“Teamwork is the glue that bonds losers together.”
So reads the inscription on a gift made by the founder and CEO of a major publishing house to one of his employees.
In in a world of gridlock, gridlock, and more gridlock, it can be tempting to want to find wisdom in those words… it can also be enlightening.
The Fallacy of Teamwork is a great site devoted to the myth that people work better when working together… the truth is, human nature—with all its virtues and also all its shortcomings—is still alive within the context of a team. Teamwork can be great, as this site acknowledges: “teamwork, in theory, is a wonderful concept.” But it can also be a disaster: “As practiced by many organizations, what passes for teamwork is extremely flawed, poorly executed and actually detrimental to success.”
Amen.
Jason Seiden is Co-founder and CEO of Ajax Social Media, a training company that shows professionals how use social media to work more effectively.
I'm the CEO of Ajax Social Media. We're helping 1 million people shine by making their online stories better. 
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Great observation. I’ve found team building works best when we create and environment and process where people connect on a deeper level. We can then find the things we have in common and work better together instead of reinforcing all our unproductive behaviors. It also helps to celebrate people’s talents and ideas.