We all know the importance of teamwork. Effective teams can produce exceptional results but they can also produce not so exceptional results. As Richard Hackman discusses when it comes to teamwork managers and organizations don’t always make the right choices, mostly based on some of these common misconceptions.
 
Conflict Isn’t Always Negative; Harmony can actually be detrimental to a team, it is more likely to be the result of good team performance not the cause. Research shows that conflict in a group (when well managed and focused on the work itself) can drive a team to generate more creative solutions than a conflict free team. 
 
You Don’t Need to ‘Shake it up’; the longer teams stay together the better they play together.
 
Take the Traditional Route;Face to face team meetings are more productive then those held remotely. It may seem more costly but teams who meet face to face are far more productive.
 
It Isn’t That Easy; Studies have shown that the collective intelligence of a group has nothing to do with individual intelligence. A good team needs a leader, a clear statement of what needs to be accomplished and access to all the materials and resources needed to accomplish the task. There is also some research that suggests teams with more women function better, just something to think about.

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This article was written by Sarah Wright, Marketing Assistant at the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC).

BlueSteps is the exclusive service of the AESC that puts senior executives on the radar screen of over 6,000 executive search professionals in over 70 countries. Be visible, and be considered for up to 50,000 opportunities handled by AESC search firms every year. Find out more at www.BlueSteps.com.