Striving for an Ideal Exchange Experience - Quality Audit AIESEC LC AUC (Egypt)

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- Quality Audit on Performance AIESEC LC AUC -
Egypt (Cairo), 01 October 2013
Striving for an Ideal Exchange Experience
Keywords: AIESEC, AIECEC EGYPT, AIESEC AUC, LC AUC, Performance, Quality, Internship,
IGCDP, Exchange, Intern, Complaint, Survey, Unsatisfied, Going on an Exchange, Travel,
Multicultural Experience, AIESEC Experience, Number Focused, KPI System, Change, AIESEC
Accommodation, AIESEC Airport Pick-Up, AIESEC Internship, @ AUC, @ Egypt

- 2 -Jean-Pierre Boymans © 2013Striving for an Ideal Exchange Experience
I want to take you on this journey. An
intern going on exchange and the
issues (s)he faces..

The purpose of this report is:

To Highlight the Intern Servicing Gaps of AIESEC
LC AUC And Suggest Appropriate Actions
Purpose of this report

Did not work for their
signed up internship
Not satisfied with pre-
arrival communication
Executive Summary
of the interns surveyed
were not satisfied with
the performance of
AIESEC AUC
91%
45 Interns filled in
our survey
#
60 %
45 %
Have not been picked up
from the airport
40 %
Not satisfied with the
provided accommodation
70 %
Thistranslatesinto

1. Some Background Information on AIESEC
2. Major Findings
3. Interpretations of Results, Implications and Actions
4. Concluding Thoughts with Next Steps
5. Appendix
Table Of Contents

Where Did It All Started?
This research originates from the things I and many others have seen and heard
during our time as long term interns in Egypt, from my personal experiences during
my roles as team leader in AIESEC AUC’s Talent Management (TM), as team leader
in the NST TM (Egypt level) and from my the time after, outside the organization as
full time management consultant.
We kicked off the research in the form of a survey the beginning of July and
deactivated it the middle of August after which the analyses and the development of
this report took place.
Last year we have done a similar effort. We designed a survey, gathered responses
and shared it with the management team of LC AUC. The outcome of that study
highlighted gaps in AIESEC AUC’s performance. Up to this day we have not seen the
promised / expected improvements and given that this soft approach seems to fail,
we have decided this time to share the results of this second research with all who
are interested.
I have not intentionally aimed at hurting persons or entities and have only developed
this research to further improve the AIESEC LC AUC.

Thank You
I would like to thank Tamires, Pritish, Diego, Laura, Sonja, Sarah, Mateusz and all the
other interns that I have met and shared time with. Additionally, I want to thank all the
amazing AIESECers I met here in Egypt for helping me in my learning journey and for
their dedication to develope AIESEC here in Egypt.
They have helped me in initiating, developing and finalizing this report. If it was not for
them I wouldn’t have been capable nor motivated enough to develop it.
Jean-Pierre Boymans

1. Some Background Information on AIESEC

What does AIESEC
represent?

AIESEC’s Vision and Mission
Our Mission
AIESEC develops future responsible global leaders.
What We Envision
How We Do It
By providing self-driven, practical learning experiences
(internships, extra curricula activities,...)
Source: AIESEC

Impacting Society Through Living Our AIESEC Values
Activating Leadership
Demonstrating Living Diversity
Acting Sustainably
Source: AIESEC

Impacting Society Through Living Our AIESEC Values
Activating Leadership
We lead by example and inspire leadership through our activities.
We take full responsibility for developing the leadership potential of our members.
Demonstrating Integrity
We are consistent and transparent in our decisions and actions.
We fulfill our commitments and conduct ourselves in a way that is true to our ideals.
Living Diversity
We seek to learn from the different ways of life and opinions represented in our multicultural environment.
We respect and actively encourage the contribution of every individual.
Enjoying Participation
We create a dynamic environment created by active and enthusiastic participation of individuals.
We enjoy being involved in AIESEC.
Striving for Excellence
We aim to deliver the highest quality performance in everything we do.
Through creativity and innovation we seek to continuously improve.
Acting Sustainably
We act in a way that is sustainable for our organization and society.
Our decisions take into account the needs of future generations.
1
2
3
4
5
6

Interns
AIESECers
Organizations
Impacting
society
INTERNS
Use AIESEC as a means of gaining relevant professional experience
as well as develop personally through the meeting of new cultures.
AIESECers
Gain practical experience during university working in a setting that
mimics professional life quite well.
ORGANIZATIONS
Are impacted positively through working with people from different
cultures against a low monetary cost while also contributing
positively to the construction of a impactful society.
AIESEC Three (3) Key Stakeholders
Note:
1. Other important, yet less dominant stakeholders include friends and
families of AIESEC interns as well as AIESECers, clients of companies
that employ AIESEC interns, universities such as AUC and so on.
Source:
1. My Analysis
2. AIESEC

AIESEC AUC

AIESEC AUC Part of AIESEC Egypt
LC’s, AIESEC’s Local
Commitees.
LC AUC, LC CU, LC
Alexandria, LC GUC, LC
AAST, …
MC Egypt, AIESEC’s
National Commitee.
MC Egypt: Member Committee
(national staff); they are paid AIESEC
staff. Each MC Oversees AIESEC on
their national level, provides support
for Local Communities within their MC
country, maintains relationships with
other countries, manages national
finances, and builds national
partnerships.
LC: The AIESEC Local Community.
Currently there are over 7 LC’s in
Egypt.
Legend Definitions

