Summary
Today teamwork has become one of the management mantras (the same as quality or measurement indicators). So much so that almost no one wonders whether teamwork is the best answer for all occasions. However, this is in contradiction with the increasing presence of knowledge workers in organizations, since one of the indisputable characteristics of this type of people is their individualism and desire for autonomy.
Going by subway is more and more entertaining. Without going any further, the other day I witnessed the theft of the sports shoes of a poor guy who was totally drunk, and they left him asleep like a log and in socks.
In addition to thefts and other events, the Madrid underground is proud of a television channel of the most educational. And it is because all its programming does not last more than five minutes. Taking into account that those of us who travel by subway spend between forty and ninety minutes on average daily in the subsoil, you can imagine the number of times you get to see the same news.
One of those news has given me a lot to think about. Apparently in France there has been an explosion of children's choirs as a result of the success of the film “Los Chicos del Coro” (Les Choristes, by Christophe Barratier). In the meager text that accompanied the news, it was stated that "experts consider goldsmiths to be a good antidote to individualism" (sic).
And I ask myself: what is so wrong with individualism?
Today teamwork has become one of the management mantras (the same as quality or measurement indicators). So much so that almost no one wonders whether teamwork is the best answer for all occasions. The inescapable question of whether or not you know how to work as a team arises in any selection process worth its salt. It seems as if there is no place for the individual-individual in today's business.
Let's do a test: let's go into any of the online job search portals and do a search for the word "talent". The results are laughable: 14 infojobs ads require some kind of "talent" and only 6 in infoempleo sign up for the term. But if what we are looking for is the phrase "teamwork" the results are multiplied by ten
However, this is in contradiction with the increasing presence of knowledge workers in organizations. We will clarify that “knowledge worker” means people who use their ability to think and create innovative solutions as a work tool. (*)
One of the indisputable characteristics of this type of person is their individualism and desire for autonomy. T. Davenport defines the best way to manage the talent of these workers in the phrase “hire smart people and leave them alone”. That is, hire the smart ones and leave them alone, they will choose how, when and with whom to work. (**)
The fact is that in Spanish companies mediocrity seems to prevail over the search for consensus. People who stand out are often demonized, ostracized, and prima donnas and divismos are not tolerated. They are considered "problematic" and their taste for standing out and being in the photo is seen as a defect to be corrected.
These workers have two options: either they "swallow" and become part of the herd or, otherwise, they are usually reprimanded and finally removed from positions of responsibility.
Paradoxically, in our country the ability to achieve exceptional results for the individual is not usually appreciated, much less developed. It is difficult to find a company in which its workers are encouraged to excel and compete. It is as if there was a tacit agreement whereby from the day you are hired you become a prey of the sect and your last name becomes that of your company.
There was a timid wind of change in the era of dotcom companies. Perhaps too much emphasis was placed on the external aspects of this individualism (appearance, flexible workspace, flexibility in schedule) rather than the way people are managed. In any case, the failure of these companies was not a good example and many of those ideas were rejected.
Returning to the robbery that I witnessed in the subway, what I liked the most was the synchronization of the two thieves (while one held the door, the other released the laces with a skill that even bobbin lacemakers do). This in itself would be a good example of teamwork but at the same time a magnificent expression of the skill of a virtuoso (believe me, the speed at which the thief released the sleeping guy's shoes blew me away).
Also sure that the choirs sound better the better their voices are. I don't know if they like Godspell but I love it. Nothing like good soloists to make a Godspell choir an unforgettable experience.
(*) In this sense I recommend the book "Thinking for a Living" by T. DAvenport. Also the article The Mysterious Art and Science of Knowledge-Worker Performance of MIT Sloan Management Review, fall 2002, vol 44. n 1.pp 23-30
(**) Oddly enough, this is what I tried to explain in a previous article titled "The death of the boss" and that was distributed in many webs. One wonders why a text defending the diminishing need for "bosses" was so successful.
