Teamwork Is an Individual Skill Analysis

Teamwork Is an Individual Skill Critique and Analysis

Teamwork Is an Individual Skill: Getting Your Work Done When Sharing Responsibility written by Avery, Walker, and Murphy (2001) engagingly explores the intricacies of teamwork. Relevant theories have been used in the book as an evidence-based background, which makes it useful when managing the workforce. This paper offers a critique of the book, regards the theories used in it, and analyzes its utility in the workforce from the IO psychologist's viewpoint.

Critique of the Book

Teamwork Is an Individual Skill: Getting Your Work Done When Sharing Responsibility explores the challenges that individuals may face when they are working as a group. Teams encounter a lot of challenges and the book characterizes them as the lack of communication, poor leadership, and an absence of personal input where individual members may not feel obligated to enhance the objectives of a team. The inability to solve conflicts and the fact that the team might be unwilling to think as a group is also relevant as negative psychological peculiarities of the employees since they can affect the entire working process, and by detailing these challenges and providing credible solutions, the book successfully helps to ensure that the teams work effectively.

The book does not provide an empirical formula of how responsibilities can be divided between the teammates, which is its weak side. However, it still offers ideas that might be applicable in a real setting, and considering the authors’ credibility, these ideas appear to be valid. According to the book, the roles of the members of a group are supposed to be divided based on their complexities, intensity, and the number of objectives to be realized (Avery et al., 2001). The book views equal division of roles within a team as instrumental to success, which is true as in most cases, some of the teammates are given heavier workloads than the rest. Regarding it from the IO psychologist’s viewpoint, the such uneven distribution might affect the outcome of the tasks that the employees have been given to accomplish and make the work atmosphere tense. Therefore, the book should have also specified the formula that could help in the proper division of roles among teammates instead of merely addressing the issue. The book also does not discuss the psychological preparedness of employees to work in teams properly. From the IO psychologist’s viewpoint, it is evident that working in teams can be discouraging to some of the members, especially when they have psychological disorders. Therefore, the book should have paid more attention to this issue. However, it effectively explores the fact that general group work discourages some of the members and it affects their ability to deliver. It also specifies the need to prepare teammates mentally, and the strategies offered are powerful as they reveal how to handle any form of disappointment that may arise and make the best out of it. This cannot be achieved without proper preparation psychologically, and while the book does not regard all issues, the ones it focuses on are explored thoroughly.

The book emphasizes individuals without acknowledging the fact that some teammates are impossible to work with and fails to regard the benefits of individual work. There are many cases of teammates who are not willing to work with the rest simply because they find it easier to work individually. The book fails to regard selfishness as a driving factor of failed teamwork and it concentrates on the success of teams without mentioning the success of those tasks that are done individually. From the IO psychologist’s viewpoint, to achieve maximum objectivity, the book should have regarded the assignment of responsibilities to both individuals and a team to determine if the pressure of working in a team is bigger than when working individually.

The book regards the role of responsibilities in a group but it does not conduct a thorough analysis of the reasons for failed teamwork. Members of a team are less likely to take their responsibilities as seriously as they would in individual work because of their overreliance on others. Teammates that do not accomplish their responsibilities well can easily blame each other. Also, taking the blame as a group is easier because often, it is not aimed at anyone in particular. This makes some of the members lazy and less competent in their roles. The book does not weigh on these limitations and ways that can rectify such flaws.

The book also does not focus on the individuals having good personal values as being significant for the smooth running of teamwork. Chapter three mentions that it is not necessary for teammates to like each other’s individual qualities as they are supposed to commit to their one goal instead — however, social skills are essential for any team to work from a psychological perspective. Individual skills also need to be supplemented with good virtues since without individuals having good values, a team may not function well. For instance, if an individual is not punctual, he/she might drag the team behind. However, the book explores the issue of trust satisfaction, mentioning that teammates are supposed to trust each other for the successful execution of their responsibilities. It is its strong side as trust is essential for any effective group work and the book emphasizes it with numerous relevant facts. Still, it does not focus on the concept of criticism, even though it affects the concept of trust. Some people do not take criticism easily and they might hinder the smooth working of a team. It is normal to be criticized in the workplace, but individual psychological peculiarities have to be considered. The most preferred criticism is the one that is constructive and purely related to work. If an individual does not take constructive criticism positively, he/she is likely to derail the efficiency of a team.

The idea of team wisdom is discussed extensively in the book. It effectively highlights the advantages of individuals in a team having wisdom. However, it does not focus on how individuals can acquire team wisdom. It provides no comprehensive module on how team wisdom can be transferred to individuals. It is the book’s weakness because the such model could be helpful to most organizations as they could ensure that their employees are fully equipped with the required skills. From the IO psychologist’s view, the book should have detailed the regular training that the individuals are supposed to receive to develop and sharpen their professional skills further. Another aspect of training should be focused on the importance of working as a team, which is the book’s focus and thus had to be explored more extensively. This could be helpful to organizations in ensuring that the spirit of teamwork is incorporated among their employees.

