To Team or Not to Team?

Teamwork is a hot topic these days as corporate North America spends more time than ever trying to understand how to build productive, cohesive working groups. Much of the increased focus on teamwork is attributed to millennial employees, who reportedly crave collaboration. Yet teamwork isn’t always a good thing, especially when the task at hand is relatively simple. While many complex undertakings benefit from being assigned to strong teams, the reverse can be true. Companies such as software and Internet firms lend themselves better than others to team projects. But even at these firms, teams are often created for projects better suited to individuals. The growing number of millennial workers and gravitation toward the creation of a team for every task will increase this problem unless more managers stop to think.

As teamwork is about the efficient allocation of resources, leaders must figure out when it’s appropriate to deploy more than one employee to a task. They must realize that how teams work together is often more important than the team’s composition. In forming teams, most firms can benefit from employing both collaborators and independent workers. Leaders must set clear expectations and goals and should guide teams, not take away their empowerment. To reinforce pride in team membership, the development of an internal brand that team members can stand behind is recommended.