What It Means to Work in a Team: How to Break Through Individual Limits

Do you enjoy your work?
Working alone and
working in a team

Both exist, don't they?
Today, I wanted to rethink what it means to work in a team.

It is often said that a company president is always lonely.
Perhaps that is because they feel like they are working alone.

What is important is to work in a team. Not to be isolated...
In this day and age, I believe the greatest risk is isolation.

For example, planning work

If you think about everything from planning something to test marketing it, what kind of work is involved?

・The person who creates the starting point (notices something off → decides on a theme)
・The person who generates ideas (provides components → connects them → gives them shape)
・The person who organizes it into a plan
・The person who executes it (+ the person who manages execution)

There are many, aren't there?
Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses.

Do you do it all by yourself?
Do you do it with someone else?
That is the choice.

Only a superman can do everything alone. They exist occasionally, but if you rely on such people, there will be no room for other ordinary people to play an active role. In fact, the risk is that team strength will decrease.

It is easier to break down the work and work as a team.
A way of working that does not depend on individuals, is reproducible, and allows for the flexibility to try again and again
That is what it means to work in a team.

The person who creates the starting point

The starting point of planning begins with capturing a sense of "unease"
The person who dares to voice that sense of unease, such as "Is something wrong?" or "Why is it like this?"
That is where the project begins

However, trivial feelings of unease are easily crushed
Pick them up and talk about them with everyone
Make them a theme

The person who decides the direction and theme to consider going forward
From unease to a theme
This also seems difficult to do alone

The person who generates ideas

Ideas also hit a dead end if you think about them alone
The person who provides ideas as components
The person who connects the ideas
The person who organizes the ideas that have gradually taken shape into an executable plan

There are several stages before it comes together into a final idea.
At first, it is fine to have fragmented, incomplete ideas as components.
Don't discard them; find them interesting and connect them.

The person who organizes the plan

At the idea stage, it is not yet decided who will do what.
Create an executable structure and gather people for the missing parts.
Money, equipment, and technology might also be necessary. Gather various things.

Decide on the purpose, goals, and policies for working together.
Why do it now? At what speed should it be done?
Where are we heading? What are the intermediate and final goals?

When a plan that resonates with others is created, in a visible form,
the team becomes united.

The person who executes

To execute, a leader is necessary.
There are many types of leaders, but
a leader who fits the team and is admired by everyone is best.

If you can build a good team, you don't need to shoulder everything alone.
From a style where the president works hard alone to a style where the team works hard together.
I think that is the era we are in.

・Do everything by yourself
・Do it together with someone
Which do you prefer?

This article was written by
Mousou Biz Planning Representative, Shigeki Kawahara
https://mousoubiz.com/
https://twitter.com/mousoubiz