The Defect of Collective Thinking - Genius Ideas and One-Cut Decisions

Teamwork is a main criterion today, everywhere we speak about individual performance, company results or projects success. Ability of a person to synchronize timing and efforts with all other team members is highly evaluated by HR managers, bosses of all kind and by person itself, because there is a perfect match between employer and employee goals.

Yes, every time, when somebody is not fitted with the pulse of work, colleagues or just working environment, this one looks as outsider, stranger who does not understand big city. All the team instinctively steps aside, separates the member and sooner or later sends that one away. Companies with great working environment culture have even procedures how to re-engage those people, by training – professional or personal – active searching of a personal fit to employee or just simple human attitude by managers.

Other companies cannot manage this issue and declare “company working environment standards” where employee either fits, either goes home. This is nothing but a weakness to deal with individual development and training.

But article is not for this.

Companies from last type seems to be developed in a way that all workers and managers think equally and in one direction, with same criteria and methods, with same analyses and conclusions. It is normal to assume, that teams, where everyone think the same say, without any “otherwise thinkers”, to be perfect in matter of problem solving and action assignments. But this is very wrong.

Setting demand of “company working environment standards”, only a formal result is raised as criteria of compliance. People are different. And people are different, because they think different. And this is because their personal and professional background, level or type of education. Even army years matter here. So, what is the picture there – team performance is only formal, only in the head of a manager/s, and in fact we have company/team like everywhere else.

Seems this is good news. But it’s not!

Bad news come during Problem Solving Process. – Being one and perfect team, problem solving meeting/s should have one and not discussible result – 100% effective, 100% sure. This mandatory result puts team members in a not-natural position. Everybody of us when cannot find reason of problem or way to set the problem says – I don’t know. For our team is forbidden territory to have result like this! And team starts to work.

First speak most active members and explain one version. Than speak professionals and explain their point of view. Third normally speak people, who do not belong this team, solving so complicated issue. Their version is one way or another – nonsense. Then we have a typical Strategic Games situation – strongest ideas annihilate each other. In this case “active” and “professional” concepts fight against each other and together die. And further third “non-professional” idea as taken in account by team as the only one, acceptable in this situation. This is revenge of “actives” to “professionals” and revenge of “professionals” to “actives”. Nonsense wins and comes as mandatory approach of problem solving.

In any meaning of the situation, this is not Problem solving, but Problem creating.

This effect I call – The defect of Team/Collective thinking.

You have been in a situation like this? Aren’t you?

Personally, I believe that a genius idea can come in one mind…