Introduction
The phenomenon: of teamwork will be investigated in this assignment. Teamwork will be limited to teamwork in general, International, and virtual environments. The subgenres of teamwork will be analyzed through the SWOT analysis, thus, teamwork strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats will be investigated.
Discussion
Teamwork in general
According to my personal experience, strength is productivity. Because the workload is distributed between the members the final product gets a higher quality because one member has less work to do which means members can pay extra attention to details instead of every aspect of the assigned task.
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Regarding the weakness, different levels of leadership skills have been a problem. This has been marginally worse once the number of group members increases. Bad leadership distracts the focus away from the task and it cripples the team’s productivity.
Working with other people as a team is a great opportunity and it is very rewarding when it is over. For example, improved relationship, and communication skills together with new experiences after the team's task is completed.
There are clear advantages to teamwork, however, disadvantages are inevitable. If teamwork is unsustainable it could ruin the relationship one had with the members before the team was built. Teamwork is not for everyone and some simply can not work well in a team. It can also lead to disagreement and conflicts, which equals less production.
Teamwork in an international environment
According to Joseph J. Distefano, and Martha L. Maznevski, (2000) research, there are three types of international teamwork, the Destroyers, the Equalizers, and the Creators. In this assignment, I have translated these phenomena into strengths, opportunities, and threats.
First and foremost, the equalizers, are seen most frequently in international teamwork. Team members are often culturally different and may further complement each other to work more efficiently, thus a strength (Joseph J. Distefano, Martha L. Maznevski, (2000).
A recurring weakness with International teams was that the teamwork did not create the expected value. Instead, team members happened to clash, and the international teams were either paralyzed into inaction or other times worse (Joseph J. Distefano, Martha L. Maznevski, (2000).
International teamwork has the opportunity to surpass teamwork located in the same physical setting, the Creators, and their differences are explicitly recognized, accepted, and even nurtured (Joseph J. Distefano, Martha L. Maznevski, (2000).
Lastly, the Destroyers, are a possible threat to international teamwork. in these cases, instead of converting each member's energy into effective work, it is drained into negative stereotyping. Their “teamwork” destroyed value rather than creating it (Joseph J. Distefano, Martha L. Maznevski, (2000).
Teamwork in a virtual environment
Technology is constantly evolving, and it has even improved how we humans can work together. Being able to perform teamwork elsewhere is economical. The lease, computer equipment, electricity, employee costs, etc, all add up (Entrepreneur Europe, (2015). When eliminating the office’s distractions, and travel and allowing an amount of flexibility in working hours productivity increased (Business News Daily, (2019).
Unfortunately, The strength of virtual teamwork is also its weakness. Working outside of their office has also proven to increase the employee's risk of being burned out (Harvard Extension School, (2017), (Harvard Business Review (2018).
With virtual teamwork, there are close to no restrictions and endless possibilities. One opportunity is to work with people in different time zones and continents and recruit employees who are qualified but are unwilling to move (Cascio & Shurygailo, (2003).
When working in virtual teamwork the cultural differences between the members increase the number of conflicts, no different from international teamwork (Joseph J. Distefano, Martha L. Maznevski, (2000), (Harvard Extension School, (2017). Something that is accepted in one culture might lead to conflicts, mistrust, and difficulties in collaboration with other members’ cultures (Joseph J. Distefano, Martha L. Maznevski, (2000).
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