A team composed of EDP engineers will represent Portugal in the international final of the Global Management Challenge. The five members of the winning national team explain what they were up against in the national finals, the strategy they used and what differentiates them as a team. In Sochi they aim to adopt a very similar modus operandi and to do all they can to try and bring victory to their country.
What motivated you to join the Global Management Challenge 2013 in Portugal, and in your opinion, what led EDP to sponsor such a young and inexperienced team?
Portuguese Team: Despite the fact that our team, GMLP, signed up for the first time, some members had participated in a previous edition of the competition, so we believed we were confident we would be able to take part in this initiative, combining experience with new perspectives. Allied to this, with a colleague of ours winning the National Final of the Global Management Challenge last year, Vasco Rodrigues, also a civil engineer, our appetite was whetted for taking part. Since this is an opportunity suggested by our company, we believe we should respond positively to the challenge and do our best. As a company, EDP strive for best practices and has internal and external dynamics that motivate employees and does not only limit them to one function within the organization. As a result the company invited teams of employees to come forward who wanted to enter the internal version of the Global Management Challenge,and from there, to take part in the national competition.
What are the most difficult scenarios encountered during the competition?
Portuguese Team: The setting for the national final was undoubtedly different from all the others that we have encountered so far. It was actually something that reflected the reality we are all experiencing currently, of recession, with increased difficulties in economic and financial terms. Our strategy has been to not make hasty decisions, for example, with regards to investments in longer-term assets. We received news of strikes for the first time, which forced us to take more cautious steps with regard to human resources and went through the experience of always staying in first place, right from the very first decision, which had never occurred in the previous phases, and which ironically caused us some surprise.
You are engineers competing against teams with members who are economists and managers. What is your competitive advantage over other teams?
Portuguese Team: As we already mentioned, we believe that because our background is not related to economics and/or management, we were able to analyse various decisions without applying preconceived ideas or idealism. We believe that it wasour reasoning based on simple maths and common sense and thorough comparative market analysis thatwe gaveus a competitive advantage.
What are your expectations for the international final taking place this September?
Portuguese Team: Naturally, after winning the National Final and despite the extra responsibility of representing Portugal in the competition, we feel more confident about our ability. However, our attitude and expectations are the same as those that got us this far; to always give our best with dedication, professionalism, team spirit and humility, which in our view, characterizes us as a team. We will certainly pursue our goal of improving and learning from every decision.
We are looking forward to the start of the competition, but at the same time we are aware that all the competing countries have tremendous skills and perhaps more experience. We know that in this type of event, experience is critical to success, but the what we have seen so far from competing with more experienced teams than us, does not intimidate us. Moreover, we are also going to enjoy the city of Sochi and the opportunity to travel to Russia.
How do you rate your chances in this competition?
Portuguese Team: We are very positive. When we applied we were not aware of all the stages required in the competition. We took it all step by step and only realized that it was actually possible to aim high when we were very close to the beginning of the national final in Lisbon.
What do businesses stand to gain by enrolling in the Global Management Challenge?
Portuguese Team: There are lots of advantages, including the opportunity to work in a team in a competitive environment, experience and contact with other multinational companies, the acquisition of new knowledge and the international exposure that this competition brings. The best training is what allows us to learn hands on. The Global Management Challenge is undoubtedly a success, proven by the number of editions held so far.