AIESEC AUC Historical Stats
Current active members: 24
155
13
Long Term Short Term
211
7
Long Term Short Term
9194
Member Leader
Notes:
1. A member is the starting position in any AIESEC team. After member you can become a leader in either the
middle management or the executive management.
2. A long term internship is generally an internship with a duration of over 3 months, while a short term
internship lasts maximum 3 months and on average 6 to 8 weeks.
Past Positions in AIESEC AUC Foreigners Coming to Egypt
Egyptians Going Abroad From
Egypt
# Internships # Internships
AUC historical stats retrieved from myaiesec.net January 2013 – September 2013:

An example of AIESEC
AUC impacting society

“Egyptians are so hospitable even if it comes at their own
expense. At a shisha cafe one evening, I was walking over to
the bathroom, when the waiter rushes after me. "No, you
come with me." He walks with me, over to another nearby
cafe, and says, "You use this one." I come back, and the
Egyptians with me are in hysterics. "You can come here
anytime you want, just don't use the bathroom here."
Classic."
David P.
AIESEC AUC in Action Impacting Society
Source: Cultureshock.com

Our research shows
AIESEC AUC can IMPACT
society even more…

BUT it's not easy..

It requires CHANGE !

But AIESEC can do it, we
are a learning organization!

AIESEC is a LEARNING ORGANIZATION
AIESEC is a LEARNING organization. The definition of a learning organization is:
“A learning organization is the term given to a company that facilitates the learning of
its members and continuously transforms itself.”
Hence, AIESEC AUC should always strive to become better. Therefore, I plea for the
OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT of this report in all its content (findings, implications and
suggested actions). Assumptions should be verified, implications further discussed
and suggested actions revised to ensure they are reflecting the reality.
Source: Pedler, M., Burgogyne, J. and Boydell, T. 1997. The Learning Company: A strategy for sustainable development. 2nd Ed. London; McGraw-Hill.

Above all I hope to fuel
interest in adopting a
customer oriented view!

Customer oriented
view puts the
Customer …
1st
1st

All AIESEC does is evaluated
against the Needs of the
Customer!
Intern
Your XP
Company

Excessive focus on numbers through a number driven
vision, time after time communicated by the leadership
body in shouts such as: ‘Soon the number 1 LC in the
world..’, is not exactly focusing on your customers, rather
on your personal recognition, your desire to be the best.. in
numbers.
Intern
Your XP
Company
So do the interns and companies
agree with AIESEC AUC’s
number driven vision?

Let’s see…

2. Major Findings

Research Methodology
As stated in the beginning this research has been kicked off in the form of a survey
the beginning of July and has been deactivated the middle of August after which the
analyses and the development of this report took place.
Our target group for the survey were the interns that arrived in Egypt through AIESEC
AUC. We made use of qualtrics.com only survey software to devise the survey. It was
distributed to the interns online through email and facebook. The survey consisted out
of 5 demographic questions and 7 to 11 questions (depending on the respondents’
answer) on various aspects of the performance of the LC AUC.
The questions in the survey were based on 5 key parameters selected after a
brainstorm session with the team. The 5 selected were: (1) communication pre-
arrival, (2) airport pick-up, (3) accommodation, (4) work and (5) the job description
match and internship duration.
Find in the appendix a set of screenshots of the survey.

Key Facts
To-Date

# AIESEC Interns Survey Participants
% Survey Response Rate (i.e. Total 90 Target
Sample)
45
50
More elaborate profile information of the respondents available in the appendix of
this file:
1. Nationality
2. Date of arrival

In the survey the interns were asked
a simple question:

This is what they had to say..
Opinion on AIESEC AUC
Please describe your
experience with AIESEC AUC
in 1 sentence.

“”
I wasted my
money and my
summer…
“
What Did Each of the Interns Have to Say?* (1)
Is what 1 intern had to say about
his experience with AIESEC AUC
1. Most of the members of AIESEC AUC were unprofessional, they
initiated inappropriate relationships with interns; disorganized and
not serious, they would hardly follow through with the tasks they
promised; and they would break their own rules that they had made
for interns to obey.
2. The work team was very helpful, and I did the things planned for the
internship, so I spend a very good time.
3. Disorganized and irresponsible most of the times.
4. Betrayed.
5. I would not recommend this to anyone interested in having a working
or volunteer experience abroad - not what they promised at all!
6. The interns should be more followed during the work
7. Disappointed
8. The experience was only good because the Job I developed
matched the job description. However, the support of AIESEC AUC
crew, which was never available or never had a solution for
problems, and the conditions of the flat made the experience less
enjoyable then it could be.
*These and subsequent pages contain sentences that have been grammatically checked and corrected. My apologies
if some of the sentences were changed to disagreement of the respondent. Names have been omitted to ensure
anonymity.

