Teamwork 3

[epoisses]

Does anybody have a good example of (even better: recipe for) successful teamwork?

My theory (slightly exaggerated of course for the sake of the discussion) is that true efficiency can only be achieved when you do something on your own. A team is a necessary evil to achieve something you can't receive on your own, like carry the washing machine. But oh my gosh, how lousy is the efficiency when two try to move a washing machine compared to when you carry something slightly lighter on your own. And the efficiency tumbles to a ridiculously low level when a team of 500 try to do something, like run a refinery.

Teamwork... can't live with it, can't live without it??

 

[HgTX]

I've always liked doing my own thing. I became convinced at the age of 7 that if other people "help", they just mess things up. Over a picture of a butterfly, a control freak was born.

Then I had a really good team experience in college--four minds really were better than one. We divided the labor, we checked each other's results, we came up with more ideas than we would have individually. Sold me on the team idea, at least on the notion that it *can* work. On the other hand, in grad school I was on a team project that was so awful that the professor authorized me to leave my group and work on my own even though "teamwork" was supposed to be an essential part of the course. (That was still valuable; it was my first (and so far only) experience firing anyone.)

If handled well, teamwork can be divided into a bunch of individuals doing their part, and the leadership that assigns the parts. That I can handle. Either I have my assignment and then I can go do it, or else I'm the leader and do what I need to do or delegate to someone I trust to do it right and then don't worry about it. The problem comes when (a) there isn't someone reliable to delegate to, or worse, someone unreliable that one *has* to delgate to, or (b) when the individual bits can't be put together because of bad communication. Good leadership can take care of (b), except when it's impeded by (a). And of course (a) is often the result of bad management at the hiring and personnel management level.

In real life, there's lots and lots and lot of (a) going around, and not enough (or good enough) leadership to take care of (b) even if (a) weren't a problem.

Do y'all see a difference between "teamwork" and "collaborating", or are those just two buzzwords for the same thing? I do a lot of what I'd call collaborating. If I'm in charge of getting a task done, I contact a lot of people to see what they have to say on an issue, and sometimes I demand that they complete chunks of the task themselves. Other times I'm the one contacted for my chunk of a task that someone else is responsible. This works well, but this is an (a)-free situation--people are brought in precisely because of what they know. I love working this way--I get far more and better information than just working on something on my own, I get to share responsibility, I can sometimes palm the parts that I find annoying off on someone else who doesn't mind as much. This is the way it ought to work. When I have to deal with particular people because of the positions they hold rather than because of what they know how to do, I become disgruntled.

Hg

 

[rhodie]

The purpose sometimes isn't to surround yourself with like minds for the most efficient resolution.

The purpose sometimes is to surround yourself with dissimilar minds to discover what you might be missing.

 

[HgTX]

Very true. As long as they're dissimilar COMPETENT minds.

Hg

 

[PSE]

Along a similar vein as rhodie's post. A team environment (if properly selected) gets the whole operational system involved. While it may be true that you are most efficient on your own. If a project waited until everyone was done with their individual piece, it would take considerably more time to complete than a "parallel" team method (especially if there are any change loops). So overall what would then be more efficient? Depends on your point of view. Also, if I become an "island" of technical expertise, my efficiency of getting problems resolved goes down due to the interruption of others needing my input. By disseminating information or handing off relatively simple but important tasks, I am free to concentrate on the priority ones.

Regards,

 

[epoisses]

Excellent points regarding the bright side of teamwork, guys... Actually I'd like to add to Hg's remark that even having an incomptetent mind around (one is enough!) is sometimes helpful, e.g. if you're trying to develop a fool-proof design...

 

[HgTX]

But they'll always build a better fool.

Hg

 

[flamby]

I can not think of any big civil engineering construction project where contribution of any individual is worhty of any notice. It's team that builds those mammoth monuments and I think its mostly success rather than a failure of teamwork that meets eys.

As to efficiency of a team, it is not very just to compare efficiency of a team to compare with that of an individual. Its like comparing an athlete with a football team and comparison is meaningless to say the least. I have very high respects for performing individuals, but if they can not play the cog in the machine, there is enough reason to showcase them in a glassbox than have them in the team on the ground of action.

 

[monkeydog]

We don't have teams where I work. Everyone does there own thing - you know individuals.
If I need help with a stress problem I go to the stress guy and he helps me out, sometimes we will go visit the materials guy to figure out if the particuar material that was heat treated out of spec will effect the material properties.
Sometimes I need to talk to the thermal guy to make sure there are not localized conditions that effect performance of the part(s).
Yea, we all do our own thing we don't need any of that team stuff.

 

[flamby]

monkeydog,
Perhaps every cog in the machine can <b>rightfully</b> claim that he is working independent of the other and I see no reason why anyone can object to it. But it remains a team stuff by definition to me.

