Conclusion

Reflecting deeply on my internship at Akar Umbi, I have gained invaluable insights into the complexities and practicalities of managing, leading, and organising projects within an international relations and social science context. This experience enabled me to critically identify core challenges, thoughtfully analyze the effectiveness of various managerial, leadership, and organisational tools, and propose innovative solutions tailored to address identified issues.

Through a critical evaluation, I identified key strengths within Akar Umbi’s organisational practices, notably the effective use of digital collaboration tools such as Google Workspace, Miro, and Monday.com. These tools substantially enhanced our internal communication, real-time collaboration, and overall project management efficiency. Moreover, the structured approach of weekly team meetings significantly improved accountability, transparent communication, and task coordination, ensuring that projects like World Refugee Day remained timely and effective.

I further recognized the immense positive impact of the coaching leadership style adopted by my supervisor. Her approach consistently encouraged autonomy, innovation, and open communication, leading to notable personal growth for myself and enhanced team dynamics. Her deliberate practice of soliciting my input before decisions notably strengthened my confidence and active participation. Nonetheless, the experience highlighted that coaching leadership could initially overwhelm less experienced team members who require clearer guidance and structured support.

However, I also acknowledged key challenges that emerged during my placement. Despite the overall effectiveness of weekly meetings, discussions occasionally became excessively lengthy due to extensive democratic decision-making processes. Additionally, digital communication overload through channels like WhatsApp and email occasionally caused information delays. These practical challenges provided critical lessons, underscoring the importance of structured meeting facilitation and clearly defined communication protocols to enhance organisational efficiency.

Consequently, I proposed innovative solutions, including implementing a structured mentorship program to better integrate new team members, structured facilitation techniques to streamline meetings, clearer communication guidelines to reduce digital overload, standardized budget-tracking systems for better resource management, and a systematic feedback analysis framework to optimize learning and continuous improvement.

By integrating multiple perspectives—personal observations, team feedback, participant responses, and managerial insights—I was able to propose comprehensive and practical improvements. These recommendations hold significant potential to further elevate Akar Umbi’s organisational effectiveness, leadership impact, and project outcomes, demonstrating both my capacity for critical analysis and my proactive approach to problem-solving.

Ultimately, this internship experience has profoundly enhanced my understanding of effective leadership, thoughtful management, and strategic organisation within international relations projects. Moving forward, I intend to leverage these experiences and insights throughout my future career, continually advocating for innovation, collaboration, and systematic improvement. The lessons learned at Akar Umbi will undoubtedly serve as a foundational reference for my ongoing personal and professional growth.