Teamwork

“The strength of the chain is determined by that of the weakest links”

Thomas Reid, 1786

                Most people think of sports when they hear the word teamwork.  I do.  However, the word teamwork has a deeper meaning than what sports illustrates it to be.  Sports usually define teamwork as members working together as one to achieve a common goal, that of winning the game.  But, life in general, is more than just winning the game.

                Ideally, people think of strength in numbers.  As long as a team is solid and unified, nothing can beat them.  As what Aesop, in one of his fable, stated:  “Union gives strength.” (Aesop, d. 564 B.C.).  Inspirational speakers often use this phrase in their motivational speeches.  And I can think of mob riots to know that this is true, to some extent.

                In sports, if a team lose, there will always be another day to play the game.  In life, sometimes the cohesion of a team is a matter of life and death.  And even the bravest of warriors can be foolish at times.  Take for example Roland, the protagonist in the French epic poem (Chanson de geste) Song of Roland.  He was too proud to call for help, deeming it an act of cowardice to blow his horn in the middle of the battle.  That arrogance cost him and his knights their lives.  When he finally blew his olifant-horn, it was already too late for the king, Charlemagne, to save them.  (The Song of Roland, Wikipedia).  Roland was only thinking about himself, of his image as a soldier. 

                While we may never be in a situation involving life and death, our individual action could have adverse effect on others.  In a corporate environment, for example, one team member’s conduct could cause the team to miss a deadline.  This could lead to the company losing a long-time client.  Which could lead to loss of profit.  And I guess you know to where this is leading into.

                In today’s software/application/web development, big companies such as Amazon, Google, Facebook, etc., are using what is called the Agile methodology.  Basically, it is a methodology that amplifies the group strength by making each member of the team feel their importance.  The agile method differs from the traditional waterfall methodology as popularized by Henry Ford in his assembly line in a sense that in agile, there is no “structured organization”.  It’s like a free-for-all ball game.  The development team is a stand-alone unit which cannot be controlled by anybody.  You might wonder how such a setup can work, considering that nobody controls the team.  The agile manifesto sums up how this new paradigm is shaping modern development:

                “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
                Working software over comprehensive documentation
                Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
                Responding to change over following a plan

                That is, while there is value in the items on
                the right, we value the items on the left more.“
                (Agile Manifesto, 2001)

                Make no mistake about it.  While the agile team have an informal structure, it has the power to remove from the team anybody who will compromise the team.  In its self-organizing structure, it literally is governing itself quasi-autonomously from the company management.  And this is why this new method is gaining ground in modern organizations.  Its true that there is strength in numbers.  But that strength is not absolute and can be compromised by the weakest member.  In fine, teamwork is also a double-edged sword.  An individual should not be too confident that just because one belongs in a team it means that that individual is already safe.  In today’s corporate world, survival of the fittest is still the name of the game. 

Reference:

Broken_link, (jpeg).  Retrieved from: https://cdn.app.compendium.com/uploads/user/e7c690e8-6ff9-102a-ac6d-e4aebca50425/e475f86d-5568-441a-99ce-4f2af15c3623/File/952871bb7e388987634c8053db9b5588/broken_link.jpg

Reid, Thomas (1786).  Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man.  Edited and abridged by A. D. Woozeley, M . A.  Fellow of the Queen’s College, Oxford.  Macmillan and Co., Limited 1941.  Retrieved from:  https://archive.org/stream/essaysontheintel007938mbp/essaysontheintel007938mbp_djvu.txt

Aesop (d. 564 BC).  Bundle of Stick.  Retrieved from: https://www.umass.edu/aesop/content.php?n=4&i=1

The Song of Roland.  (n.d.).  Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Song_of_Roland

Agile Manifesto.  (2001).  Retrieved from: https://agilemanifesto.org/