After our first visit to a “Big Four” Accounting firm with Ernst & Young, I was excited to tour KPMG’s location and compare both companies. Jim Heatherington, Director for Advisory for KPMG, discussed his experiences studying abroad, and provided insight on how his ventures have modeled his ability to manage in a complex environment. Some of the messages he gave us included the difference in communication in a foreign country. With a translator, about ten percent of someone’s message gets lost in translation, while being able to speak another language allows you to connect with others around the globe directly. Ben Niebel, Advisory Manager, and Gina Ciarrocchi, Senior Tax Associate, discussed KPMG as a firm and as an innovator, with focuses on KPMG’s structure in Auditing, Tax, and Advisory, and how the company is developing technologies to make their processes easier.

Innovation stems from discovery. By researching certain industries and finding the markets that have not been addressed yet leads to creating a product, good or service that fits that niche. Companies like Ersnt & Young and KPMG have to remain innovative to remain at the top of their industry. Google was able to build an extremely strong resource base which allows them to experiment in creative ways. For employees to be innovative, the company they work for has to strive to be innovative. Company culture also plays a role, for the priorities of the authorities of an organization direct the process that the organization conducts. These past company visits have opened my eyes to how entrepreneurship can function in completely different settings, and how the concepts we have learned in Managing in Complex Environments are live and working in the business world. I cannot wait to visit companies in Dublin, and look forward to comparing and contrasting the function of these theories in another country.