Two to tango
Two heads are better than one. So individuals must be encouraged to work in a group to provide faster, better results
"Man is a social animal" is a universal truth.
Throughout the evolution of Mankind, the common thread running through various civilizations that has been instrumental in the progress of Man is his sense of team spirit and ability to work with his peers in a group.
The advantages of working in a group are manifold and nature holds evidence for these in plenty, one of them being the pack-hunting behavior of certain less-gifted but successful predators. In a group, division of tasks is possible and this allows specialization of labor as well as parallel solving of the ramifications of a single large problem. Apart from the quality reduction in time and focus on minute details, group-working also reduces the burden on individual and helps increase the overall productivity of the individual as well as the group by enabling sharing of vital ideas and information.
Helping one's peers in a group and learning from them helps build camaraderie between fellow-beings and enriches Man's life. It is important to note that even in group-working the competition is prevalent not only within various groups but also within the individual members of the group. Thus, apart from better results group working also ensures betterment of the members of the group.
On the other hand, even a single malcontent or incompetent individual could critically upset the rhythm of the entire group and might balk its functioning. The tensions arising from sharing of credit for the work, which is a concomitant of team work, could sow the seeds of jealousy and acrimony amongst the group-members. In a diagonally opposite scenario, credit might be wrongly accorded to individuals not deserving of it, and individuals who did not actively participate in the progress of the group but chose to bask in others' glory. The nature of different tasks could lead to ego problems within the group, since often a certain type of work may be deemed superior to another, and an individual might believe that he is better suited to the work than his peer.
There is no gainsaying that a group working in tandem can provide better, faster results than an individual working alone but the proviso here is that such a group must be firmly built on the virtues of team spirit. The group must be well balanced in terms of the abilities of its members and a good rapport, understanding and mutual respect between the individuals of the group is a must for the success of the group. It is often said
"Two is company, three is crowd". The number of members in the group must be commensurate with the nature of the task and the group must be well directed and led.
Throughout the evolution of Mankind, the common thread running through various civilizations that has been instrumental in the progress of Man is his sense of team spirit and ability to work with his peers in a group.
The advantages of working in a group are manifold and nature holds evidence for these in plenty, one of them being the pack-hunting behavior of certain less-gifted but successful predators. In a group, division of tasks is possible and this allows specialization of labor as well as parallel solving of the ramifications of a single large problem. Apart from the quality reduction in time and focus on minute details, group-working also reduces the burden on individual and helps increase the overall productivity of the individual as well as the group by enabling sharing of vital ideas and information.
Helping one's peers in a group and learning from them helps build camaraderie between fellow-beings and enriches Man's life. It is important to note that even in group-working the competition is prevalent not only within various groups but also within the individual members of the group. Thus, apart from better results group working also ensures betterment of the members of the group.
On the other hand, even a single malcontent or incompetent individual could critically upset the rhythm of the entire group and might balk its functioning. The tensions arising from sharing of credit for the work, which is a concomitant of team work, could sow the seeds of jealousy and acrimony amongst the group-members. In a diagonally opposite scenario, credit might be wrongly accorded to individuals not deserving of it, and individuals who did not actively participate in the progress of the group but chose to bask in others' glory. The nature of different tasks could lead to ego problems within the group, since often a certain type of work may be deemed superior to another, and an individual might believe that he is better suited to the work than his peer.
There is no gainsaying that a group working in tandem can provide better, faster results than an individual working alone but the proviso here is that such a group must be firmly built on the virtues of team spirit. The group must be well balanced in terms of the abilities of its members and a good rapport, understanding and mutual respect between the individuals of the group is a must for the success of the group. It is often said
"Two is company, three is crowd". The number of members in the group must be commensurate with the nature of the task and the group must be well directed and led.
posted by venki at 10:21 PM
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