Aakar Patel’s article in Mint Lounge on Indians & our capability to be team players is nice & thought provoking. There is a ring of truth across many parts of the article that I completely identify with.

“They quell their instinct towards heroism and accept a subsumed role, in favour of team efficiency and consistency. Why can’t Indians do the same thing? The answer is that we cannot understand harmony. That’s why we are poor at things that require selfless interaction, like team sports. Indians do not have the instinct of acting in concert. We find it difficult to put the other person ahead of ourselves even if both might benefit. This lack of harmony isn’t limited to sports, it is inherent: We see it every day in our mindless traffic.”

In certain quarters, Indian roads have been projected as an example of harmony – lack of rules or norms & yet things move. For me, its a perfect example of a bunch of people refusing to look beyond their immediate individual wants. At times, even self benefits are sacrificed at the altar of getting ahead of others.

Extrapolating this group dynamic into the office environment (private sector included), one can relate to the organizational challenges of collaboration.

Is collaboration a challenge only in Indians?

References:

• We’re too self-absorbed to be team players, Aakar Patel