The Complexity of Team Work

Introduction

The complexity of teamwork is more than what Merriam-Webster defines teamwork as “the work done by people who work together to do something”. Teamwork involves good practices and strategies utilized in a cohesive manner to get to a common goal. Therefore a clear definition of a team must first be established in order to further understand the complexity of the teamwork process. A team is a collection of two or more people with either similar or different disciplines dedicated to the pursuit of a specific goal (Gilbert, 2004). Hence, the determinant in the level of participation from team members for a functioning team is a joint commitment (Gilbert, 2004).
The successful use of team practice aims to better serve respected stakeholders. In urban planning, the unity and cohesiveness of a finished work signifies professionalism and clarity, which can only be arrived from a great team. In order to achieve solidarity, good decision making tactics must be enforced. Decision making involves making a logical choice influenced by, and not limited to, facts and information, time, and emotions. These factors may be a sole factor or combined together. Thus, decision making aims to solve a problem. In regards to urban planning, decision making has great influence on the overall success or failure of a plan. This plan may involve key stakeholders or the public, regardless of what party is at stake, decision making must be based on rationality. This paper will examine four decision making practices: (1) decision by authority, (2) decision by majority vote/rule, (3) decision by averaging opinions, and (4) decision by consensus.

Decision by Authority

While many agree that the best decisions are derived from a collective selectio...

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