Joho the Blog
An Entry from the Archives

Teams vs. Individuals

There's always been a contradiction of an Hegelian sort between the value of individuals with strong beliefs and the need to be flexible enough to subordinate one's beliefs for the sake of the team. Passion versus teamwork. Commitment versus compromise. Individualism versus collaboration.

This tension is overcome in a suitably Hegelian way by the Web's transformation of teams. In a typical hierarchical structure, teams are organized from the top down. Members are chosen not only for their personal qualities but because various groups need representation. In a webby world - a "hyperlinked organization" - teams are self-organizing. People form a team by pulling together the people they respect and like to work with, the org chart be damned.

This helps resolve the contradiction in in two ways. First, hyperlinked teams form among like-minded people - for better or worse. Thus, the strong beliefs of individuals are likely to be shared. Second, groups form among people who already like and trust one another - for better or worse. Thus, disagreements don't have to escalate to the "my way or the highway" point.

Hegel is, as always, right - which means we should be on the lookout for the new contradiction this engenders...