The Disadvantages of Teamwork in the
Workplace
By Kimberlee Leonard;
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-teams-workplace-21669.html
January 25, 2019
For all the positives that business owners are finding with the team model, there are some
disadvantages to consider.
Teams Don't Always Get On
There are some people who aren't like to work in a team, and there are some teams whose team
members just don't get along. This will make a problem in the team work concept. If people are
selfish and are trying to show their own work , that person is not communicating with the other
people on the team, and so the team members are not getting the information and resources
necessary to do their jobs well.
Clashes and Conflicts
Every relationship has the potential for conflicts. People are more focused on who is right and
which side to take rather than getting the job done. When conflict arises, state of anxiety and
stress appear in the team and this lead to reduce performance and productivity of the team.
Time-Consuming Considerations
Sometime along time consumed when team members disagree about some decisions or course of
actions. Unless there is a specific person leading the discussion with the ability to make the final
decision, the team could argues on issues for long time, getting stuck in making a decision rather
than getting out there to make a contribution. Business leaders can avoid this by making sure that
team members know their roles and that they understand the vision.
The Lazy Team Member
There is the possibility that one team member might want to live off the success of the entire
team. Employee reviews might not be all that effective in team scenarios, because during an
employee review, it can be difficult to specify contributing team members. If a person feels he
can get away with the least amount of contribution, he could freeload off of the team.
Business leaders can mitigate this by having regular peer evaluations from the team that are done
in confidence, so that no one fears suffering any ramifications for telling on a co-worker. Left
unchecked, the lazy team member might create resentment among the rest of the team, which, in
turn, hurts productivity through negative morale.
Resistance to Leadership Directives
When everyone is part of the team and is making decisions, the vision and authority of the actual
leader can become blurred by the power of the team. If the team members feel that they have a
strong say in major decisions, then they can resist higher level directives, because they feel the
team's solution is better. This can drive a company away from the main mission, in which they
have convoluted what everyone is trying to accomplish.
Leaders should consult teams, while making it very clear that they have the ultimate decision and
the team is there to support the mission, as led by management.