There are scores of articles, books and lectures that underscore the importance of teamwork.
With the litany of literature available surrounding the zeitgeist of teamwork, which lectures the business executive about how paramount it is to focus on teams as a means of running the corporation, it is obvious that the concept and significance of the individual has been all but erased.
Lack of identity
While the concept of teamwork has been proselytized for decades, the notion and the criticality of the individual have been forgotten across companies and organizations across the landscape. We have forgotten that it is the individual that brings to the organization a unique, and in fact priceless, set of experiences, preferences, skill sets and energy to the corporate body.
The result is that the individual members of the company often feel disenfranchised, and their need for identity is relinquished for the sake of blending into the team and meet a twisted and dysmorphic notion teamwork. This invariably leads to feelings of dissatisfaction, distance, isolation and even alienation. It is not surprising why so many companies suffer from turnover.
An article published by Forbes hits home the research that shows employees undergo an identity crisis when they are hit with the teamwork sledgehammer. I have experienced this myself and can attest to how this leads to poor organizational performance and constant loss of talent who leave in search of greener pastures.
Absence of culture
The constant drum of urgency and business needs forces the individual to forgo his or her needs for self-actualization. This sterile and perilous environment robs the organization of the opportunity to create culture, and true unity of effort, as the only value that is allowed to thrive is that of getting things done, and getting them done now, at whatever the cost.
Culture can only be cultivated in a workplace that gives individuals the time and space they need to develop, express their values and interests and then allows them to come together in a way that gets work done while the individual remains an individual.
Members are treated as a means to an end
The teamwork mantra and its acolytes leave the individual employee bereft of dignity and value. Consequently, all an employee can be led to feel is that of a commodity, rather than an esteemed asset. When the only emphasis made is that of a constant stream of work that needs to be done urgently, the individual’s needs are thrown to the wayside, often never to be considered again. The employee’s only value then becomes tied to nothing other than the work that is thrown their way and it is this one-dimensional treatment that leaves employees to search for more “fulfilling work.”
Skill sets are not properly applied
The emphasis on teamwork comes also at the expense of aligning skill sets appropriately. In the haste of completing daily tasks, the team is robbed of time to organize labor in alignment with the skills and interests of the individuals involved. This results in rework, poor performance and lackluster results than could otherwise be achieved if the skill sets and areas of interest of everyone involved would be taken into consideration.
Questions to Consider
Are you struggling to achieve the growth and innovation goals you have set even while you have a robust bench of talent that could them?
Do your leaders make it a habit of recognizing the development interests of their employees and developing a roadmap that will immerse them in opportunities to gain experience in those areas?
Do you provide your employees autonomy to set their own goals and organize themselves in a way that takes inventory of their skills and interests, or do you nurture the notion of teamwork while abandoning the individual?