Article

Teamwork

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Building teamwork

The idea of a team dynamic is still emerging in Ghana. Teamwork is not built into the school curriculum, so people are used to working individually. Attitudes toward teamwork vary considerably. For instance, there are teams in which everyone does their piece to contribute to the larger goals, and others in which team members compete with each other because they fear being judged negatively in a way that would threaten their position.

Team leaders need to empower people by making them accountable. This will probably require a lot of hands-on effort, especially at the beginning. Team leaders should follow through on tasks and escalate matters if necessary — for example, copying the boss on messages related to key deliverables. There must be a balance between calling attention to individuals and encouraging them. (Aperian Global 2015)