By John S. QUAISIE
The power and energy generated through a united front can transport a team to greater heights of accomplishment, far beyond the expected.
God has created the world and placed at the disposal of humanity, great principles which are meant to create opportunities for people to work together to achieve common goals and objectives.
Working together, we can accomplish more; but how can a team in an organization or business entity be adequately equipped to create the needed environment and conditions for qualitative growth?
The litmus test
The truth about the great advantages of teamwork is seen clearly in our daily interaction with groups. The power of teamwork is evident in every society of the world. The principle of teamwork works in all God’s creation.
It works in the world of human beings as well as in the kingdom of plants and animals. Jean de la Fontaine, a famous French fabulist, who lived in the 17th century used animals in his stories to illustrate the behaviour of human beings. He would always begin or end his story with a morale.
The architectural expertise that produces the ant hill is a clear example of the power of teamwork in the animal kingdom. Tiny and vulnerable as they may be, the ants, putting their effort together as a team, are able to build giant structures. No wonder King Solomon commends the dexterity and the hard work of ants to the sluggard,
“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” (Proverbs 6:6 NIV).
Common Sayings
There are many common sayings which run through the conversation of people of all cultures throughout the world. Some of the popular ones include the following:
- In unity lies strength
- United we stand, divided we fall.
In the African context, the broom (for sweeping in traditional homes) is often used to demonstrate the importance of teamwork. A broomstick, singled out, can easily be broken into pieces. However, it is almost impossible to break many sticks which have been tied together as a complete broom.
- The synergistic effect
The Cambridge Dictionary defines synergy as,
“the combined power of a group of things when they are working together that is greater than the total power achieved by each working separately.”
The synergistic effect of teamwork is too obvious to ignore. Life is closely linked with the collective effort of individuals and groups.
Some years ago, as I was driving my younger son to school, we saw a passenger bus with some mathematical calculation written at the back of the vehicle. I do not remember the exact sum, but it read something like this, 2 + 3 = 10.
My son, who was in the primary school at that time, reacted with concern. He pointed to the writing on the vehicle and said,
“But Daddy, this is wrong!”
As an adult, I understood the message the vehicle owner wanted to share with the world, but I found it difficult to explain it to my child, who had learnt that 2 + 3 should be 5. The vehicle owner, however, has simplified the impact of synergy in daily human interaction with this simple mathematical illustration.
- Encounter with the reality
When I was a child in the Primary School, our teacher narrated a story about teamwork which still conveys a great message. According to the story, the parts of the human body – the head, hands, legs, eyes, ears, mouth, nose etc – held an important meeting one day and developed a strong case against the stomach.
They accused the stomach of being very lazy and greedy, consuming the product of their hard labour, without any toil. For example, the legs complained of covering long distances to fetch food, which, in the end, was totally consumed by the stomach. Similarly, the hands, eyes and other parts labeled the stomach as being lazy and a cheat.
Based on such accusations, the parts of the body decided to go on strike, with the intention of starving the stomach, by denying it the needed food items. They were excited that they were going to punish the stomach severely.
By the third day of the strike, the parts of the body were already suffering from severe weakness. Indeed, they decided to end the strike that day. It was then that they realized that every part of the body plays a vital role in keeping the whole body sound and healthy.
They began to understand and appreciate the stomach’s critical role in the metabolism that takes place in the body. The stomach plays a key role in processing the food and drink intake and distributing it to the entire body, to ensure that every part is supplied with the needed energy which fuels the functions of the body for strength and good health.
Like the parts of the body, we all need to play our roles well enough to make our teams perform efficiently and effectively.
- The Wisdom Bag
In Africa, the power and benefits of teamwork have been amply illustrated in traditional folklore. The following story illustrates the consequence of underrating teamwork.
In one of the famous African tales, a principal character, well known in the Ghanaian Akan cultural context as Kweku Ananse, decided to appropriate to himself all the wisdom in the world.
In pursuit of this goal, he loaded a bag, with the world’s wisdom – according to him – and started climbing a tree, with the intention of hiding the precious treasure on top of a tree. In that case, he would be the only person who would have access to the world’s wisdom – he would be the only wise person in the world and everybody would need to consult him for his services.
As he was struggling to climb the tree, a man, who knew Kweku Ananse, happened to pass by. After observing him for some time, he called Kweku Ananse’s attention to an anomaly,
“Kweku, to enable you climb the tree easily, you must put your bag at your back instead of your front.”
As the stranger observed, Kweku Ananse had put his wisdom bag in front of him as he climbed the tree. This position was obviously obstructing his movement.
Right there, Kweku Ananse found the stranger’s suggestion as a better alternative. He realized then, that he had failed in his plan to outwit everybody and appropriate all the world’s wisdom.
- Teamwork is God’s Idea
At the beginning, God created man and woman and placed them together as partners, to work together to achieve the mission which He entrusted to them.
“God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:28 NIV).
The Apostle Paul outlines the importance of teamwork with the following illustration:
“…in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you! And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” (I Corinthians 12: 18-21 NIV).
John is a HR/Management Practitioner, Phone/WhatsApp No. 0244599628
E-Mail: [email protected]
