The Individual and the Group
There has always been something about group-work in school that I resisted during childhood. I resented the forced pace of it all.
I now have the vantage point of a teacher, and understand the difficulty of running a classroom that caters to a wide range of student capabilities and backgrounds. Group-work is a way that I now attempt to stimulate collaboration and force those who “get it” to examine their understanding by explaining it.
But I get it.
Group-work can feel utterly repressive. What is it about the dynamics of the group’s formation that stifles productivity? What makes groups successful?
Honda views collaboration from the vantage point of the individual, not the team. As the automaker sees it, the individual is more important than the group; his or her capabilities, decision making, knowledge, and creativity are the wellsprings from which a group’s performance ultimately emerges…. Honda’s belief is that the organizational structure must serve to maximize the aptitude and skills of each individual; in turn, the team, the organization, will benefit.
— Driving Honda, Jeffrey Rothfeder, pp 133
In the context of this quote, the innovative corporate structure of the Honda Motor company allows for the strengths of each individual in a group to play off one another. The workers on the assembly line command the attention of top managers in the plant for even the smallest of screws out of place.
This is not because the company is interested in micromanaging. Rather, it has instilled in its roots a profound respect for the expertise of the individual.
The managers inspect problems because they respect the authority of the assembly worker who deals with the process every day. Everyone is expected to be a master of their craft and contribute to the quality of the product.
A team is nothing without the autonomy and expertise of the individuals within it. Mutual respect can only occur in the context of each member pursuing that which they are uniquely suited for.
