Despite all the talk about teamwork, it's not always easy to get teams working the way you want them to. Teamwork just doesn't come naturally to some of us. After all, look at how we've been raised. "Be independent," we're told. We compete with other individuals to get ahead, whether at work or at play. Remember, "Nice guys finish last." A win-lose, me-first mindset is promoted by everything from the grades we get in school to salary promotions at work.
Teamwork is the theme of my next three articles. This month I'll review some of the ways we must change our perspective in order to achieve high-performance team results. Next month I'll address specific requirements for productive teamwork in industrial safety and health. The final article will detail the different stages teams go through on the way to producing synergistic results.