The great organizational paradox is that effective group collaboration stems from a clear recognition of individuals and individual accountability combined with clear specifications of required working role relationships. – Elliott Jaques: Social Power and the CEO. 2002

Team-Work Requires People To DO Their Work.

The thought that teams can be established from an unclear understanding of who will complete which task, by when to what standards create strife and un-rest amongst people and the teams they are on.

When people on the team know that each member has a specific role and skill set to utilize, they feel that they are working.

The fallacy of teamwork is that everyone shares the responsibility. 

NO – this creates a team where NO-ONE is responsible. It is the managerial leadership’s role to hold each team member accountable for contributing their best work. The team as a collective can NEVER hold an individual responsible because they have no authority over that person and how they complete their best work. The under-performing person is on the same level as the team members. Creating a situation where a person can under-perform on a team task, and no one does anything because they are equal in position.

How often have you seen this, a person on the team does sub-standard or no work, and nothing happens?!

This is why clear individual goals and tasks (held accountable by the manager of the person) and clear specifications of which person is to complete which specific task, with a time frame, needs to be established to have effective teamwork occur.

When these relationships are worked out and specified clearly and distinctly, the needs of people on teams to do their best work contribute to the team’s collective goal.