The concept of a ‘team’ has been around since the 16th century, and so one would assume that the term is fairly well understood. Whilst teams are an inseparable part of modern business practice, this article seeks to explore why they are actually a conceptual paradox, and what this means for professionals.
The Team-Individuality Paradox
There is a certain paradox about teams. To create one you must bring together various individuals, each with their own character traits, ideas, and approaches, and make them behave as if they were one single unit. Thus, the paradox is how a group of individuals can behave as one. This is what I term the ‘team-individuality paradox’.
There are innumerable websites, blogs, and training courses that explain how to build trust, develop relationships, and build team dynamics. The insatiable demand for knowledge and training related to team building exemplifies the challenge, and the extent of work required, to turn a group of individuals into a single cohesive functional unit fit to achieve a specific goal as a unified front.
Implications of the Paradox
There are two main effects of the team-individuality paradox in practice.
1. Square Pegs in a Round Hole
Perhaps the most obvious problem with trying to make individuals behave as a cohesive team is their fundamental differences. Each person is unique, and so trying to make a group of different people fit a single mould so as to perform effectively as a single unit is, it could be said, akin to trying to fit square pegs into a round hole.
Pressure to conform to the team mould has the potential to produce various issues including loss of individuality, erosion of independent thought, and a dulling down of diverse personalities as people try to soften their own characteristics so as not to stand out or distort the personality of the team.
One way that independent thought can be compromised is through group think – where people tend to go along with the group consensus rather than suggest anything new. People have an understandable preference for harmony over interpersonal conflict, and this can create a problem in situations where disagreements are necessary in order to clarify reality, overcome obstacles, and achieve a goal. This can lead teams to make decisions without having considered all of the alternative scenarios, potential problems, and possible consequences.
2. Reduced Openness and Creativity
Another problem with team work, as opposed to working alone, is that individual mistakes are more visible. In this context, the perceived damage to reputation of ‘looking stupid’ can deter individuals from sharing information, speaking openly, or from proposing unusual ideas. This is a problem since, in the long run, open communication and new ideas are the life blood of entrepreneurship and innovation, which are business critical for companies in fast changing industries, such as technology, entertainment, and fashion.
It is true that the pressure to be correct and make a good impression in a group may be conducive to more focused and high-quality communication. This will make team based decision making most valuable in stable industries where out of the box thinking is rarely needed, like tertiary education, legal services, or soft drink manufacturing.
Conclusion
The paradox of teams is the notion that a team is a single unit, but at the same time composed of unique and conflicting parts. This paradox helps to explain why building and maintaining teams in the professional context poses such a challenge.
Although you may be a cog in a bigger machine, your contribution is essential to the functioning and success of your team. Business professionals should consider how to build effective teams, as well as how to put systems in place that protect independent thinking, openness, and creativity.
Sukhi R. is a graduate from Warwick Law School currently studying an MSc in Business with Consulting at Warwick Business School. She has a keen interest in the business psychology of consulting and plans to enter the industry in the near future.
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