9. I was dissatisfied more than I'd like to admit, it was challenging in most aspects, and felt
like the LC was disorganized.
10.I am really disappointed with the work.
11.They are largely irresponsible and AIESEC AUC should be closed.
12.My experience so far is missing any LC support (e.g. an enriching cultural experience).
13.Really enjoyed my project, and the help of my project managers, however the
apartment had a lot of issues and the area was fairly unsafe. No upper management
skills or people to communicate with.
14.Very friendly people, always there to help in any way they could, welcoming, and
professional.
15.Though communication started off well upon my arrival in Egypt with AIESEC AUC, it
quickly fell apart and I left largely due to its incompetence.
16.Things here are not organized in a clear way as it is suppose to be.
17.AIESEC AUC sent someone non-AIESEC AUC to pick me up from the airport, never
communicated and only met me at the end of my stay where they demanded I pay the
safety deposit fee which hadn't been paid at my arrival because they never got in touch
with me.
What Did Each of the Interns Have to Say? (2)
This and subsequent pictures taken from
actual AIESEC AUC accommodation.

“”
I went here for a serious
working experience
instead it is a sort of
uncomfortable holiday, we
spend our time at home
doing nothing. I am
strongly disappointed, I
will not recommend
AIESEC EGYPT to anyone.
“
through a private message
18.My internship and my project manager is good but AIESECers of
AUC are very bad don't respond on phone call and there are many
more complaints.
19.Faced lot many problems but overall it was awesome.
20.Internship is great since I work at AUC Campus and not in any NGO,
the accommodation in Nozha is terrible though. Lack of security,
space, beds, and utilities are not working...
21.Total miscommunication on most issues, especially the important
ones.
22.It turned out to be a decent experience even with the inconsistent
support of AIESEC AUC, but I do think that I got lucky with my
specific internship with the AAW.
23.The most unorganised, disinterested, scam-like organisation and
racially-biased AIESEC in Cairo, and ever.
24.AIESEC AUC was terrible and I will not recommend them to anyone,
but luckily Tamarod happened so I felt like I learned something. I am
lucky that AIESEC AAST came to my rescue.

25.A disaster. My project manager never appeared during my whole stay in Egypt, and
always had excuses to not taking me to my first day of work, or to meet me. Never saw
the guy, and instead of helping me when I told him that I wasn't satisfied with my job, he
made it really difficult for me to change it, he only tried to make me stay at the same
place, for him not to make effort on finding me a new job. By the way, when I arrived,
the guy that picked me up took me to his house, where he was alone, because they
didn't decide where I was supposed to stay (those were his words). Imagine arriving
after 38hs of flight, not having a flat, and being alone with some stranger at his house,
and not knowing where you are going to stay. And your project manager not showing
up. I was the first EP from my country, and when I came back, they were expecting me
to say how the experience was, and I told them how disappointed I was with AIESEC.
They told me that it is not AIESEC, it is just AIESEC AUC that sucks.
26.Terrible, not pragmatic and annoying.
27.They didn't knew what was happening..... till today my assigned manager doesn't know
when I came and went back to India.... :P
28.They are totally careless!
29.Egypt was good, the AIESEC there was not!
30.My expectations were low and I was still disappointed.
31.My experience was average because of the false promises claimed by AIESEC AUC.
This and subsequent pictures taken from
actual AIESEC AUC accommodation.

Just in case you could not see
it properly.. My flat in January.

“”
Hey guys! Such a disaster! I
am coming here to Cairo to
gain the experience and you
are giving me flat where
everything is almost broken,
no lights, no shower, no
window. Who deserve for
such bad conditions?! Are
you serious? I am so
disappointed from the first
impression.
“
through a private message
32.It would help greatly if AUC members could follow up on their
promises to contact the intern for updates instead of leaving the
intern hanging. It not only wastes our time and money, but leaves us
with a very sour impression of the country.
33.Bullshit !!!
34.My EP buddy left for his own internship and no new EP buddy was
assigned to me. Therefore I didn't go to my work place a single day.
35.Unorganised, lazy, apathetic towards their own work and in most
cases incompetent and inexperienced.
36.The biggest problem was the project that did not work. I just believe
that the GCDPs project have to be more organize.
37.Horrible.
38.I am not at all satisfied with AIESEC AUC people and my internship
summit did not happen for a month.
39.They need to improve their relationship with all the interns.

40.AIESEC AUC does not take care of the interns.
41.I has been a good experience but with reference to the work has not been good.
42.Communicating with them is difficult as they are hard to reach and do not reply timely
and the internship is far from what is described on myaiesec.net.
43.Egypt AUC is lie.. incompetent no work. wasted my father's HALAL money on nothing.
no experience gained till now. I hope you know what HALAL is.
44.The people here are nice, but too many things over arrange, none of them want to take
responsibility very well.
45.Please respect the interns more about their work and other things.
“The poor intern servicing has really
diminished the quality of my GCDP
experience!”

# Positive Replies
# Negative Replies
4
41
Were You
Aware of This?

Textual Analyses
To analyze these sentences we did a textual analysis (content analysis) . We went
over each of the sentences analyzing the words, we interpreted those words and
grouping them. The definition of content analysis is provided below:
“Content analysis or textual analysis is a methodology in the social sciences for
studying the content of communication.”
Wikipedia, 2013
The words extracted from this analysis give a clear indication in which areas AIESEC
AUC has to improve further. 2 types of observations came up, intern (respondent)
observations of performance of LC AUC and intern interpretation / feelings towards
the LC AUC / their internship.

