Why deploy teamwork?
Why deploy teamwork?
I have been lucky in my career as a business academic, business professional and in my role as Editor for Emerald (formerly MCB University Press) to work with many bright and talented executives. Each of these talented executives has brought new insights, energy and knowledge to the building of business knowledge in each of the settings within which I have worked. I have not worked anywhere where a team of individuals, whether they were called a team or not, brought more information and better results to bear on a situation, issue or problem than any individual could have or would have been able to contribute on his/her own.
In their book, Built to Last (1994), James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras (1994) discuss why teams are making incredible inroads into the ways we think about our work and accomplish our work. As we who work in teams in the workplace bring our cultural orientations (social knowledge) and our personal understanding of how our world works (tacit knowledge) together, we become stronger in the limitless possibilities which occur as we share our vast database of information.
In the best of teamwork, I have experienced what Collins and Porras discuss as "no tyranny of the or, but an embracing of the and" (1994, p. 43). What these writers embrace is the complexity that emerges as we share our knowledge systems – and, as we share our knowledge systems, many possibilities exist which would not have been raised if a single individual had designed an outcome for a problem, issue or situation. When one individual looks at a situation, it is likely that even though that individual has the best of backgrounds and a strong academic preparation, Collins and Porras say that the outcomes are likely to be seen in terms of either/or thinking patterns. These patterns look like the following, and we have all heard these either/or statements in our workplaces:
you can have change or stability,
you can be conservative or bold;
you can have low cost or high quality;
you can invest for the future or do well in the short-term.
I could make a long list of these either/or statements that I have heard in my career.
Teams bring an elegance to thinking that can broaden, and in fact willbroaden, the very nature of the options and possibilities. In fact, the team structure itself can facilitate broadened perspectives, as the traditional structure of the hierarchy or traditional structure of a functional organization is by-passed, allowing individuals to thinking creatively without the imposition of the power and political structures inherent in organizations. This is because of the diversity of knowledge systems, cultures and ways of knowing which exist when numerous individuals begin to problem solve together. As a result, more options are brought to bear on a situation or problem being resolved, and chances are these options are embedded in what Collins and Porras would refer to as "embracing the and" (1994, p. 43). Moving from either/or thinking to and thinking using the list from above, we move from:
you can have change and stability;
you can be conservative and bold;
you can have low cost and quality;
you can do well in the future and do well in the short-term.
The diversity in teams can bring a generous amount of creativity to the "and"type of thinking necessary to do business in today's complex, competitive global marketplace. Teams can be encouraged to move into discussion, bringing their many points of view to problem solving which may not be present when individuals are tasked to resolve a situation.
How can we move from the or to the and?
As organizations begin to embrace the knowledge they have within their employees, and create conditions for employees to share that knowledge through teamwork, leaders will begin to hear and see the tremendous possibilities available to the organization. When attending meetings, and when developing employee communications, leaders can begin to listen for the tyranny of the or,and create conversations about how the situation would look if the or were turned into an and. An example might be asking how an organization can be strategic, futuristic and be known as a visionary in its marketplace and at the same time be excellent at day-to-day operations, handling customers' issues with an effectiveness which creates a "stand-out" image in an industry.
Teams can create incredible opportunities for creative possibilities because of the very nature of the diversity that individuals bring to the teams. Finding methods to allow the emergence of that creative potential to rise to discussion and implementation is the challenge for the team and for the organizations within which they work.
Linda Suzanne WingEditor, Team Performance ManagementE-mail: lwing@usinternet.com
ReferenceCollins, J.C. and Porras, J.I. (1994), Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies,HarperBusiness, New York, NY.
