Surely, everyone knows when it’s better to work individually and when to be a part of a team. It’s so obvious! Or is it? We’ve prepared a summary outlining when it’s better to work alone and when it is more effective to engage a team. For those who prefer a quick glance, we’ve got a concise graphic. And for the others, we encourage you to read on.
I’ll handle it myself
Tasks that require deep concentration, coherence, and quick decision-making are better done independently. This way, we can avoid the burden of having to discuss or wait for decisions. Acting solo also works well when there’s a high level of responsibility for results, independence, and control over processes. Tasks that require specialized skills form a separate category for solo work.
Let’s do it together
Teamwork is more effective for projects or tasks that demand a variety of skills. This is often due to the complexity or scale of the project. Combining the knowledge of multiple experts helps find more comprehensive and innovative solutions. Similarly, tasks that require creativity and the exchange of ideas are better suited for a team. Complex, multidimensional issues are also better tackled in a group than alone, and tasks that require a high level of engagement—when there’s a lot to do in a limited time—benefit from building a team, which significantly increases the chances of success.
When else should we build a team?
In our organization, we place particular emphasis on learning competencies and sharing expert knowledge within the company. This is a natural and engaging way to develop skills and strengthen team bonds, leading to a high level of mutual trust among employees. Another important value at ArdentCode is effectiveness, which we understand as the combination of high quality, the right pace of action, and proper organization of work.
Summary
Modern organizations face the challenge of balancing the choice between individual work and teamwork. The decision which path to choose depends on the problem at hand. Another challenge for companies is finding the golden mean between the need for independence and group work, especially when many team members are seasoned experts with high qualifications. However, those considerations will be left for another occasion.