The Cost Of Too Much Teamwork

Be careful with a few considerations here. Some organizations view teams as a sign of organizational success. Picture the CEO who stood up in front of the board and said, I am happy to report that we have a Six Sigma or lean team in every single department. That was viewed as a sign of success.

But too much teamwork can exhaust employees and sap productivity. That sucking sound you hear when you walk into the organization in the morning? That is it.

So how much is too much? A Harvard Business Review study found collaboration time has grown by more than 50% over two decades,And that is for a regular employee.

How many of you are in leadership positions in your companies? Right. 50%. You would love a day like that, wouldn't you, where only that much of your day is spent in a meeting of some sort.

And do not forget about the meetings. I cannot let you out of here without talking about the meetings. When I talk to the people I coach, I start every conversation the same way: what leadership challenges are you experiencing right now? We always have an agenda, their goals, their metrics, their key performance indicators, but I open with the challenges. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that eight out of every ten start by saying, John, I go to too many meetings. I am not getting any real work done. And they are god-awful meetings, John. It is killing me. I am asking myself why I am even in this leadership position. It was a lot easier when I had my cubicle than now that I have my office.