A century ago, the majority of the population worked jobs in factories and fields. In these environments, as in almost all other occupations during this period and before, there was a focus on obedience. Workers were meant to follow orders and just do their jobs, and the intellectual work was to be left the the higher-ups. But over the course of the past century, things have begun to shift. Automation has decreased the need for low skill workers, and increases in wages and the availability of education have allowed for the pursuit of careers more dependent on creative thought. As a result, the workplace has shifted from a climate of blind following to one of collaboration and individual contribution.
As I said, automation has greatly reduced the need for factory workers, and in the next century, this need will likely drop to zero. The abundance
resulting from this automation, however, has created a massive amount of jobs focused on societal needs and creative pursuits. These fields require individuals to pull together ideas and experiences to find new ways of tackling problems and telling stories, and this process is far more effective when working in groups. Groups allow individuals to openly exchange and provide feedback on ideas, which helps to prevent errors and improve concepts. In order to succeed in the modern workplace, creative skills are essential, but collaboration skills are just as important.
Widespread intellectual collaboration in the workplace is a relatively new idea in human history. For thousands of years, most people were told they should follow their leader and keep quiet, but people don’t have to do that anymore. Instead, they are expected to provide input and critique in discussions, and they must learn how to harness their individual skills to increase their contribution to the group. This change has allowed many creative people to pursue what they are passionate about, but it certainly has its drawbacks.
In a group, one bad apple spoils the bunch. If even one person fails to pull their weight, the group will struggle to achieve its purpose. Unfortunately, this is extremely common in groups, as myself and many of my fellow college students have learned. More often than not, one member always shows up late, if they show up at all, and when they do show up, they contribute very little. When the time comes to do the work, they do the bare minimum, and the quality of the project diminishes substantially. Other problems come in with group leaders. The title of ‘manager’ isn’t proof of one’s ability, and often times, managers are self-centered and struggle to organize and motivate their team. It can also create negative power dynamics, making employees feel like they are powerless and have no voice. This has led companies like Zappos to get rid of managers almost entirely, and even though many companies do not go this far, a similar style of flattened leadership has been adopted by a substantial number of employers.
Collaboration is key to success in any creative field, because problems are frequently too large and diverse for the time and skill set of a single person. People are not perfect, and this often leads to disaster, but if a team can deal with individual weaknesses and work in such a way that the potential of each group member is maximized, the possibilities are staggering. This could be achieved through more careful selection of team members, the flattening of workplace hierarchies, or the implementation of new policies that encourage open expression, but there are many other methods that could be similarly effective. Regardless of how it is achieved, fostering collaboration is essential for any modern business.
Thanks for reading, I’ll be on break for a little while here, but keep your eyes peeled for my next post!
Josh Geyer
Josh's Journey 