Most teams are made up of a diversity of individuals, each with unique talents and perspectives. Though having this variety is usually a good thing, it can also create tension when those individuals don’t see eye to eye.
But in the past few months I’ve had two experiences that have reinforced my belief in the unifying power of forced collaboration. Yep, I said forced!
The first was a brainstorming session involving several highly opinionated members of our team. Put us in a room and we will disagree on everything from the weather report to the right way to wear navy blue. But here we were, gathered around a small table, facing a blank white board, obliged to emerge with nothing short of a genius solution. We really had no choice but to play nice.
The second occurred outside of work, when I had the opportunity to serve on a jury. This time I was staring at 11 others, every one somehow more different from me than the next. Here we not only had to come to complete agreement, we also had to decide another person’s fate.
Challenging to say the least, right?
Well, maybe not. In the case of the trial, our jury was handed explicit instructions by the judge, which were essentially:
