Teamwork
October 3rd, 2010 • Uncategorized
We learned about the importance of team work in class.
A team is “a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.”
“At the Louis Vuitton factory in Ducey, France, all employees work in problem-sloving teams, with each team focusing on one product at a time. Team members are encouraged to suggest improvements in manufacturing work methods and processes, as well as product quality. When a team was asked to make a test run on prototype of a new handbag, team members discovered that decorative studs were causing the bag’s zipper to bunch up. The team alerted managers, who had technicians move the studs away from the zipper, which solved the problem.”
-from organizational behaviour
The sum is better than its parts. An individual can be good enough by himself however when few individuals are put into a team it’s better than just good. In business we focus on productivity and efficiency and teams allow us to be more productive and efficient. However, it is challenging when there is conflict, when team members don’t agree on the same thing. This problem can actually be an advantage because the process of negotiating allows to team to conclude with a best solution.