Month: September 2017

Society, and subsequently business, have a solidified conception that teamwork is best. This was immediately apparent as each of my classmates raised their and offered their opinions as to why teamwork is better. I endeavour to explore how much of this conception is rooted in truth and experience and how much is archaic ideology that over time has been accepted as fact.

Diversity, influence, accountability are nouns commonly associated with teamwork. To me, these are the most compelling arguments towards teamwork. An individual cannot provide diversity, influence, and accountability within, upon, and to oneself. As an athlete on a national team I can attest to the importance of support and encouragement from teammates.

 

 

 

 

 

However, teamwork isn’t infallible. Contrarily, there are many contemporary cases that prove teamwork to be a detriment. For example, the clashing of Disney’s CEO and President in 1996 was a by-product of forced teamwork and cooperation. This colossal clash of executives cost Disney $140 million in severance and years of costly legal fees. In addition to personality conflicts, the environment of teamwork is conducive to “social loafing”. Social loafing can manifest itself in two ways: these are known as the ‘free-rider’ and the ‘sucker’ effects. In short, these manifestations can impair the team’s ability to function in an efficient and healthy manner. Arguably, the most detrimental attribute that is attributed to teamwork is that of ‘groupthink’ and ‘group shift’. These phenomenon act to contradict the fundamental principles that make teamwork a viable option in the first place. Working as individuals effectively eliminates all of the above problems associated with group work.

In my opinion, teamwork has undeservingly earned a bulletproof grandiose image amongst society, that has been built up and exacerbated over time. This façade has been the root of many problems of all sizes and from all parts of the world. As an old African Proverb states: “if you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far, go together”. I believe this proverb touches on a key point…they’re different. While teamwork, is incredibly effective and necessary in certain situations, it isn’t infallible, and there will always be situations in which working as an individual is better.

 

Resources:

http://www.intelligenceforrent.com/index.php/georges-portfolio-practical-intelligence/16-services/georges-portfolio-practical-intelligence/business-issue-analysis/28-the-fallacy-of-teamwork-part-i-train-of-thought

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_82.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupshift

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/social-loafing.html

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-teamwork-work-11196.html

http://jezebel.com/on-the-origin-of-certain-quotable-african-proverbs-1766664089

 

Word Count: 370

Since the dawn of societal authority and power, there have always been people who distrust in the totalitarian-esque nature of their control. This distrust has transcended numerous generations and cultures, gaining more traction in recent centuries. A common conception is that for one to elevate oneself to such positions it must come at the sacrifice of ethics. This is one explanation of why corporations, of late, have become synonymous with unethical behaviour. However, many of the claims against corporations and their executives are unsubstantiated and unwarranted, there are many that are. One such case is that of multi-level marketing companies, such as Herbalife and Mary Kay. Multi-level marketing companies brought in roughly $36 billion in retail sales in 2015. How it works is “distributers have two main ways to make money: sell the product itself… and earn money on those sales and recruit people into the company and make money off of their sales” (Last Week Tonight, Oliver). Principally and geometrically speaking multi-level marketing companies are a “pyramid scheme”. What fascinates me is how within a modern economy such a lucrative illegal business can be allowed to exist without repercussions. A fundamental issue with “pyramid schemes”, beyond the issue of their legality, is that only the people at the top make money. How can the CEO of Herbalife cash a $3 million bonus cheque while many of his distributers live in poverty? Has society become desensitized or indifferent to the injustices being committed by major corporations? As the ‘Statesmen of Silicon Valley’ and cofounder of Intel Robert Noyce, aptly put: “If ethics are poor at the top, that behaviour is copied down through the organization”. One thing is for certain: if these multi-marketing companies are allowed to function without any repercussions then the unethical business mindset and societal conception will continue to prevail.

Word Count: 318

Article: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2F978-3-540-70818-6.pdf

Video: https://youtu.be/s6MwGeOm8iI    (for further sources used in video refer to video and video description)