People work more productively in teams than individually. Teamwork requires cooperation, which motivates people much more than individual competition does."
嘉文博譯Sample Essay
Teamwork as a whole can naturally produce an overall greater productivity through the concept of "synergy", where the total of the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. But the idea that people work more productively in teams rather than as individuals is going to vary greatly between the types of teams that are organized, the end reward or motivation for both the team and the individuals, as well as the individuals themselves.
Regarding individuals, some people are born with the desire to succeed, no matter what the situation or task that they are facing. These people may evolve into the classic "Type A" personalities that work ferociously because they are driven by an internal fire that says they must always be doing something, whether individually or as part of a team. Other people may desire to be less socially involved or are very highly competitive with other people. For these people, their work is most productive as individuals, because the very idea of cooperating with other people limits their effectiveness and efficiency because they simply do not want to be a part of the team. Whether this mindset is innate or developed over time does not matter, it is merely the state of their being and neither motivation nor rewards can generate inside them the desire to work collectively as a team.
Some people are highly motivated by social interaction and the desire to work with others towards a collective effort. Obviously these individuals are at their most productive when working as part of a team.
Organizational behavioral studies have shown that Asian cultures are much more likely to develop this type of collective behavior as opposed to the more individualistic behavior associated with Western cultures. It could naturally be assumed then that there may be cultural values that can determine whether people are at their most productive individually or as part of a team.
Another variable is the end reward that is involved with the task at hand. Will the rewards be greater if the team works together towards a common goal, or are the rewards more geared toward individual performance? To the extent that the individual is motivated by the end reward, obviously his or her performance inside of a team may be more or less productive with respect to the entire team, depending on how the performance is rewarded. Individual goals may interfere with the group performance. Synergies may not be achieved because the individuals are not working towards a whole "sum" but rather towards an individual reward. Productivity thus will vary for each person as a team member or as an individual depending on the degree to which that person is motivated by an individual or overall team reward
Finally, the degree of productivity of a person will depend upon the type of team that is organized. Is the group composed of equally contributing individuals? Does the group have an outstanding leader that can motivate both the individuals and the team as a whole? From a pure productivity standpoint, the presence or absence of a charismatic and exceptional leader can make all the difference whether a person would be more productive as a part of a team or as an individual. Personality types that work well together can prove to be much more productive as part of a team than as individuals, and vice versa.
Fundamentally, measures of productivity depend greatly on the individuals themselves. The dilemma facing leaders in all areas of life is how to best assess these individuals to determine how to best harness their capabilities to reach their ultimate productive capabilities. Whether a person is more productive alone or while working in concert with others is one of the great challenges that leaders and managers must face to accomplish tasks effectively and efficiently.
參考譯文
當(dāng)人們以團(tuán)隊(duì)的形式工作時(shí),要比以孤軍奮戰(zhàn)的形式來得更加富有成效。團(tuán)隊(duì)的協(xié)同工作需要相互合作,它比個(gè)人競爭更能激勵(lì)人們
總體而言,團(tuán)隊(duì)的協(xié)同工作自然能通過"增效作用"(Synergy)這一理念而帶來更高程度的整體生產(chǎn)效率,因?yàn)樵谶@里,整體大于個(gè)體相加之總和。然則,"當(dāng)人們以團(tuán)隊(duì)的形式工作時(shí),要比以孤軍奮戰(zhàn)的形式來得更加富有成效"這一觀念注定會(huì)產(chǎn)生巨大差異,取決于所組織起來的團(tuán)隊(duì)的類別,團(tuán)隊(duì)與個(gè)人所能獲得的終極回報(bào)或激勵(lì),以及個(gè)人本身。
關(guān)于個(gè)人,有些人天生就具有獲取成功的欲望,無論他們所面臨的情形或任務(wù)是什么。這些人會(huì)演變?yōu)楣ぷ骺襁@一經(jīng)典的"A類"人格,因?yàn)槭艿揭还蓛?nèi)心的熱火所驅(qū)使,這股熱火時(shí)刻告訴他們必須不停地"有所事事",無論是作為個(gè)人抑或是作為團(tuán)隊(duì)的一分子。另一些人則可能希望不必那么多地介入社會(huì),或者他們傾向于與其他人激烈競爭。對(duì)這些人而言,作為個(gè)人,他們工作起來會(huì)最富有成效,因?yàn)橛捎谒麄兏揪筒幌氤蔀槿魏螆F(tuán)隊(duì)的一部分,與他人合作便會(huì)限制他們的效率。這一思想傾向是否與生俱有,還是隨著時(shí)間的推移而形成,這都無關(guān)緊要。這僅僅只是他們的一種生存狀態(tài),無論是動(dòng)機(jī)還是回報(bào),都無法在其內(nèi)心深處激發(fā)起作為一個(gè)團(tuán)隊(duì)集體工作的欲望。
有些人,由于社會(huì)互動(dòng)以及與他人協(xié)作去實(shí)現(xiàn)某種集體努力的欲望,而具有極強(qiáng)的動(dòng)機(jī)。顯然,這些個(gè)人在作為團(tuán)隊(duì)的一部分進(jìn)行工作時(shí),他們便會(huì)處在其最富有成效的狀態(tài)。組織行為學(xué)研究表明,亞洲文化更有可能形成此類集體性行為,與那種常和西方文化聯(lián)系在一起的較為個(gè)人主義的行為構(gòu)成對(duì)比。這樣,人們自然會(huì)認(rèn)為,某些文化價(jià)值觀可以決定人們是否作為個(gè)人還是作為團(tuán)隊(duì)的一部分工作起來最富有成效。