Teamwork might seem like a complicated subject, but to some creatures, it comes naturally as a way to survive and expend the least amount of energy.
According to a BBC News story, scientists taped heart monitors to great white pelicans. These birds had been trained to fly behind a light aircraft and a boat, and a team was able to observe them during their flight. Pelicans, it is known, fly in "squadron" formation, or in a "V" shape, and they flap their wings in time with their leader. Scientists, now able to observe and gather data from the heart monitors, found that the birds' heartbeats were lower when they flew in formation than when they flew solo. Their heart rates slowed because they were able to benefit from each other's air streams. They were also able to glide more.
Working together, the birds were able to accomplish their migratory goals by expending less energy and being able to fly farther than when they are alone. It seems that there is a lesson here, and it's not for the birds.
Lester C. Thurow, economist and dean of the Sloan School of Management, said: "There is nothing antithetical in American history, culture or traditions to teamwork. Teams were important in America's history — wagon trains conquered the West, men working together on the assembly line in American industry conquered the world, a successful national strategy and a lot of teamwork put an American on the moon first (and thus far, last).
"But American mythology extols only the individual — the Lone Ranger or Rambo. In America, halls of fame exist for almost every conceivable activity, but nowhere do Americans raise monuments in praise of teamwork."
Why is that? I can think of no single feat that was accomplished without a little help.
A story in the Harvard Business Review illustrates the importance of teamwork at every level. While many Westerners might think that consensus is characteristic of Japanese culture, institutionalized conflict is an integral part of Japanese management.
"At Honda, any employee, however junior, can call for a 'waigaya' session. The rules are that people lay their cards on the table and speak directly about problems.
