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5.� Can you provide evidence of the synergistic effect of teamwork?

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Have you ever experienced the Human Synergistic effect in your group work? I have begun writing a book on Human Synergistics.� I have found no empirical data or resources on the subject of Human Synergistics.� My definition of Human Synergistics:� The dynamic effect of individuals acting on an unconscious level in a cooperative effort toward a greater whole; thus producing a result greater� than the sum produced by the same individuals acting atomistically. Joe (Arizona)

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Bodwell�s Answer:

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I'm not surprised that you've found no empirical evidence to support the effect of synergism in teams.� Teams are made up of people and with the resulting unique chemistry of each it would be impossible to create a scientific controlled study.� I think the closest one could come would be examining before and after performance of the same group of people.� First, examine their collective performance as individual performers.� Then examine their collective performance after they are put together as a team.� In the first case it would be clearest if individuals are competing with one another for individual rewards.� Here they would not willingly share important information or learnings they acquire.� Some would do well others would not.� The successful ones would get more successful.� Those least successful would get discouraged and give up or just march in place.� There are plenty of instances where these conditions exist today and have existed in the past.�

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Now take these same groups of people; give them a common goal, shared rewards, and the ability to communicate with one another, and collectively they will blow the doors off their earlier self-serving� performance.

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I've documented two cases on this website:

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Productivity Services, and Performance Improvement Team

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Why is this so?� Probably a combination of reasons:

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• Human beings are social animals.� For the most part we like to work together with others.� When we like what we are working on we tend to put more energy into it.

• All human progress is incremental.� We get an idea or see what another person is doing and we try to improve on it.� When the team incentives are present, we let everyone know about our improvement.

• Working collectively makes it easier to share difficult work, build energy,�strengthen commitment to success and share risk...leading to enhanced performance.

Additional lines of inquiry would include:

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B. F. Skinner's work early work with Emery Air Freight

Edgar Schien's writings on Organizational Theory

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In my experience the Europeans and Asians are much more attuned to teamwork than Americans.� Our historical and current culture glorifies the single combat warrior:� Bruce Willis saves the world (yet� again?).� John Wayne...Audie Murphy... Mark McGuire.� The list stretches over the horizon.� Almost alone, culturally speaking, we always feel surprised when a team succeeds at something important.�

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