Partnership Employing Experiential Learning to Teach Sustainable and Resilient Business Practices
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Date
2019-04
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Ohio State University. Office of Outreach and Engagement
Abstract
We will describe a five-year success record whereby students have collaborated with Owens Corning on the performance of authentic sustainability and resilience projects pertinent to significant operational and strategic issues at Owens Corning. Projects have included development of a strategy for motivating Owens Corning contract truckers to move away from fossil fuels to natural gas, options for end-of-life product disposition that avoid landfill, strategies for incorporating sustainability and resilience messaging into marketing communications, and approaches for reducing environmental and community impacts of a large manufacturing facility. "The fresh perspectives which students bring to generating solutions to the problems we toss at them add significant value. Often they identify issues we overlooked because we are so close to the problem – an example of not seeing the forest for the trees." –Julie Childers, senior sustainability leader for Owens Corning.
Description
For five years, Owens Corning has partnered with a Fisher College of Business course on Energy and Sustainability taught by Dr. Neil Drobny. This two-semester course builds student problem-solving capacity pertinent to sustainable and resilient business practices in the private and public sectors. The autumn semester of the course entails lectures delivered by Dr. Drobny and Owens Corning leadership, including case studies, on the application of sustainable and resilient thinking to strategic and operational matters including, market strategy, stakeholder engagement, product life cycle analysis, energy sourcing, emissions reduction across the supply chain, product innovation, investor interest in sustainability and resilience. These lectures encompass emerging topics such as the circular economy, industrial ecology and the United Nations sustainable development goals. In the spring semester, students work collaboratively in teams of three to five people on an authentic project pertinent to an Owens Corning initiative. These projects are co-supervised by Dr. Drobny and an Owens Corning representative with "ownership interest" in the projects. Drobny's role is to equip the students with tools for project management and to coach them in the application of those tools. Owens Corning's representatives meet frequently with the students, layout project goals and objectives, point students in the direction of information sources, and guide them in framing project deliverables. At the end of the semester, students submit a written report on their work and make a formal presentation to Owens Corning representatives and other classmates. Grading of the work is a joint effort of Dr. Drobny and Owens Corning representatives. Projects undertaken by students include development of a strategy for motivating Owens Corning contract truckers to move away from fossil fuels to natural gas, options for end-of-life product disposition that avoid landfill, strategies for incorporating sustainability and resilience messaging into marketing communications, and approaches for reducing environmental and community impacts of a large manufacturing facility. Julie Childers, senior sustainability leader for Owens Corning, says "the fresh perspectives which students bring to framing and generating solutions to the problems we toss at them add significant value. Often they identify issues that we overlooked because we are so close to the problem – an example of not seeing the forest for the trees." In the 2018 Owens Corning Sustainability Report, space (including a photo of students) was devoted to the student contributions. As a result of the partnership, Owens Corning has hired several interns and employees from Dr. Drobny's class. The students are attractive hires because they have knowledge of the company and its products, collaborative skills and teamwork experience, strong written and oral communication skills, and skills in project management under tight schedules.
AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Neil Drobny, senior lecturer, Ohio State Fisher College of Business, drobny.3@osu.edu (Corresponding Author); Julie Childers, senior sustainability leader, Owens Corning
AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Neil Drobny, senior lecturer, Ohio State Fisher College of Business, drobny.3@osu.edu (Corresponding Author); Julie Childers, senior sustainability leader, Owens Corning
Keywords
sustainability, resilience, project management, authentic projects, collaboration
Citation
Engaged Scholars, v. 7 (2019).