Real world learning: Highlights from the MGM European Residency

Master of Global Management European Residency 

Master of Global Management Program (MGM) students of the blended program completed a two-week international residency between Oct. 7th to Oct. 18th in Istanbul, Turkey. The residency was designed and led by, Dr. Hassan Wafai, with invaluable support from Mr. Burak Evern (Associate Faculty at RRU), Dr. Karin Sixl-Daniell (MBA Academic Lead at the Management Center (MCI), Innsbruck, Austria), and the MGM team. The international residency is an integral part of the MGM program and continues to feature the program's focus on experiential and problem-based learning and incorporated nine site visits and several on-site seminars and lectures.

During the residency, students received two courses, the International Operations and Supply Chain Management course and Managing Changes in Global Context. As part of these courses, students had the opportunity to gain first-hand experience and knowledge about operational and change management aspects in eight different companies operating in Istanbul, including Toyota, Parsan, Fiat, Turkcell, Tekfen, Aygaz, Borsusan EnBw, and Tumsas. The students also visited the old Istanbul where they were fully immersed in the fascinating culture and rich history of that region.

Watch a brief slideshow of photos from the residency.

Among other activities, we would like to highlight the following activities:

• TEKFEN Construction: Tekfen Construction is an international engineering and construction company with more than 21,000 employees working in 360 projects in more than 20 countries, including Germany, Qatar, Brazil, UAE, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. Tekfen has maintained its rank as one of the top 100 best international contracting companies in the world. MGM students met Tekfen’s management team and discussed Tefen’s working values and high-level process/activities; how Tekfen has been able to adapt to different cultural values and how the company adjusts its processes in response to these values; and how the company builds trust with its employees and within its complex global supply chain. 
• Tofas Turk Otomobil Fabrikasi (Fiat Factory): It was quite an impressive world-class manufacturing facility. MGM students toured the facility and learned about the different processes involved in car manufacturing. They explored the applications of key concepts such as cycle time, process design, manufacturing robotics and mass customization (on average, the cycle time is less than 60 seconds per car!). After the tour, MGM students had a session with the Plant Director; it was a lively and engaging session.
• Canadian Consulate in Istanbul: Students met the Canadian Trade Commissioners working in Istanbul and discussed with them the economic and business environment in Turkey. The discussion focused on opportunities pertaining to next-generation technologies, including Fin-Tech and smart cities. They learned about the nature of trades between Canada and Turkey and came to appreciate future opportunities and challenges for improving the trade relationship between Turkey and Canada.
• Toyota Factory: Toyota's way of work, commonly known as Lean Approach, has shaped modern operation management literature. MGM students had the opportunity to visit Toyota Factory in Istanbul, which is the biggest Toyota plant in Europe with an approximate annual capacity of 270,000 cars. The Toyota factory in Istanbul produces a car every 77 seconds. The students observed the operations and how Lean Philosophy is perfectly implemented. After the tour, they had lunch with the Toyota production team, who addressed students’ questions. The discussion focused on the applications of Lean Philosophy including maintaining lean relationships with the company’s 200 suppliers.
• Aygaz: It was a fantastic learning experience that focused on the application of quality control systems and supply chain functions. Aygaz is part of Koc Holding Group, which is the largest business agglomeration in Turkey with 8% contribution to the national GDP and 10% of total Turkish exports. MGM students visited the production facilities in Istanbul and engaged in a lively discussion with the management team, exploring how the company implemented its quality system throughout the production facilities and the supply chain; they also explored how the purchasing department at Aygaz supports the production (quantity, quality, timing, etc.).
• Parsan Steel Forging and Machining Co: Established in 1968, Parsan is currently a leading manufacturer in the forging industry in Turkey, producing about 50% of Turkish total national production. Students had the opportunity to examine a large-scale manufacturing operation and learn from the company management about Parsan’s way of work and culture; Parsan’s lean journey, highlighting the approaches adopted after the first unsuccessful attempt; and the company efforts to embrace Industry 4.0 standards including the use of Robotics.   
• Borsusan EnBw: The company is a joint venture between Turkish and German partners. With very strong project management capabilities, Borsusan EnBwthe aims to become the leader in wind energy production in Turkey. MGM students met Borsusan’s project management team and learned from them about Borsusan’s project management processes and approaches; how they manage changes in projects; and how German experts working in Borusan EnBw have managed cultural differences. 
• Tumsas: It was an important and meaningful visit. Tumsas is a small-sized highly innovative Turkish company specialized in designing and producing queue management systems. MGM students met the company management team and learned how a new product is designed from an idea to commercialization (i.e. product development process).
• Turkcell: It is the leading telecommunication company in Turkey with 15,000 employees and a total of 60,000 stakeholders in its business ecosystem. Turkcell academy hosted a session for MGM students about the company's transformational strategy to become a leading digital service and solutions provider.

Students and instructors owe a huge debt of thanks to the MGM team, for their support and to the companies which all went above and beyond to support our visits!

If you are interested in learning more about our MGM program and it's delivery model, click here. Or join us in our upcoming webinar January 16^th, 2020 hosted by our Program Head, Dr. Debora Linehan.