We keep expanding here in China. More greenhouse surface leads to more people on the floor, and that results in the need of more people that can manage and streamline everything.
The managers need management too, of course. Not just to arrange all kinds of things at their department, but also to cooperate with other departments. Cooperation and good communication are necessities, especially when you make different products and sell everything directly. And purchase, maintenance and logistics have to be added to that as well. All in all, it is quite complex and challenging to get everyone work in unison. And everyone is different too, because you have to do with a lot of different characters and different views.
I sometimes say that a team is not just a group of people that cooperates, but a team is a group of people that trusts one another. That’s important when you want to have a good team. Only cooperation is not enough; staff members have to help each other too.
And that’s easier said than done. Chinese people do not have an open attitude. And then it’s hard to get a good idea of the group. And things they’re open to towards one another, are things they keep for themselves when it comes to foreigners.
At the end of every quarter, we always have some kind of meeting in which we look back and forward. Company structure is always a part of this meeting. Every now and then, we take anonymous polls so employees can indicate their opinion on themselves and others. That’s always an eye opener, especially for themselves. Someone can think he’s a great team player, but a group can think differently. This creates more awareness, just by having people think about the question why other people look at them in a certain way.
In China, it’s no longer just about cultivating a lot of flowers with the highest quality of the country and building a lot of greenhouses. It remains the basis though. But without a good team to organise everything in the best possible way, it will be just as hard as decorating a room with one arm.
Cok Harteveld,General manager of Van den Berg Roses
