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I'm not sure we're disagreeing. I'm simply saying that performance -- as measured by the team itself -- may be maximized by the team deciding to do things that

I'm not sure we're disagreeing. I'm simply saying that performance -- as measured by the team itself -- may be maximized by the team deciding to do things that it finds uncomfortable. You also don't always optimize overall performance by optimizing individual performance. There's also the issue of communication versus productivity. Communication is a far greater obstacle to many technology team's success than individual productivity. Bunch o' guys working by themselves in a nice, quiet cushy office doesn't give you the cross-talk, annoyance, problem-solving and innovative banter you get by putting them all together. Sometimes doing things you find annoying or troublesome is actually the best way to reach your goals. Surely this isn't a new observation.

lifeisstillgood 13y ago
Agree on the communication (I say honesty - you can communicate all day but if you are not feeling therapy-level angst about saying the things you are saying out loud, then no one is getting to the root of the problems and they will never get dealt with) Not too sure about the optimising for individual vs team performance. Teams seem to do best when it's obvious everyone has to play their very best game. The times when it's necessary to sacrifice for the good of the team are a hell of a lot less frequent than the times you just need to know task A will get done because Fred is on the case and Fred has a history of delivering. Stops everyone trying to worry about everything. Edit: the sentence I'm not sure we are not disagreeing either does not make enough sense to keep.