Team Work!! WORK + TEAM

 

"Alone we can do so little ; together we can do so much" 

This quote by an eminent author and political activist who became the first deaf blind person to earn Bachelor of Arts Degree named Helen Keller stresses the importance of teamwork in completing complex tasks effectively.

 

 

Is team work really that important??

Is it all about team or is it about work??

 

Lets begin Sir:

This time the professor uses a valley crossing exercise to help us scratch our brains and think about teamwork.

 

The task:

The task requires 3 people to cross  a valley which is wide enough so that an individual can't jump to the other side.

 

The task seems complex if an individual tries it alone.

 

Can team work help complete the task?

 

 

Team:

The three people form a team and go through the five stages of group development(Bruce Tuckman):

Forming: Individuals roles unclear
Storming: Different ideas compete for consideration.
Norming: team comes to a mutual plan
Performing: team members get the job done effectively.
Adjourning : Completing the task and breaking up the team

Their state belongs to one of the following categories at each instance in the task:

• Safe: Both feet on the ground
• Half Risky: One foot in air and other on the ground
• Full Risky: Both feet in air

The image on the right depicts their state at different instances:

 

• The three members use a pole to cross the valley and work cohesively as a team .
• Each member is neither overloaded nor idol at any time during the task.
• A clear communication is established between members for efficient work

 

What did I learn??

• Team work is not just team and not just work.
• It is breaking down the complex work in such a manner that the team can complete the work effectively and efficiently.
• Team work has multiple advantages which can be observed in a tabular form as below:

PARAMETER	Team Work	Individual
Purpose	Common purpose first	Individual benefit first
Detection of flaws	High chances of flaw detection and removal owing to storming	Less chances compared to teamwork
Perspectives	Multiple perspectives and more efficient outcomes are expected	Limited to individuals thought process
Scale of work	Complicated work is organized and broken down by team for completing the task effectively	Less complex work
Example	Building Burj Khalifa	Washing clothes