Thus, the book regards some aspects of teamwork with sufficient depth but fails to recognize the fact that teamwork can sometimes result in a dismal performance. Some individuals tend to work at a slow rate when they are working as a team. It might be because they are more productive when working individually. After all, this way, they can receive their rewards. Also, they might have psychological disorders or individual intolerances. Thus, the book can assist companies in reaching their objectives and goals easily through teamwork, but more emphasis is needed on the downsides of such type of work and the employees’ psychological peculiarities.

Theories and Principles Used

The theory that has been used in Teamwork Is an Individual Skill: Getting Your Work Done When Sharing Responsibility is the team wisdom theory of relativity. This theory is concerned with the individual skills of members and how their skills can contribute to the success of a team (Siassakos et al., 2010). Team wisdom ensures that the members of a team execute their responsibilities successfully and that every individual takes their responsibilities seriously, with necessary competence and punctuality. Team wisdom ensures that every individual is responsible as well as productive.

The theory also acknowledges the challenges of working in a team, which is one of the book’s key topics. Some of the challenges include the lack of leadership, over-reliance on some individuals, and the laxity of others (Hall, 2005). Since the success of a team is based on overall outcomes, some individuals may fail to be productive enough as they will not solely take the blame. The blame is shared and therefore some individuals may not treat their responsibilities seriously. Therefore, by using team wisdom theory, the book emphasizes the significance of management having the wisdom to achieve an effective working process. It is also related to the collaboration theory.

Collaboration theory emphasizes collaborative working by ensuring that the individuals cooperate when they are working as a team (Riebe, Roepen, Santarelli, & Marchioro, 2010). By using this theory, the book introduces the notion that cooperation brings more success to a team as individuals wholly commit themselves to execute their obligations. It also enhances the relationship among the individuals as they assist each other when they face challenges. The theory helps to understand that the spirit of collaboration is significant in a team as it results in success for the organization.

Some of the important aspects of collaboration theory include brainstorming, value, and equal partaking, and the book explores all of them. With brainstorming, collaboration facilitates the coming together of teammates on a platform and they work together to achieve a particular goal (Siassakos et al., 2010). They think and give various ideas or solutions related to the task, and focusing on this aspect of the theory, the book helps to understand how to achieve and enhance collaboration. Regarding value, the team is inspired by the common goal and this gives them a reason to work together to realize these goals effectively. Thus, the use of this theory in the book is represented by the importance of collaboration, which gives the members of a team equal opportunities in participating and communicating ideas.

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Collaboration theory also presents collaboration as significant due to its ability to pool talents as well as strengths. When team members collaborate, it becomes easier for them to utilize the knowledge, skills, as well as experiences of everyone (Riebe et al., 2010). For instance, a member of a team may find it difficult to make a presentation but be efficient in the technical part of that particular task. The book develops this theory further by specifying that effective collaboration allows teammates to share their talents and ultimately arrive at appropriate solutions to any problem. This enables an organization to achieve more with less time.

Another aspect of collaboration theory used in the book explores how it develops the skills of employees. When teammates collaborate, they benefit mutually and bring profits to the organization (Hall, 2005). Due to interactions and sharing of ideas when working together, the members of the team have the opportunity to learn how their workmates operate and how they negotiate through particular tasks. This enables them to learn and adopt skills from their teammates, which in turn helps them in building their strengths. They can practice the acquired skills in their fields, thus increasing their production rates.

The final aspect of collaboration theory is that it accelerates decision-making. Tasks that are executed through collaboration are proven to be completed at a higher speed (Siassakos et al., 2010). The book relies on this part of collaboration theory to show in what ways the progress is fast-tracked. There are complex problems that take a long time to solve when handled by an individual, but when the same problem is handled by a team, it is solved faster. According to the book, it is because the members of a team employ their different unique expertise to accomplish tasks (Avery et al., 2001). It also increases efficiency in the workplace by enabling organizations to finish projects within the stipulated timelines as collaboration ensures that work is divided equally among teammates and each employee is given a task that matches their skills. Therefore, the application of this theory is significant for reducing the time of project delivery.

There are principles of teamwork that are important for ensuring that teams become productive. The first one is specified by the division of labor theory (Riebe et al., 2010). It involves clarifying to the teammates their roles, the basis on which they are distributed, and how they help in achieving the goals of the organization. By using this theory, the book explores the notion that individuals are supposed to understand their weaknesses and strengths and capitalize on working in areas where they have advantages. Managers are also supposed to understand the strengths of their employees for proper labor division. This way, managers can assign them roles that they could accomplish faster and more successfully to achieve the intended goal. Division of labor results in operational efficiency.

