Last weekend I learned the difference between working as a group and working as a team, in an unforgettable experience with the Outdoor Adventure Education program (OAE) at school. We ventured to Huaraz (a state of Peru) into the Andean mountain range to hike some massive snow-covered mountains. Within six days, we spend more that 20 hours of intense hiking at 4,300 to 5,300 meters above sea level, with temperatures that reached below 0 degrees celsius and air that lacked so much oxygen, your heart raced even when you were sleeping. Oh, and for several hikes you had to carry a 10-15 kg backpack, that dragged your shoulders down like if someone were pulling ropes to hold you back. Such was the rigour of the trip, that there was one condition put by the teachers and the guides; that we all had to work as a TEAM in order to achieve our goal.
Believe me or not, if we would have worked as a group and not as a team we wouldn't have gotten anywhere in this trip. Usually, when we are put with people we don't know, we perform what’s called group work. It’s great for getting things done because several people collaborate for the completion of one specific task, but everybody does it because in the end there must be a personal reward for each member. Take for example, school group presentations where everybody gets a separate grade. Here, everyone is working on their own task and they don't care how well each other member is doing because the grades are individual. Everyone is focused on their own part, and not on crafting one great entire presentation. Working as a team is one step further than working as a group. It’s the collaboration of two or more individuals to achieve a common goal while discarding or undervaluing any personal benefits. Nothing stands between the team and the goal. You develop empathy and trust for your teammates and actually care how they are doing because the entire team needs them. You put others before you and every decision is made for the greater good. You are all in it together. During the trip, there was one instance that truly marked the need of teamwork within the group. It was the day before leaving for the base camp that would lead to the summit of the mountain. We were still on the refuge and the guides asked to check our sleeping bags and mats to see if they were warm enough to resist the cold temperatures up at the camp. Well, it turned out that several of our equipment, including mine, weren't warm enough to resist those extreme temperatures and they told us that we couldn’t go if we didn't have the equipment. It was shocking that all of a sudden several of us wouldn't be able to go to the most anticipated part of the trip and that would really hinder the dynamics of the team. But then, Javier Ducassi made what I consider to be, a heroic act. He came to me and said: “Hey Nico, I’ve been thinking about it, and considering that I have been sick these days, I don’t think my body will push much further. I think my equipment will be of better use with you. Take it.” That was an excellent example of teamwork, when one is willing to sacrifice himself for the team. This habit of teamwork stayed with us through the rest of the trip. When we had to pack our food before leaving, people didn’t pack what they themselves would eat, but instead what the entire team would eat. When we cooked in the portable stove, we cooked for everybody. We let the girls eat first so that they could go to sleep earlier. When we were hiking at 5,300 meters, I was not feeling very well and my fingers were starting to freeze, one of my teammates did me the favour of accompanying me back to the camp. Teamwork will always outweigh group work in every single way shape or form, but it’s not easy to achieve. It requires commitment, empathy, honesty, and it absolutely CANNOT contain a single drop of greed because it will poison the entire system and spread amongst each member. This system can simply not tolerate any act of selfishness. Work as a team in a sports club, in a relationship, in a group project, and you’ll see you’ll be more efficient and effective with the time and quality of your work. Myself, I will try harder to work as a team in my IA class project, as I don’t feel I have giving my full on support to each area of the project. Give it a shot and trust me. How will you find a way to work as a team?
1 Comment
|
Archives
May 2016
Categories |