For every advantage of working in a team, there is the flip side. Just as “two heads are better than one,” we’ve all heard, “too many chefs spoil the soup.”
Basically, there are just too many people, too many ideas, and too many “experts” to come to an agreement and achieve a good result. It is simply why we have to constantly be reminded that there is “no ‘I’ in team.”
When people can’t leave their egos behind, conflict and resentment arises. People become unwilling to open their minds to other perspectives and are intent on either forcing their point of view or not cooperating with others. The more conflict, the less innovation, the farther the team gets from implementation and meeting goals.
While a team has the potential to boost up the individual members, if it is not functioning properly it can make some members feel inferior and unimportant. They contribute less and are discouraged from accessing their strong qualities. How much each person is contributing or not contributing becomes the focus of the individuals – some feeling they are carrying the team, others resenting those who are taking charge.
Relationships and communication worsens. The team is unsuccessful and the individuals walk away worse off than when they started.