For a group of people to be a real team, they would have to desire a common goal, they would work hard to realize the goal, and they would work together voluntarily. In addition, these folks would help each other so that the overall effect would be a group accomplishing something that an individual would not or could not do alone. If we think of a football team we see a group of players working together to get one little ball over the goal line. We look at this example and say, “right, that is a team effort”. But upon closer scrutiny we will discover that the players are acting in a highly directed manner. There is very little voluntary thinking occurring on the field. Actually, there is only one thinker, the coach, who directs everything. In football, this may be okay; in other areas of life this method doesn’t work very well.

For example, in the world of business, a cooperative effort by competent people (a team) is a force to be reckoned with. Each member of the group is an intelligent, thinking, contributing member. The team is stronger because of the quality of its members. Take away one member, and you have a weaker team. Add another competent member, and you have a stronger team. The salient feature in this example is the competence in each person; there is no “dead wood”. There is, however, another very important ingredient. It is the voluntary aspect incorporated into every decision made by the team. There is no “coach” but there is a facilitator. The facilitator makes it easier for the team to operate. He (or she) must encourage the team members, but never coerce them with threats, or prizes. A team works because each member voluntarily desires to help the other members; the team goal is the individual goal. If there is coercion in any form (incentives or punishments) there is no team. What you will have is a bunch of automatons that will only do what they are told because they are getting paid, or to keep their job. Automatons are cattle; they don’t think, they only move when prodded.

In our society, these days, the government would prefer to have everyone become a “cow” because cows are easy to maneuver. All forms of government hate real teams because competent team members need no coercion to operate; they see what needs to be done and they do it. They voluntarily cooperate with each other, they feel the pride of a job well done, and they become better citizens. On the other hand, if a person is doing their assigned task and a supervisor comes over and demands that the person “do their job” (which they are already doing), what do you think that worker would feel? Yes, the worker would feel embarrassed, humiliated, hurt, and unappreciated. This scenario goes on all too frequently. The upshot is that the worker will not do anything until told to do so. Stress and fear are heightened in everyone. Certainly there is no “team spirit”; rather there is paranoia.

Teams are competent people working together for the right reasons. If there is any coercion involved, there is no team. Competition will develop in the absence of cooperation. Nothing will dismember a company faster than competition. Stress in the workers follows competition and fear escalates. Isn’t a real “team” a better way to go? So says Sam Post.