Whether or no teamwork, we still need to work our own stuff and this is a painful reality. :-(

 

[rhodie]

Monkeydog:

Maybe I am mistaken, but the working environment you described- going to the local expert for help- sounds to me like you are tapping into the resource of a teammate, however loose or unstructured that team might be.

If you are truly independent and "don't need any of that team stuff", then what use do you have for anyone else at all?

 

[monkeydog]

You guys are correct it a team effort. I was making an attempt to illustrate that we do work as a team. Before "teaming" was a buzzword, all successful projects required all individuals in the project (including the customers, suppliers, even janitorial) to work as a team, it just wasn't called a team.

 

[Xofa]

In my working environment the team work has a function that is not mentions here but is very important "buy in". What I mean by that is that if a team is assembled and a solution is made everyone on the team was at the meeting where the decision was made. As a result everybody knows the NEW way things are going to be done, why the change has occured, and if you are lucky they will help to propigate that change throughout the rest of the organization since they were "involved" in making the decision. I agree with some of the previous statements above that a meeting like this is not the most effective use of everyone's time to make a decision that could be made by a simgle person. When a change effects the way a segment of a company does things the team focused approach in much NICER than "just do it because I decided it's right and I'm higher on the food chain than you". Don't get me wrong this sometimes still happens where I work but less often when a team based approach is supported for larger decisions.

 

[NickelMet]

IMO, there is a place for teams (and teamwork) and a place for individual effort. However, individual effort can also be seen as aiding the larger picture, ie. teamwork.

In my last job and current job, there are small projects, every-day type work, that require just my input or execution. However, these tend to benefit the whole of the department, plant, and/or company, not just me as an individual. When a larger, more encompassing project occurs, a team of individuals (each unique with their expertise) is assembled to attack it from many angles. Through the use of individuals, the project points are addressed more quickly than had an individual pursued them. Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way. The difference between these perspectives works (and has worked).

An example of the latter is my last job. We used 6-sigma and teamwork to increase the profitability of an alloy. Individuals assessed their areas, reported back to the team, and the team made informed decisions. Before the project, each team member had kept track of certain metrics concerning the alloy, but no real progress toward improvement had been made. When the team looked at the bigger picture, kept track of the right metrics, and attacked the problem areas in a constrained order, the prime production of the alloy increased 3 times, cost savings were realized (to the tune of millions of dollars), and the profit margin increased substantially. Individually, none of us could have achieved that. But together, communicating as a team, we were able to.

Just remember, there is a time and place to be an individual, even a maverick if you will. But teamwork does have it's advantages.

~NiM

 

[GeneratorGrrl]

I start to cringe when I hear the words "team" and "team-player" nowadays. "Team player" has become a buzzword for "plays nice with others", while "team" has become synonymous with "group" (or in the case of my last job environment, "herd" :B ) The true art of selecting, building and coaching a team in the business world is being lost. What really makes me cringe is the phrase "team-building exercise" -- building a team means selecting individuals whose talents are best suited for the project. Its not about doing calesthenics on the front lawn or squabbling over classroom "problems" that are about as realistic as Michael Jackson's face. Its often the managers - oh excuse me "team leaders" is the proper term nowadays - who need team-building exercises, because many of them haven't the first clue about building a team.


"Eat well, exercise regularly, die anyways."

 

[cardoso115]

To achieve success in teamwork, the team has to carefully selected...
You cannot win the Stanley cup with 7 right wingers in your starting line-up.

This says it all...

 

[MikeHalloran]

Once upon a time, a manager asked me to join his team. All of his people were selected from the outcasts in company politics, me included. Everyone's assignment took maximum advantage of their strengths, and their limitations were offset by someone else's strengths.

The resulting product was a stunning success in the marketplace, very popular with customers, on time, on budget, reliable, and relatively easy to make. The second generation was even better; more features, easier to make, faster, better in every possible way.

It was a wonderful experience. I don't use words like 'wonderful' often.

Every other current product was pretty much a disaster. Top management took notice. They reassigned my manager to 'assist' the manager of the least successful product, and scattered the team among all the other disasters.

The best team builder I've ever met was eventually forced into early retirement, and the company was sold and gutted.

Sorry. I wish the story had a happy ending.



Mike Halloran
NOT speaking for
DeAngelo Marine Exhaust Inc.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA

 

[jax123]

Both my co-worker and I were grouped with a new boss by surprise early this year. It was the second time in a roll he took off during the weeks of testing on projects he was working on. I was asked if I could help even though I didn't know the detail of the projects. The first test a senior team mate took care of it. It landed on me the second test. I could not start till late afternoon (waiting for the input file)and ran into problem. Boss came in and said he would continue and backtrack it tomorrow.

I would in the past to offer to cancel my scheduled vacation and cleanup the mess. But I felt I really need to let the wheel...

New Boss's instruction: let him know only when we had problem otherwise we were on our own. I notice lately he is copying our boss's habit; I have to deal with phones or visitors inquiry where is...(my office is near to both of their)

Thanks for let me air...