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Subject:Re: Team Player Definition From:"Rebecca Downey" <rdowney -at- matrox -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 1 Feb 2000 17:21:02 -0500
And another one gets sucked into the discussion. ;)
"Team Player" can mean a lot of things. Here's my take:
<situational description>
Matrox Networks is a small division of a larger company (Matrox). We share
centralized resources (MIS, Printing Services, Payroll, Accounting, HR,
etc...) with other divisions who all work within a two-building corporate
campus. Technical Writing teams exist for each division. Currently, in
Networks I am a Technical Writing team of 1. I am my own boss, and am
supervised directly by the head of Software, and indirectly by Hardware and
Product Management. I can trade information/ideas with other local teams,
but we do not interact on a regular basis.
</situational description>
Matrox Networks has team players.
* We comment on each others works, trying to keep it constructive. Even if
it's not our field of expertise. Feedback is important.
* We help when asked, and if we can't solve the co-worker's problem(s), we
try to direct them to someone who can.
* We are polite. Accepting that everyone has bad days, we still try to keep
things as civil as possible.
* We work in small groups and committes. These are not excuses to waste
time, but instead are places where ideas can be passed around (brainstorming
sessions) and ironed out. If the meetings are not productive, they are
canceled and we try something else.
* Conflict occurs. If it didn't there would be little physical proof of the
creative process. It's not always easy to deal with the situation, but we
are professionals and adults - and so we do deal with it.
Matrox Networks is not the perfect place to work. People have bad days,
arguments occur, some times things drop between the cracks -- but we try.
Part of my job is being able to work with others, not just to get
information from them but to be a source of information for them.
I'm saddened to hear that so many list members have bad experiences of "team
players" -- it seems to mean a lot of things to a lot of different people.
To me it means being part of a team. And a team is only as good as its
weakest/shyest/poorest member. A good team supports those members and helps
them to grow in their careers and abilities.
Team work, after all, works both ways.
--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
R. Downey rdowney -at- matrox -dot- com
Matrox Electronics System (Networks Division)
1055 St-Regis Dorval, Quebec Canada, H9P 2T4
Voice: (514) 822-6000 x. 2073
Fax : (514) 822-6272
Email: rdowney -at- matrox -dot- com
Web : http://www.matrox.com/networks