Communication theory is another principle of teamwork used in the book. Communication is a vital aspect that directly influences the success of a team (Hall, 2005). Effective methods of communication should be encouraged for achieving “authentic completeness” (Avery et al., 2001, p. 12). Conflicts are bound to happen in a team and they should be resolved with the help of communication. The theory stipulates that a team should develop ways of managing conflicts healthily in real-time (Hall, 2005). Also, each member of a team should support each other as it increases the general morale and the employees’ commitment to ensuring that all the tasks are executed successfully.

In-Depth Analysis of the Utility of the Text in the Workplace

Teamwork Is an Individual Skill: Getting Your Work Done When Sharing Responsibility by Avery et al. (2001) encourages teamwork in workplaces at all levels, meaning that it can be used for successful teamwork organizations. The psychological stability of individuals affects their performance as when people are mentally stable, they become more confident (Siassakos et al., 2010). Confidence translates to executing the tasks in the required manner because it improves the employees’ decision-making skills (Avery et al., 2001). Teamwork has brought success to many organizations (Hall, 2005), meaning that the performance of groups is essential. The competence and commitment of workers enhance the success of teams — however, at the same time, working in teams can be challenging. This is why the book can bring benefits if used in organizations: it reveals what skills are needed to enable the workers to work in teams to increase their productivity and cooperation with their teammates.

The book is also applicable in workplaces as it helps to understand the psychology of sharing responsibility. It is essential as it promotes synergy in workplaces (Riebe et al., 2010). When a team shares goals, their work is enhanced through cooperation and encouragement, and the book offers strategies to enhance cooperation by playing a “win/win game” (Avery et al., 2001, p. 19). It is important for improving the work atmosphere as a sense of accomplishment felt by individuals in a team will make them want to be personally responsible for further achievements. It also enables individuals to learn from the mistakes each other and develop ways of avoiding errors and gaining insights from different perspectives. By learning from each other, they will get access to opportunities for learning, which is important for a productive and psychologically satisfying work environment.

The book teaches how to divide the roles among individuals to ensure success based on their psychological peculiarities and abilities. When team players are aware of the responsibilities they are supposed to accomplish and the significance of their input, they are motivated (Siassakos et al., 2010). The book is useful for learning how organizations can continue to foster individual development as once the individuals are developed, their effectiveness in working in teams increases. The book can be especially useful for Human Resource managers as it shows why they should recognize the individual skills of employees before assigning them responsibilities in a team. Every individual should be given a role that matches their skills and psychological strengths. Thus, the skills of the employees are the factor that must be considered for achieving the best work results.

The book is also valuable for organizations as it emphasizes the personal development of individuals. From the IO psychologist’s viewpoint, it is essential for management to recognize in what specific way each employee can bring success to their organization (Riebe et al., 2010). Therefore, they must engage in activities that promote the development of the skills of their employees based on their strengths. For instance, training and appraisals offered by the book are psychologically stimulating and companies should use them to sharpen their employees’ skills, motivate them, and increase their productivity. Individual skills are instrumental in ensuring efficiency as well as productivity. When individual skills are incorporated into a team, it becomes more productive (Siassakos et al., 2010). The book can also teach organizations about the intricacies of the even workload as it can reduce the pressure on teammates, implying that they will be able to complete their tasks on time with bigger efficiency. Thus, it will ensure that the goals are more attainable, enhancing performance optimization and improving the probability of the employees being satisfied with their jobs.

Job satisfaction regarded in the book can contribute to the success of every organization. The unity and cooperation that occur when employees are satisfied with working together solidify their relationship (Siassakos et al., 2010). A good working relationship among the employees motivates the worker, implying that they will do their best. Aligning agendas and communicating effectively will reward the “psyche and spirit” of the worker (Avery et al., 2001, p. 5). By using the strategies offered by the book, the employees will be more satisfied and they will promote the brand of the company, going an extra mile in giving their best for the achievements of their firm.

Conclusion

Decision-making is a crucial aspect of every organization and by using the book’s suggestions for enhancing it, the management will reach success. Effective decision-making ensures that an organization maximizes its profits (Hall, 2005). “Pushing decision making down to lower levels” as is suggested by the book, the organizations will be able to distribute the responsibilities across the group and individual employees evenly (Avery et al., 2001, p. viii). Employees with individual advanced skills will have a major impact on the ability of an organization to function effectively within the industry (Siassakos et al., 2010). For instance, according to the book, companies that are focused on sales should look for employees that possess strong communication and teamwork skills (Avery et al., 2001). By following this advice, the management will ensure that their workers have appropriate psychological characteristics and it will enable them to have a positive impact on the experience of customers and the profits of the organization. Altogether, these suggestions make the book an invaluable part of every workplace.