle East. Globalization and modernization go hand in hand with connecting people from different countries that previously were unaware of each other. Most of this is due to advances in technology. The women’s movement isn’t the only impact being felt, gay rights and anti-gay legislation are being challenged by a new younger population that is being brought up in a more modern globalized world. India had instituted Section 77 which was a gay sex ban. Their supreme court just recently voted to repeal this law as it was seen as dissimilatory and a weapon to use against their gay population. (Blaunstein, 2018) Bloustein states “The public’s fight for gay rights legislation was heavily influenced by other countries’ legalization of gay marriage and the rise of pride movements on a global scale” (Blaunstein, 2018) When I thought of globalization previously I never thought about how democratic ideals impacted so many different countries around the world. Sure, you would see the random news story on the national news, but there is a steady increase in Western ideals showing up across the globe. In 1978 there were 63 non-free nations and 44 most free nations. Those numbers have jumped to 50 non-free nations and 48 most free nations. (Blaunstein, 2018) This is attributed to the increased presence of democratic and western ideals by nations that previously hadn’t been exposed to them. So, what does this mean? As leaders, our influence reaches farther than ever. We need to be mindful of how everything we do and say can impact others both here and around the world whether we see or feel the impact or not. The impact may be occurring without us even realizing it.

Works Cited

Blaunstein, K. (2018, September). The effect of modern ideals on the developing world. Retrieved from The Daly Campus: http://dailycampus.com/stories/2018/9/12/globalization-and-indias-new-lift-on-the-gay-sex-ban

PSU WC OLEAD 410 L7. (2018, September). OLEAD 410 L7: South America: Focus on Brazil. Retrieved from The Pennsylvania State University World Campus: https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1942644/modules/items/24935400

Trading Spaces

September 26, 2018 by tqs5532 3 Comments

As technology advances so do American workplaces. We are moving farther away from a traditional office building and nine-to-five schedule and more towards open offices and co-working spaces. Companies are thinking more about teamwork and how employees working together and collaborating can bring new ideas and increase innovation. Increasing synergy between employees is often a goal of these new office design. Synergy is defined as “a cooperative or combined action and occurs when diverse or disparate individuals or groups collaborate for a common cause. The objective is to increase effectiveness by sharing perceptions and experiences, insights, and knowledge.” (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014, p. 266) Synergy aims to look at what talents and knowledge each employee can contribute to the organization or team. Increased synergy usually occurs at a team level. (PSU WC OLEAD 410 L6, 2018) Synergy between employees has been shown to increase in more adaptable business offices.

According to a Harvard Business Review study Unintended meetings and unplanned interactions between workers, both inside and outside of the company improved those workers performance. (Waber, Lindsay, Magnofli, 2014) Companies like Facebook, Google, and Apple have realized the importance of this and modified their offices to open spaces that include white board walls, mobile offices, and large collaboration areas. (Waber, Lindsay, Magnofli, 2014) Another survey by Deskmag found that once workers started working in a new collaborative office environment their isolation decreased by 86%, 75% of them increased their productivity, and 83% reported trusting their co-workers more. (Waber, Lindsay, Magnofli, 2014)

So why is this so important to global leadership? Creativity is set to become the third most important skill for a leader to poses by 2020. (Corridor,2018) University of Colorado professor Kate Goodman notes “if an organization is looking to change, adapt, and improve, it is absolutely essential to explore new ideas in a creative climate.” (Corridor,2018) So as we look to leadership in the future it is essential for leaders to create a climate for workers that increases creativity and team synergy. This can lead to increased productivity and positivity between workers. In order to achieve this leader themselves must start with themselves and look at how they can adapt and change their leadership styles to reflect a collectivistic viewpoint bringing workers together in one space for one goal teamwork.

References

Ben Waber, Greg Lindsay, Jennifer Magnolfi. (2014). Workplaces That Move People. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2014/10/workspaces-that-move-people

Corridor. (2018, September). Retrieved from Village Publishing: Cultivating creativity in the workplace: https://villagerpublishing.com/cultivating-creativity-in-the-workplace/

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences: Leadership skills and strategies for working in a global world. New York: Elsevier.

PSU WC OLEAD 410 L6. (2018, September). OLEAD 410 L6: Cultural Syngery. Retrieved from The Pennsylvania State University World Campus: https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1942644/modules/items/24935400

Senior Year Here I Come!!!

August 26, 2018 by tqs5532 1 Comment

Hello, everyone, my name is Tiffany. For the past 15 years, I have been employed for a multi-national healthcare company in facility revenue management. My long-term goal is to align myself with a healthcare organization that values both the care they give patients and the way they treat their employees. I strongly believe in a servant leadership style that supports both customers and employees. My favorite leadership quote is “Success in life is not a matter of chance. It’s a matter of choice.” We all are given opportunities in one way or another, however, it is up to us to take them and do what we can with them. I have a husband a two beautiful daughters ages 10 and 14. I love love love football and basketball season both for college and professionally. I don’t have any real hobbies right now as I work and go to school full time with two kids. I usually don’t even know what day of the week it is LOL! I am so excited about this course and can’t wait to work with an amazing group of students this semester!