Keywords from Comments on AIESEC AUC Performance
AIESEC AUC
Performance
1
2
2
3
4
4
7
8
8
11
12
13
Careless
Incompetent & inexperienced
Lack of quality control
Untrustworthy
Lazy
Bad flat conditions & unsafe flat conditions
No / lack of proper communication channels
No support by AEISEC AUC
Helpful & reliable, professional, internship & PM good
Unprofessional
Unreliable
Disorganized
Keywords derived from comments of the interns on AIESEC AUC
Performance
8 Positive interpretations and 67 negative ones (from 48 responses). This
means that only 12% of the interns interpretations regarding AIESEC AUC’s
performance can be interpreted as positive..

Keywords from Comments on Feelings by Interns on AIESEC AUC
1
1
3
7
8
Challenging
betrayed
Disaster
dissapointed
Dissatisfied
Keywords derived from comments on feelings by interns on
AIESEC AUCIntern
Feelings
1 Positive interpretations and 19 negative ones (from 48 responses). This
means that only 0,5% of the interns feelings towards AIESEC AUC can be
interpreted as positive..

What Went Wrong?
Facts Unraveled

Five (5) Performance Assessment Parameters
Parameters:
5 Communication
Airport pick-up
Accommodation
Work
Job Description Match and Duration
1
2
3
4
5
What did the
interns answer?
Notes:
1. Selected parameters based on brainstorm sessions with the team consisting out of
several interns from AIESEC AUC in and outside of Egypt.
2. The survey has been build around these 5 parameters.

To visualize the 5 parameters…

AIESECAirport pick-up2
Pre-Arrival Communication1
Accommodation3
Work4
Work JD Match and Duration5

To dig further into this, we asked them:

Are you content the way AIESEC
AUC communicated with you
before arrival in Cairo, Egypt?

AIESEC – Intern Communication Before Arrival
11%
13%
18%
very poor
very good
poor
good
fair
31%
27%
60%
Notes:
1. Levels of content can be defined here as replying on e-mail /
facebook communication within 48 hours.
2. Levels of content can also be defined as the clarity in which they
describe your airport pick-up, the housing location, and
questions about your work.
Of the respondents
think its poor.
45

OK, what about your arrival in Egypt?

Have you been picked up from the
airport by AIESEC AUC within 1
hour of exiting the customs?
Airport pick-up2

Airport Pick-Up by An AIESECer
Note:
1. The picture on the right side is not a picture related to this
topic. It has been used pure for illustrative purposes.
40%of the interns have not been picked up within 1 hour
from the airport, or not picked up at all...
26
No
Airport Pick-Up
Yes
19 45

The intern just arrived and is
already fed up!

Does the situation gets any better?

Were you satisfied with the place
you were living in during your
internship?
Accommodation3

Satisfaction with Accommodation
1
3
8
1
7
8
17
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
Neutral
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Very Dissatisfied
70%
of the interns are unsatisfied
with the accommodation!

Why were you unsatisfied with
your accommodation?
Accommodation3

The basic conditions
in the flat (such as
shower, ac or beds)
were (are) insufficient
What in accommodation bothered you?
10
33
35
1111
13
Other?There were too many
people living in the flat
Felt unsafe in the
area where my flat
was (is) located
Location (close or
too far away from
relaxing activities)
Location (close or too
far away from work)
60%were not happy because of the basic conditions
and the high amount of people in the flat
Notes:
1. Other specified in the appendix.
2. People were allowed to pick multiple options.

Let me ask you..

How would you feel if this would
happen to you?

How would you feel if this would
happen to you?
Waiting for hours
hopelesly in the
airport..

No really. Think about it.

I would change my opinion on
AIESEC after all of this shit.

Final chance, what about work?

The Reason Most People
Come to Egypt..
1.

Did you work during your stay in
Egypt?
Work4

Whom of the Interns Worked?
20
25
NoYes
Notes:
1. With work is referred to the internship you signed up to when joining AIESEC and coming to Egypt.
2. The research also pointed out that of the 90% of the interns that did not work, did not do so because of AIESEC AUC and not
because of the political situation in the country (i.e. the 30th of June protests). Discussion and more research is needed to
identify why so many of the interns did not work.
3. Caution should be taken in further interpreting these results as it is not clear whom of the interns were assigned a new
internship. Estimation is that maximum 30% got a new internship, and if they did AIESEC AUC took a few weeks to provide it.
45%
of the interns did not work on the
internship they signed up for!

So 45% of the interns in question
did not work.

What about those 55% that did
work. Did they have a quality
experience?

Where they working right from the
start of their arrival in Egypt?

Did you work the promised
duration or was it shorter than
promised?
Job Description Match and Duration5

Average Agreed Upon Work Duration
6,3 Weeks
4,8 Weeks
ACTUAL
TIME
WORKED
Note:
1. The 25 that actually worked only worked 75% of the time.
Only 3 left earlier and missed maximum 1 week due to this.
Actual Worked Weeks

One last question.

