—_____ 8 Team buildingJ

THEKEY TO SUCCESS
None of us is
as smart as
allofus
Bv HOWARD CANT
A good team player has the key to
success. Being the smartest, being the
brightest, being the hardest; all of
these attributes that worked so weil in
5 business in years gone by, now will
not push you up the ladder quickly.
How good a team player you are and
how weil you share your knowledge
one person can, for many capable minds are
with your colleagues is the all-important factor in brought to bear on an issue. However, all teams
10 growing your career today. lfyou can build a must be managed weil by a capable facilitator who
company culture that does not worry about who understands that every team is unique, dynamic
gets the credit for something, think about what
50 and ever-changing. Moreover, teams have
you could achieve! To survive in the big bad tough behaviour patterns, just as individuals do ancl, just
working environment of today you don‘t need to
as children develop into aduits, teams have
15 have your own people competing with each other.
developmental stages, being more productive and
lt is the commercial enemy‘ against whom all
efficient at one stage than another.
their energy should be focussed. lt is also extremely desirable for team members
lt‘s not always easy to be a good team member to have the foilowing attitudes; ‘1 know what 1
and compromise your own views for the good of have to do and the team‘s goals are clear‘, ‘1 am
20 the whole, but it works for the betterment of the willing to share some responsibility for
company. You have to believe in the workings and leadership‘, ‘1 am an active participant‘, ‘1 fee!
power of the team and recognise where your own and supported by others‘, ‘Other team
60 appreciated
strengths and contribution fit in. You have to be listen when 1 speak and 1 respect the
members
honest, both with yourself and with your team
opinions of others‘, ‘Communication is open, new
25 members. You will have conflict within the team
ideas are encouraged and we are having fun
and as long as this is controlied then it can be a working together‘.
very healthy element for both the team and the Teams soon develop a clear problem-solving
65
development of the business. Research into high approach that can be applied time and again as
performing teams shows that each member cares long as their leader initially creates a common
30 for the deveiopment of bis team mates. This purpose and vision, pointing the team in the right
appreciation of each other‘s learning and
direction.
deveiopment is key to the success of a team and Cross-eultural issues can assail and impact the
70
the commitment of each member to the other.
working ofteams, but it is weil to remember that,
Over 70% ofa manager‘s time is spent in some
despite culture, most team members have similar
35 form of group activity, often in meetings with objectives in life. Objectives that relate to
others; relativeiy little time is spent in the happiness and health, to success and recognition,
supervising of single individuals or on one-to-one to love and being weli-accepted by others. The
discussions, thus the need for team building.
clever team leader recognises and plays upon
Indeed, the success of individual managers these similarities while moulding the cultural
41) depends on how weil that manager‘s team or differences to benefit the team. For example, Thai
teams improve in quality and productivity on a team members piace a greater focus on personal
continuous basis. in reality, group productivity is
so relationships in everything they do while Western
more important than individual task team members are looking more for personal
accomplishment. The most effective teams are achievement.
45 able to soive complex problems more easily than
From Benjarong Magazine, Thailand

imi