Over-emphasis on teamwork

I tend to be a naturally introverted person. I wouldn't say I am anti-social, but I definitely don't have any problem being on my own. In fact, I enjoy it. In school the focus was always put on group work. In college especially we were always thrown into teams to prepare us for the "real world". We had to be able to effectively work in groups. Even so, I always did my homework by myself and I always studied on my own. Tram projects were enough group work for me.

Now I've been in the corporate working world for several years. I definitely see the value in working with other people; getting input and asking for a second opinions. From my experience my college curriculum over-emphasized how vital group work would be out here in the business. There isn't a daily emphasis on the team like I expected. However, there are still corporate norms that hinder individual productivity. I think I do my best work in isolation. Total privacy; an environment I can concentrate in without distraction. That is hard to come by when you sit in a cubicle and there are 3 other people within 6 feet of you.

When I really need to get things done I feel like I am forced to buckle down and focus in spite of the situation. I'm saying, the default work setup in not conducive to optimal productivity. If all else fails I will just stay late so everybody else is gone and there is no chance to be drawn away from the task. It seems like a bad system when you have to alter your workday to best get things done. I don't have experiences with other companies but I will go out on a limb and say I get more privacy where I work than the average US employee does at his job. I can't imagine what it is like for the worker who is expected to concentrate as they sit in a huge open room filled with endless cubicles.

I read an article the other day by Susan Cain from the New York Times called "The Rise of the New Groupthink". It's very interesting and touches on a lot of the things that I feel is holding back potential in the current corparate culture... all teamwork all the time.

Conversely, brainstorming sessions are one of the worst possible ways to stimulate creativity. The brainchild of a charismatic advertising executive named Alex Osborn who believed that groups produced better ideas than individuals, workplace brainstorming sessions came into vogue in the 1950s. 

I find organizational psychology extremely interesting. Millions of people every day acting as interconnected cogs in the corporate machine; struggling to find meaning in their own singular function. Fascinating.