Did you actually do what you were
supposed to be doing?
Job Description Match and Duration5

20% 20% 4%
Series
2520% 12% 24%
Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree Somewhat Agree Strongly Agree
Job Description Match
24% 20% 4%20%
mewhat Disagree Somewhat Agree
Agree
Strongly Agree
50%of the interns that worked did not have
matching job descriptions!
Note:
1. This only applies to the 25 respondents who said ‘yes’ to the question whether they worked or not.
2. This may not only be disappointing for the interns who are expecting high quality professional
learning experiences, but also for the companies which have to deal with disappointed interns.

OK, rewind.

I come here for professional
development and what do I get?
Warning, next slides for
illustrative purposes only!

I came here with AIESEC to
become a scuba diver
instructor….
Note:
1. Of course this is not an actual AIESEC internship and is solely used
for illustrative purposes.

But then this is
what I did….
Notes:
1. Of course this is not an actual AIESEC internship and is solely used
for illustrative purposes.
2. I have all respect for the farmer and the role (s)he plays in society.
This picture is then also only used for illustrative purposes.

GUYS WAKE UPPPPPP
!!!!!!!!

AIESECAirport pick-up2
Accommodation3
Work4
Work JD Match and Duration5
GAPS ON
ALL
LEVELS!!

Is this the way you create value for
interns and companies .. and for
yourself?

You risk damaging your COUNTRY’S
REPUTATION and the AIESEC
BRAND..

If all interns talk to only 5-10 people
about their XP this will create a very
negative reputation for AIESEC AUC,
AIESEC Egypt and AIESEC as a
whole.
Above all

This is NOT how it SHOULD BE!

It is time to listen and change
our way of working..

3. What Causes AIESEC AUC to Underperform?

Note: Hypothesis Development
Included hypotheses are developed based on several brainstorm session with the
team. Hence, developed hypotheses require further in depth research for
verification of its accuracy and a further detailed analysis of where the biggest
problems stem from. One can then create a 3-dimensional graph with problem,
impact and investment on the 3 axes for action prioritization.
As communicated earlier, please interpret these hypotheses as objectively as
possible.

Looking at AIESEC’s business model 3 root causes
have been identified:
AIESEC AUC Target Group
‘Youth’
CAUSING
UNSATISFIED
INTERNS
1
3 2 Selective Value Adoption
‘Enjoying Participation, Only’
Number Driven Local Vision
‘Number of Exchanges’
Causes for AIESEC AUC Underperformance
Note:
1. These causes are all interrelated with each other as shown in the
next figure.
2. The 3 root causes relate back to the business model of AIESEC
and AIESEC AUC.
3. A business model describes the rationale of how an organization
creates, delivers, and captures value.

Causes for AIESEC AUC Underperformance Illustrated
Intern
Satisfaction
H1: In part inherent to the AIESEC business model,
AIESEC AUC targets youth in need for development
and has recruited members with limited experience
which has negatively impacted intern satisfaction
H3: The number driven local vision has led to a
decrease in intern satisfaction
H2: AIESEC AUC selectively adopts values and this
has led to a decrease in intern satisfaction
Grand Hypothesis: The AIESEC Business Model
creates 3 weaknesses that have led to current
AIESEC AUC performance problems

The AIESEC Business Model creates 3
weaknesses that have led to current
AIESEC AUC performance problems
Grand Hypothesis

In part inherent to the @ business model, @
AUC targets youth in need for development
and has recruited members with limited
experience which has negatively impacted
intern satisfaction
Hypothesis 1

1. TRIAL & ERROR LEARNING NEGATIVELY IMPACTED INTERNS
The lack of experience of its members in running an organization on this scale lead to ‘trial and error’ learning that often negatively impacted
companies and interns, as well as the AIESEC brand. Without proper knowledge management and transitions mistakes were repeated time
after time. Although these problems were anticipated in the AIESEC business model, AIESEC AUC did not take proper measures against it.
Mentorship and coaching programs or knowledge management were initiated but not effectively executed.
The LC AUC has been preoccupied by the number of exchanges they were making rather than taking care of the interns that were arriving. I
believe this is not intentionally done, but can be attributed to the lack of experience of the functioning of a large organization which has a
multiple stakeholders that need to be satisfied.
Root Cause 1 – AIESEC AUC Target Group
YOUNG & OFTEN LESS EXPERIENCED
AIESEC AUC has targeted young people to develop them into future leaders through an easily accessible platform with access to internships
and a member and leader track in the organization itself. The positions allow an individual to take up a high level of responsibility with the
potential to impact society considerably. The issue was that a lot of the individuals that made and make e up the AIESEC AUC team had
limited practical experience in running an organization of this scale (> 200 exchanges).
1. HIGH TURNOVER
For leadership positions it has a high turnover rate of 6 to 12 months depending on the position in order to ensure that it remains an accessible
development platform for youth. Besides the turnover rates set by the structure itself a lot of people were occupied with other issues such as
travel abroad or other youth organizations.
What is the AIESEC AUC’s target group?
1
1
Consequences are:
2

