We must learn to work together

The team approach to improved productivity is not new.

We have shared in group activities through many phases of our lives, in the Scouts, on the soccer team, in special interest clubs, at school and among different age groups at church. We have played various roles within these groups, sometimes being the leader, sometimes a strong participant, at other times a weaker one.

If we become a member of a cohesive group, we soon realized that a necessary ingredient for success was our willingness to share our resources. If we had a problem, we as a group could usually find a solution more readily than the single leader.

Industry is emphasizing the team. Management and labor know they do not need to be adversaries, but members of the same team, for from there their combined efforts come the products that reach the marketplace. Watch the current advertisements promoting quality products from a teach approach.

Corporations and educators are using the collaborative effort. No one person is considered indispensable, but each member has a role to play. Generally, there is no boss in the group. A leader, the facilitator, is the catalyst, but the productivity comes from the interaction of the members who play other important roles. The focus is shifted from a single leader to a role that may be played by any participant. Indeed, it is the interaction of the group that speeds the process. A supportive climate exists that allows all participants to express their ideas and to respond to others. Even self-initiated activity occurs more frequently in this climate.

As the world moves toward a global village, the need for interdependence becomes apparent. Learning to learn from others is one of the necessary skills for the teach approach. Sharing ideas is enriching and stimulates our chances in the free enterprise system.

As the use of the team effort and the collaborative group becomes more predominant, so will the need for us to learn to work together, to interact, to respect the rights of other within our group and to be a compassionately involved entity in our workplace as well as in the world in which we live. We will have the ability to use our intelligence to make a difference in the workplace, to show cooperation and to act on behalf of our team.

According to John Naisbitt in his book, Megatrends 2000, no country in the world is better positioned for the sharing of ideas and cultures than the United States. Our country has the “richest mix of the ethnic groups, racial groups, and global experience that the world had ever know, and it is the richness of this mix that yields American’s incredible creativity and innovation.”

As we begin a New Year, here is a real challenge for the 21st century.

Copyright c 1990 Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D.