Zapopan, Jalisco; January 15, 2024.- Thanks to the collaboration between the School of Engineering, the School of Business, the School of Pedagogy and Psychology of the Universidad Panamericana campus Guadalajara and the Gonzalo Río Arronte Foundation, an interdisciplinary research-action project has been created with water operators in Mexico.
What does the project consist of?
The project focuses on the planning and creation of a community of practice for water utilities. These communities are spaces where professionals working in these entities share the best practices implemented in their institutions, with the objective of benefiting the community in general. The initiative seeks to promote collaboration among agencies to improve water management practices.
Challenges
The water utilities, despite being crucial entities for the supply of water to the population in the municipalities, face notable weaknesses. These challenges include budgetary, administrative, communication with citizens, and human talent management.
"We have identified several issues, but we believe that this project can contribute significantly to the community of practice. This will allow agencies to exchange better experiences and solve problems effectively" - Dr. Hugo Briseño, professor at the School of Business.
Collaboration and Benefits
The collaboration with the eight water utilities was made possible through the Fundación Gonzalo Río Arronte, with which it is expected to obtain benefits through the organization of communities and the strengthening of relations with the utilities.
Collaboration with the Fundación Gonzalo Río Arronte has played a crucial role, providing financial resources for the organization of communities and facilitating relations with agencies. Their support has become indispensable for the successful development of the project.
Strategies
To ensure effective development, fundamental strategies have been implemented, ranging from facilitating communication between agencies, encouraging the exchange of issues and best practices, to the successful integration of agencies into this community, a crucial achievement to ensure that these communities can function independently in the future.
Goals achieved
Up to this point in the development of the project, significant achievements have been made, such as the creation and consolidation of communities, the production of a digital platform, the design of curricula and the successful organization of a workshop at the ANEAS convention with more than 70 participants.
Teamwork
The team, composed of professors from the School of Pedagogy and Psychology, Mr. Julián Ochoa and Dr. Ligia García, Dr. Hugo Briseño from the School of Business, and from the School of Engineering, Mr. Rodrigo Navarro, Dr. Miguel Alcaráz and Alumni Alma Juárez.
Rodrigo and Dr. Hugo are specialists in technical aspects related to the organizations, Dr. Miguel Álcaraz is the creator of the digital platform, while Dr. Julian and Dr. Ligia have contributed to the pedagogical design of the communities. Alumni Alma Juárez is the administrative manager of the project.
"The work among professors has been very enriching, because the different points of view that we have had from the business, technical and pedagogical sides, has enriched a whole process of a year of work, that we can contribute and collaborate with the community" - Mtro. Rodrigo Navarro, professor of the Faculty of Engineering.
This partnership between Universidad Panamericana and the Gonzalo Río Arronte Foundation is not only a team effort, but a strong commitment to our social responsibility. This project reflects a real commitment to our community and the environment.