Root Cause 1 – AIESEC AUC Target Group
1. TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT TO MITIGATE PROBLEMS
The problems coming forth from this can be mitigated through member training and development. These training and development initiatives
could sourced to both internal s (AIESEC AUC and EGYPT) as well as externals (HR Consultancy Companies, etc.). They can be in the form of
sessions, webinars, mentorship programs, coaching sessions, etc... However, this will help only so much as most development will happen on
the job, in practice. Hence the role of leadership in correct direction setting and knowledge transfer.
1. MORE STRINGENT SELECTION CRITERIA TO INDUCE CUSTOMER CENTRICITY
Another measure should be to put more stringent selection criteria for Executive Board (EB) positions, and for that matter other positions too.
One of those could be having had at a minimum 6 weeks of experience abroad, or if need be re-election of EB members of the past term. A
balance should be established between providing development opportunities and the satisfaction of important stakeholders such as interns and
companies.
1. MODIFY EB TERMS
A more structural change could be a split of AIESEC AUC’s EB terms into 2 halves running in overlap with each other so that the older half of
the EB team can always train and develop the other newer half of the EB.
EB COMPOSITION (AIN SHAMS UNI.)
Allow members from AIESEC AUC’s 2nd partner university to become part of the EB as they in general include a different part of Egypt's society
with good people management skills and practical ‘on-the-ground’ knowledge and hence will be a valuable contribution for intern servicing.
1. NEW QUALITY ORIENTED KPI SYSTEM
Structure guides our thinking and behavior in subtle ways. AIESEC in general and AIESEC AUC in specific, always had a focus on numbers. A
variable that is in general quite easy to measure (i.e. the number of exchanges). Due to that it is so easy to measure AIESEC has been overly
focused on ‘number’ KPIs. However, in order to develop further and impact society more profoundly, AIESEC AUC has to develop a KPI system
with targets that reflect both quantity and quality parameters. For instance, we could measure intern satisfaction (quality oriented) through
various measures such as the ones shown in this presentation. To conclude, we can only mitigate the effects of an inexperienced team if we are
aware of the problems which can be achieved through a re-designed KPI system. However, outcomes need to have consequences attached to
them which means that AIESEC Egypt and AIESEC International can act if AIESEC AUC is underperforming.
What can we do to mitigate the effects of a team that lacks relevant experience?
1
3
2
4
5

AIESEC AUC selectively adopts values and
this has led to a decrease in intern
satisfaction
Hypothesis 2

1. SAYING DOES NOT EQUATE DOING
A focus on participation and fun, not on what matters most; delivering quality experiences to interns and companies with the end goal to impact
society. Saying that you are delivering these experiences (i.e. as you do now) does not mean that they are actually happening.
1. PROBLEMS NOT PRO-ACTIVELY SOLVED & NOT RECORDED
Many of the interns coming to AIESEC AUC are not aware of their rights as interns and in many cases accept poor conditions, believing it is ‘it
is part of the experience’. In cases where AIESECers are confronted with the lack of service quality a ‘blame game’ is initiated, the ‘it is not my
responsibility’ kind of way. The intern than either gives up realizing he or she is leaving in a few weeks, or pushes on and when it is finally
solved the incidence is quickly forgotten by AIESEC AUC without recording and preventing it in the future. For instance, the airport pick-ups did
not happen many times and the problem was never resolved entirely in a sustainable way. This leads to a negative connection not only with
AIESEC AUC’s brand but also with the AIESEC brand as a whole.
Root Cause 2 – Selective Value Adoption
1. AIESEC’s 6 CORE VALUES
AIESEC believes in 6 core values guiding its mission to impact society. AIESEC recognizes the key role youth play in changing societies for
the better. Through AIESEC they role into other organizations carrying on the values learned in AIESEC.
1. PEOPLE JOIN AIESEC AUC TO PARTY
Experience has thought me and many of the interns that not all AIESEC AUC members live by these values except for when it is convenient.
This research has further highlighted this ‘realization’. The reason for people to join AIESEC seems to be to have access to party, to network
and to have fun and their expectation is that by doing so they will develop themselves further. The values such as leadership, integrity,
excellence and sustainability are often said, but not so often followed-up through actions.
1. NO CULTURE OF FEEDBACK & LEARNING
No passion in developing oneself or the organization can be found back, albeit indirectly, in the organizational culture of feedback and learning.
There has been no pro-active attempt done to collect feedback from AIESEC AUC interns or companies on their AIESEC experience.
What is meant by selective value adaption?
1
3
2
1
Consequences are:
2

1. THE RIGHT MESSAGE
This can be broken down into further points. In the first place why do members join AIESEC AUC? Because AIESEC AUC brings with it a
brand, a reputation! It should start by communicating the right message to ensure that it will attract the right people. Unfortunately it now has
created a message predominantly around meeting foreigners rather than having a professional experience through any of the channels they
provide.
1. PROPER SELECTION CRITERIA
Next in line is the role of talent management. If the message is the road to the organization, talent management (TM) is the gate. TM has to
define a set of selection criteria that will result in the selection of an individual with a personality supportive to the AIESEC vision and values.
1. TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS
Further role by talent management in delivering relevant training sessions in knowledge and skills areas that will allow the individual to further
perform in his or her function and role.
1. REWARD & PUNISHMENT SYSTEM
Leadership should develop a ‘reward and punish’ system that rewards individuals with exemplary behavior, but equally and perhaps more
importantly in this stage, punishes the member behaving in non-conformance with the AIESEC values. Punishment is clearly in the form of a
probation, but should also be firing if necessary. It is clear that people are allowed to make mistakes, but if the same mistakes happen time
after time than this individual has chosen a path that is not aligned with that of the organization, an organization that lives by a set of values.
1. STAKEHOLDER DIALOGUE
Lastly AIESEC AUC should engage its stakeholders through dialogue to show case impact and discuss on how to improve that impact. This
will provide AIESEC members with other perspectives and will create a more realistic view on their contribution and will motivate them further
on continuing with the work they are doing, or not.
Root Cause 2 – Selective Value Adoption
How can we ensure that AIESEC AUC members will live up to the values?
1
3
2
5
4

