Hilary Robertson-Hickling
FACED WITH THE EPIDEMIC of diabetes in Jamaica, Professor Errol Morrison and his team at University of the West Indies Diabetes Outreach Project have devised the theme 'The Diabetes Management Team' for their annual international conference. There is now a clear recognition that the patient, doctors, nurses, nutritionists and other professionals must play a role in combating diabetes as the task is complex and requires the collaboration of several disciplines. The Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute and the University of the West Indies School of Nursing are jointly sponsoring the conference.
Complexity and the need for collaboration are features of the modern world in which we live and work, especially as countries like Japan have demonstrated the benefits of their capacity for team work. The 'lone ranger', one-man band has long ceased to be effective and people need to manage the inevitable conflict and work together to achieve the common goals.
If we observe ourselves at work, we see the same problems that our talented sporting teams experience: talented people who cannot exercise the discipline and intelligence to cooperate when it is necessary. Hence, one of the challenges we face in our educational institutions is how to build team skills. It is not easy but it is absolutely necessary.
SHARIN REWARDS
The importance of coaches, leaders and mentors cannot be overstated. We saw the benefits of the synergy between Rene Simoes and Carl Brown, as well as the role of Captain Burrell in the successful qualification of the Jamaican national team for the Football World Cup in 1998. The management of teams is a complex task which cannot be left to chance. Goal setting and resources, as well as the need to ensure that people know their roles, are parts of this process. Also of importance is the need for the rewards to be equitably shared. Those who do not play their roles to the best of their ability cannot be rewarded like those who are playing their roles.
We also must realise that the fans or supporters on the field and in the organisation play a very important role for team members. The current processes of re-engineering and restructuring are demanding levels of cooperation and coordination which might be unknown to people at work. It is interesting to note that traditional Jamaican life, especially in the rural areas, was dependent on cooperation and collaboration but in the urban environment some of the communal processes have broken down. Hence, we have to think about rebuilding our capacity for working together.
Sporting activities and well-managed organisational teams demonstrate that we can achieve much more than we can as individuals. We also need to understand that teams are not always appropriate and that individual action is sometimes more appropriate. The Reggae Boys and The West Indies Cricket Team are but two examples of the difficulties experienced by our teams when they face competition. We have to develop the team skills.
Hilary Robertson-Hickling is a lecturer in the Department of Management Studies, UWI, Mona.
