Insights from an Intern: Teamwork

If I had to describe Parthenon in one word, it would be teamwork. No project or client is handled solely by one person; instead, everything is the result of successful collaboration.

Unlike other companies, there is no obvious corporate hierarchy or status symbols. People walk freely into each other’s offices to ask questions or discuss projects. As one employee said, “There is a general willingness to help one another.”

Take AmSurg for example, one of Parthenon’s biggest digital media clients with nearly 100 websites to launch in 2009. The digital media team understands that this is too big an endeavor for one person to do alone. So the team has organized the project into manageable tasks and divided the work among the five of them. Yours truly, for example, helps proof the sites before they go live, while another team member with more expertise handles client communications. By working as a team, no one is overwhelmed by their responsibilities and work is assigned to those with the most experience or skill, effectively producing the best results.

Another example of teamwork is the collaborative work spirit. HCA’s h2u program, another major client, has a magazine, newsletter and bulletin that require ongoing teamwork between writers, client associates and graphic designers. The organization’s open-door policy invites employees to communicate to one another without hesitation. People walk down the hall to speak face-to-face when they have a question or request instead of sending an email.

As a new intern, I am constantly asking questions about where to find information or how to do something, and people always take a few minutes of their time to show me the way.

To me, teamwork means having a common mission and that is how Parthenon operates. Everyone is committed to producing his or her best work, with the final goal of helping clients engage with their consumers.