The number driven local vision has led to a
decrease in intern satisfaction
Hypothesis 3

1. AVERAGE AIESECer DOES NOT EXPERIENCE EGYPT THE WAY AN INTERN DOES
Interns are not informed thoroughly pre-arrival on local conditions such as harassment in the metro or microbus. Interns are not picked up on
time, or not at all. Communication through phone and email are not handled professionally; no reply or no follow through. Interns are not shown
where to work. Problems are not solved and ignored. Through this number driven vision the customer is overlooked. Hence the average
AIESECer from AUC does not experiences Egypt the way an intern does.
1. QUALITY FOCUS WILL COMPROMISE NUMBERS
A quality focused approach will compromise the number of exchanges that AIESEC AUC can make on the short run. With current focus on
numbers and in full support by the local and international reward structure AIESEC AUC will not compromise on this.
Root Cause 3 – Number Driven Local Vision
1. INCREASE EXCHANGES TO UNSUSTAINABLE LEVELS
With a number driven vision we refer to the focus of the LC AUC on increasing their number of exchanges to become the number one globally
(slide 23 and 24) and in doing so AIESEC AUC has shown over the past years little consideration for the intern or for that matter the company.
2 of their most dominant customers.
1. AIESEC REWARD SYSTEM INCENTIVISES NUMBER DRIVEN APPROACH
AIESEC AUC is incentivized to do so by AIESEC’s reward system which focuses mainly on numerical parameters. Quality oriented LC’s are
not rewarded for their performance simply because no system is in place to measure it.
1. THE INTERN AS A NUMBER
AIESEC AUC sees interns as numbers, without an understanding of the intern and an attempt to accommodate their actions for the interns.
With intern contact mainly residing at IGCDP members and not with middle management (MM) and executive board (EB), in fact interns rarely
meet them, this number driven view is further reinforced at MM and EB level (out of sight, out of mind).
What is meant by a number driven local vision?
1
3
2
1
Consequences are:
2

1. ONE WAY...CUSTOMER CENTRITY
The problem has to be first acknowledged and recognized. Then it has to be tackled through both bottom-up and top-down initiatives to
increase our ‘customer centricity’. One of the initiatives could be through role plays in the form of an obligatory training “experience life in Egypt
through the eyes of the interns” at the start of the new term for the member, middle management and EB. This could be sleeping for a week in
the accommodation provided to the intern, taking public transportation without use of personal car, etc..
1. SELECTION CRITERIA
Structure guides our thinking and behavior in subtle ways. Hence actions should also be related to more structural changes, such as mentioned
earlier, acceptance to the EB team only with experience of a previous exchange.
1. KPI SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT
AIESEC in general, and AIESEC AUC in specific, always had a focus on numbers as it is a variable that is in general quite easy to measure
(i.e. the number of exchanges). However, in order to develop further and impact society more profoundly, AIESEC AUC has to develop a KPI
system with related targets that reflect both quantity and quality. Progress has been made with Net Promoter Score (NPS) implementation.
NPS however does not influence AIESEC AUC internal operations directly and only to a little extent incentivizes AIESEC AUC to change their
orientation.
1. REWARD & PUNISHMENT
Additionally, the outcomes need to have consequences attached to it. This means that initially AIESEC Egypt (MC) and then AIESEC
International (AI) can and should warn and step in if AIESEC AUC is not reaching the quality targets set out by and for them. In essence this
means a more directive approach by the MC and AI through real punishments and meaningful rewards.
1. EXAMPLE REWARD ORIENTED AT NUMBERS
An example of one of the number oriented rewards is the recently awarded MENA Regional Excellence Award to AIESEC Egypt which it got
based on data available through the system, hence without the inclusion of any quality measures focusing on the intern on aspects such as
company satisfaction and intern satisfaction…
Root Cause 3 – Number Driven Local Vision
What can we do to orient ourselves not only on numbers but also on quality of experience?
1
3
2
5
4

Let's take the results of this
survey and KICK SOME ASS.
Lets truly impact society in a
durable way.

