Early in his life, William McNabb, the former CEO of Vanguard, recounted an insight he had about the power of teamwork — and teamwork done right. Growing up, he had a newspaper route with a friend. Their typical approach to this joint venture was to “divide and conquer” — to split the route and each complete half of it individually. It took them each 35 minutes to complete their half of the route when they worked together in this way. This approach probably sounds reasonable, and unsurprisingly so – the divide-and-conquer approach to teamwork reflects both the dominant approach to teamwork in many U.S. organizations and the broader culture of individualism in the United States.
Research: How Our Class Background Affects the Way We Collaborate
An interdependent approach to teamwork can help employees from low-income backgrounds shine — and make your whole organization more productive.
July 20, 2021
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Summary.
Research shows that interdependent teamwork — focusing on a group’s collective expertise and skills — enables Americans from lower social class backgrounds to shine. But organizations tend to prioritize, value, and reward independent work, which can prevent these employees (and the teams they work on) from truly flourishing. To realize the benefits of interdependent team work for all employees, focus on three areas: ensuring teams are working on interdependent tasks; training all team members to work interdependently; and to outwardly value interdependent teamwork.