This weeks reading of the book "The myths and realities of Teamwork" (Wright, D., 2013) revealed the following six myths. I have offered a brief explanation and personal thought on each one:
#1 - Teams are harmonious people who compromise of their needs for the sake of the team.
The myth here is that teams must be harmonious and aligned in order to succeed, however should any of the four focus groups identified by the reading material (task, ideas, analytical or socially focussed) be the sole basis of a team, then they are unlikely to be as effective as a team comprised of a range of personalities and focus groups. An article on the World Economic Forum (de Rond M., 2014) noted that "team harmony isn’t so much a cause for success as a consequence of it", and I think, for me, that is a great quote. Diversity, managed to mitigate against agressive conflict, is a driving factor in progress.
#2 - Team conflict is unhealthy
Following on from my last sentence for the first myth, not all conflict is either unhealthy or unproductive, despite what this myth suggests. The reality is that perspectives vary within teams and when two different perspectives meet, there is conflict. The key is to harness that …show more content…
This myth is no different, and fails to realise that individuals are different. The Wright Consultancy notes that only one third of people enjoy teamwork (Wright, D., 2014) and suggest that the best practice to accomodate those who do not enjoy teamwork is to find a way to engage these people in individual activities that work for the team as a whole. I fully agree with this suggestion as forcing team behavior from someone not in that mindset can develop resentment. Forbes (Cave A., 2016) noted that teambuilding activities can actually push teams apart when they fail to acknowledge reasons for the lack of
#1 - Teams are harmonious people who compromise of their needs for the sake of the team.
The myth here is that teams must be harmonious and aligned in order to succeed, however should any of the four focus groups identified by the reading material (task, ideas, analytical or socially focussed) be the sole basis of a team, then they are unlikely to be as effective as a team comprised of a range of personalities and focus groups. An article on the World Economic Forum (de Rond M., 2014) noted that "team harmony isn’t so much a cause for success as a consequence of it", and I think, for me, that is a great quote. Diversity, managed to mitigate against agressive conflict, is a driving factor in progress.
#2 - Team conflict is unhealthy
Following on from my last sentence for the first myth, not all conflict is either unhealthy or unproductive, despite what this myth suggests. The reality is that perspectives vary within teams and when two different perspectives meet, there is conflict. The key is to harness that …show more content…
This myth is no different, and fails to realise that individuals are different. The Wright Consultancy notes that only one third of people enjoy teamwork (Wright, D., 2014) and suggest that the best practice to accomodate those who do not enjoy teamwork is to find a way to engage these people in individual activities that work for the team as a whole. I fully agree with this suggestion as forcing team behavior from someone not in that mindset can develop resentment. Forbes (Cave A., 2016) noted that teambuilding activities can actually push teams apart when they fail to acknowledge reasons for the lack of