1+1=1 or simple arithmetic relations

The summer of 1957 sent the pop culture of the XX century on a new course: it was then that Paul McCartney first saw John Lennon on stage. After 50 years, the Duo will be called the pioneers of a new era in music history — one which will be taken to mix genres and to use as tools of progress. Everyone knows that The Beatles were very inventive group, but the recipe for their stunning success remains a mystery. So how they managed to climb to the top?

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Family specialists make relations between partners to a few General equations. In a business marriage, a simple arithmetic: 1+1=2. Each side has individual strengths, and together, the couple form a functioning pair. In unhealthy marriages, the math fails: 1+1=1 — this usually happens because one partner suppresses the other.

Really successful families are different: at least one of those you just have met in my life, and at best even a part of it. Husband — a gifted chef, his wife is a master gardener. It teaches kids grammar, it is the art of dialogue. He is a dreamer; she is the organizer. Together they can do more than separately: in their case, 1+1=3.

The Beatles way shows what happens when the right people meet in the right place. The phenomenal achievements of the group once again strengthened the belief that collective work will certainly ensure success. But what if we are wrong to have learned the lessons of McCartney and Lennon? What if the fecundity of The Beatles — the evidence of something completely different? What if we did everything wrong?

Why is the idea of cooperation often suffers Krahn paper group work looks tempting: together we can move mountains and solve the most ambitious goal. The more ideas placed on the table, the more likely the elimination of gaps, elaboration of optimal decisions and minimize errors.

Logic, at first glance, the infallible, the surprisingly mixed results, which brought the scientific study of societies. Brainstorming has been recognized as a subversive activity, but on it the list of "the accused" ends: sometimes the joint work by itself reduces the quality of our work. Scientists came to the following conclusions.

Cooperation creates confidence. Useful in small doses, it dulls our perception of reality: relying on the accuracy of collective intelligence, we tend to neglect other sources of information.

Cooperation can become an instrument of coercion. In the course of work we are often faced with a difficult choice between the quality of our work and our relationships with colleagues. Research shows that team members are ready to adjust to the General opinion, even if they find it incorrect.

Cooperation encourages laziness. Have you ever attended a meeting, where he was the only prepared party? Then you have probably experienced what is called "herd idleness" — this behaviour is awakening in people in groups: they invest less effort in the common cause, hoping that someone else will take the initiative.

So is the productivity of joint labor — illusion, which we did not want to break up? And why then is all came from The Beatles?

The art of successful sotrudnichestva McCartney and John Lennon were not psychologists, but their approach has always placed the example of consultants on the optimization of the creative process. Here is a list of activities necessary for successful teamwork.

Find companions who will be able to do what you do not know how. McCartney was a wonderful melodist, Lennon wrote excellent poetry. The first was left-handed, the second right-handed this allowed both to freely improvise on stage, as if reflecting and shimmering in each other.

Choose roles. Idleness in the team stems mainly from the fact that the staff is not clear where their powers end and others begin. When McCartney and Lennon were together, they clearly understood who is responsible for the texts, and whose prerogative is to make suggestions and amendments.

Insist on preparatory work. It is considered that McCartney and Lennon wrote together, but it is not so: the songs they pondered alone. The collaboration began after each of them hit the roof, and was open to suggestions from colleagues. In General, a major breakthrough happened due to the fact that members of the creative team plunged into the topic yourself without waiting for the meeting.

It is foolish to assume that cooperation is a priori flawed: it is impossible would be an Apple, Google or Microsoft, not to mention the design of airplanes and the discovery of DNA. But that 1 plus 1 equaled 3, you need to learn a new way of thinking: to recognize the negative aspects of societies and finally come to terms with the uncomfortable truth — our common strengths appear only on the background of our personal shortcomings.

Source: theoryandpractice.ru