“Expect the unexpected” could have been the tagline for FIELD 2, the global component of the new required course Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development (FIELD). In January, first-year student Christina Adams (HBS 2013) traveled to Ho Chi Minh City with five teammates on behalf of Habitat for Humanity International to evaluate the viability of a new partnership with a microsavings institution in the Mekong Delta. “The intent of the program was to encourage poor and near-poor households to save for future home-building needs,” Adams explains. “Our field research taught us that the target household’s average savings capacity was $1 per month, that local annual inflation was nearly 20 percent, and that home repairs usually cost about $300.”

While that environment was not conducive to the savings program, the team did recommend its implementation in the Philippines and Thailand. “A big takeaway for me was the necessity of being on the ground to understand country-to-country differences,” observes Selena Kalvaria (HBS 2013). “It’s not possible to have a catchall ‘emerging markets’ category.”

As an alternative for the Vietnamese market, the team proposed the creation of a “Brick Bank” in partnership with a building supply retailer that would enable local residents to invest their savings in inflation-proof building materials, thus accumulating the necessary materials over time.

“We take some things for granted in developed countries, like the value of saving funds for future needs such as retirement or education,” reflects Adams. “However, there are some environments, including Vietnam, where that fundamental tenet is not the best economic decision.”

Pedro Noyola (HBS 2013) noted that while he expects to spend most of his career in the United States, there were still plenty of lessons to bring home from FIELD 2: “The experience of learning to work together as a team, despite our diversity of backgrounds and experiences, is something that can be applied in whatever market we choose.”

—Julia Hanna

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