Reflection: "Why Teams Don't Work" by Diane Coutu

Reflection: "Why Teams Don't Work" by Diane Coutu
Summary
"Why Teams Don't Work" is a 2009 article by Diane Coutu published in the Harvard Business Review. The article questions the viability of teamwork in enhancing organizational performance. Coutu argues that the belief that working in teams makes people creative and productive has made leaders assume that working in teams is the best way to have jobs done, but this is not the case. To support this thesis, Coutu says a team has to be real to be successful, should have a compelling direction, should not be complacent, and have good team leaders. According to Coutu, most of these aspects are missing in contemporary teams.
It is challenging to have a real team because of the diverse nature of human beings. People may have different opinions and perceptions about teamwork making it not work. Coutu gives an example of a CEO who excludes his CFO from executive meetings because he is a team destroyer despite being excellent in his role. Teams should have a direction for it to be successful. Leaders are responsible for this but often receive resistance from group members. The author gives the example of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr, and Jesus, who were good leaders but were assassinated or crucified.
Coutu also argues that teams need a deviant member who will not follow every rule set by leaders without questions. This group occasionally tells the group to try a new approach to improve projects. However, Coutu says such people face ejection from the group or other punishment from the team leaders who feel disrespected by the member. These problems persist in the contemporary world, where virtual meetings are on the rise.<...