Teamwork?

[china autie]

What is teamwork and why is the entire work world hung up on it?
And why is "socializing" at work parties even part of it?

I don't get it.

 

[Pats]

We tend to not be good at team work and I also don't understand the importance. The years I worked, I was always willing to help my co-workers, but preferred doing my own work myself. I walked out of a team meeting once because my boss was saying how she supported each of us and so on. She followed me out and asked me why I walked out and I told her because everything she was saying was not true, and I personally felt like a caged rat waiting for the next shock. She didn't make me come back into the meeting.
But I could see how if we put our minds together we might come up with better solutions to things - the idealism of an NT with our factual way of seeing things could possibly solve all the world problems. Okay - maybe not. lol

 

[Fino]

I think it's a societal thing. Even being in a society is a form of team-work, seeing as the majority of people pay taxes, and "everyone" has "agreed" to live by a set of laws and such.

And I think it's also taught from a very young age, starting in preschool, kindergarten, or whatever point people have started their prison sentence.

"Alright, kids, let's all clean up together! Teamwork, now! A job done together is a job done well done! Cooperate, please! Stop biting each other! Please! Stop screaming, Alex! There's no reason to scream! We're just cleaning!"

I just kept going...

Anyway, those were my first thoughts.

But I don't have any other thoughts! It's all just "first thoughts"!

*stops myself from continuing*

 

[Thinx]

I suppose it's generally better than biting each other. ... but the main problem with it as has been said, is it's not usually really happening. It's one of those Nice Ideas NTs like, but can't actually do. They just socialise in groups and believe this to be part of working.

It's actually more likely to happen in a pure way from Aspies, who are often value driven. But we would do it by email and occasional short and well managed meetings or discussions.

 

[Progster]

Teamwork is a cooperate thing where the company makes more profit if all the employees are happy smiling, working together and cooperating, so they always look for people with good teamworking skills when they are hiring.

When I was growing up, it wasn't such a big thing, it was all about qualifications and exam results.

 

[the_tortoise]

Teamwork can mean slightly different things in different jobs, but it's basically just how well you get along with people in the workplace and how well you do at cooperating with other people on work tasks.

Teamwork always involves communication and social problem solving skills (e.g. conflict resolution, asking for/offering help to people on your team at work).

I think socializing at work parties is expected to increase familiarity and improve social bonds between coworkers (get people to know each other better / feel more comfortable with one another), and those things in turn are expected to improve the working relationships.

 

[Autistamatic]

In my own experience in the workplace teamwork doesn't mean what I would expect it to mean.
My own definition would be people with a shared goal working together willingly to achieve that goal.
The workplace definition appears to be a willingness to do as one is told whether it makes sense or not, and not discuss the fact it makes no sense with your other equally confused but compliant colleagues.
In short, a "team player" is anyone who doesn't ask questions or complain.

 

[Pats]

Hey - I've got a perfect example of teamwork. One night one of the nurses I did get along with asked me to help her get this huge, hairy, ugly, scary spider out of a patient's room. I had a cup and put over the spider. She slid a paper under the cup and spider and we carried it together to the bathroom and was going to flush it. When she pulled the paper away for the spider to drop, it didn't, which meant it was still in the cup I was holding. Out of sudden panic, I threw the cup and she started dancing a little jig. One instance we tried teamwork and it didn't quite work. LOL

 

[Judge]

What is teamwork and why is the entire work world hung up on it?
And why is "socializing" at work parties even part of it?

I don't get it.

The only real applications I see for an emphasis on "teamwork" are in occupations where it's an absolute and obvious necessity, such as the military, law enforcement and professional athletics. Where the coordination and cooperation of the efforts of a coworker can be routinely essential in saving one's job or even saving one's life. Occupations where being a "lone wolf" are more likely to be a liability than an asset.

In most other occupations, employers may nebulously stress the hypocrisy of "teamwork", while in reality employees under the same roof are competing against one another to maintain their merit-based job.

Socializing at parties? That's not "teamwork". That's just politics. If you're going to emphasize most any forms of hypocrisy I suppose it should be done with gusto. Much like the concept of Hitler's "big lie". That it's better to perpetuate a falsehood on a large scale than on a small one.

Nothing worse than the hypocrisy of your employer who verbally stresses "teamwork", while behind closed doors of management they're practicing "divide and conquer" on a daily basis. A dynamic I witnessed firsthand with an employer for nearly two decades.