Let’s become the number 1
LC in the world. In quality.
1

4. Concluding Thoughts with Next Steps

What is Next?
Next steps for AIESEC AUC are:
1. To decide on the necessity of a change effort. Do we want to move towards more quality or do we
continue on the path we are right now?
2. If the answer is, ‘we want to change’, then the next step is to validate and further detail research results
and create a sense of urgency among the AIESEC AUC team for if its members are not aware of the
existing problems and the further problem that lay ahead, the change effort will fail. This needs to be
done in such a way that people understand this emotionally, they need to experience what an intern
experiences.. To repeat what an intern once told me:“How would you feel waking up 6 am in the
morning, waiting till 20 people took a shower, and leaving work 9:30.
3. Then decide on the team that will lead the change, it means people with the right motivation,
capabilities and experience to complete such a change.
4. Start thinking of a new vision for AIESEC AUC. A change requires a break with the old. We need to
make people exited and motivated for this.
5. Create changes, make the changes felt among the members of AIESEC AUC and its stakeholders.
Keep on going, you are on the right track for a successful change!
5
2
3
1
Sources: Leading Change and The Heart of Change by John Kotter and Dan Cohen.
4

Report Limitations2
Respondents Profiling3
Author Information5
5. Appendix
Other Comments on Accommodation4
Survey Screenshots1

Survey Screenshots1

Survey Screenshots (1)

Report Limitations2

Limitations of This Report
Important for the analyses of the information presented in this report are the
shortcomings that were part of its creation. Main SHORTCOMINGS identified are:
1. Sample size:
45 responses were recorded for this survey. This is 25% of the total interns that visited Egypt starting in January till August this
year (180).
1. Question formatting:
Questions 1 and 2 have been formatted in such a way that the reader would be inclined to reply negatively to the LC AUC.
1. Sample representation:
It could be the case that people who were satisfied with the performance of AIESEC AUC did not participate in the survey.
Nonetheless a 25% response rate is significant. In addition to this, some of the respondents were interns that were here in Egypt
the previous EB term (2012-2013), some leaving before the start of the new term. Hence not all of their answers can be attributed
to current EB term (2013-2014). The chosen data collection method did not permitted taking out these answers. However, for
reasons of development the usage of this data is permitted. A similar, but more simple pre-version of this survey had already been
done with interns from various Cairo LCS and the results showed similar tendencies as this survey shows. Hence no major
differences exist between the 2 terms and including some of the data of the previous term will not majorly influence the final
outcomes.
Cooperation LC AUC:
Despite attempts of cooperation there has been no cooperation with the LC AUC in regards to the development as well as the
running of this survey. In fact AIESEC AUC has started their own survey few days after the launch of this one. This could have
confused respondents and actually repelled them from completing this survey.
4
2
3
1

Respondent Profiling3

1
1
1
1
1
4
1
1
1
1
1
1 2
1
8
1
2
6
1
1
India
Germany
Colombia
China
Canada 3Brazil
New Zealand
Mexico
Malaysia
KENYA
Italy
Indonesia
United Kingdom
USA
Belgium 1
Australia
The Netherlands
Taiwan
Slovenia
Singapore
Paraguay
Pakistan
Nationalities Participating
44% of the survey participants come from Asia, while 30% comes from the
Americas,15% from Europe and the rest from Australia and Africa.
18%
13%
13%
Australia
4%
Europe
South America
North America Africa
2%
Asia44%
Unknown
4%
45

Intern Arrival Date
33% 28%
February
March
May
April
June
July
2013 6% 11% 3% 19%
11% 67%2012
November
DecemberOctober
22% 9EB Term 2012-2013*
EB Term 2013-2014
36 Interns arrived in the new term with 9 coming over from the 12-13 EB.
Respondents were mainly from interns arrived in the month of June and
July.
Arrived
36
Arrived
*Note: Most of the interns arrived in the term 2012 and 2013 were still here in the new term from 2013 till 2014 and for sake of this discussion they
have all been considered in this research.

Other Comments on Accommodation4

Other Reasons For Comments on Accommodation (Slide 63)
• Incomplete materials provided as said on the TN form (ie. internet access)
• They told Osama to pick us up and just threw us like its normal. They are not
responsible for us and none of them is going to have a face to face meeting. They
don't show up. They don't want to know what the real situation is here. And they just
kept telling things that are going to happen.
• Dusty and ill managed.
• We were treated like animals. There was restriction of movement in the buildings.
• We had to buy our own gas because the gas bills were not being paid.
• Too far away to get some meals, too dirty
• I shared a mattress with 3 other girls on my first week.. and 1 bathroom with about 15
people in the same flat.
• No orientation to area.
• Cockroach infection

Author Information5

Jean-Pierre Boymans
Strategy and Change Management
Jean-Pierre is currently employed by Solving Efeso Egypt where he brings in expertise in the areas
of strategy and change management in combination with indispensable skills in problem solving,
quantitative management and report writing.
He came to Egypt through a GIP internship with AIESEC AUC (03-03-2012 till 03-03-2013). During
this period he was Talent Management Team Leader in AIESEC AUC and Talent Management
Team Leader in the National Support Team for AIESEC Egypt.
Prior to joining Solving Efeso he studied at Maastricht University in the Netherlands where he
completed both his bachelor in International Business and his master in International Business -
Organizations: Management, Change and Consultancy (ranked 28 in the top master in
management programmes by the Financial Times). As part of his study he gathered international
experiences in the form of a study abroad in Lausanne, Switzerland and further developed his
language skills in French, German and English.
Read more of this and follow Jean-Pierre on:
Jean-Pierre Boymans

Thank You
“In order to learn we have to hit walls, we have to break them
through the use of our wits and above all we should never give
up trying!”

Striving for an Ideal Exchange Experience - Quality Audit AIESEC LC AUC (Egypt)

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