Parallel Teamwork Business Structure

Parallel Teamwork Business Structure is more likely to be a winner! Team Captains Decentralize and Actively Participate. Working as a team creates fewer errors and better morale than if each person worked alone.

There is a article is based on a scientific study as to why well-performing teams produce better outcomes.

Workplace Teams are Less Risky than Typical Hierarchal Structure

Workplace teams are less risky than the typical hierarchal organizational structure, headed by a senior manager. People working together in teams support one another, catch mistakes earlier in the process and contribute useful input throughout the process.

Fewer Errors and Better Morale

Working as a team creates fewer errors and better morale than if each person worked alone.

Teamwork Creates Better Results (a Case Study)

Scientists measured the interactions between basketball players during the 2010 NBA playoffs by looking at who passed the ball to whom on each team. They studied 16 teams in eight matchups, with two games per matchup. In each game, they recorded every time the ball was passed from one player to another and the outcome of that play.

Chicago Bulls Versus Los Angeles Lakers Ball Distribution

Looking at the graph below, we see how they measured passes and outcomes for two teams, the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Chicago Bulls vs LA Lakers Ball Distribution

Teamwork Creates Better Results at Scrub n Shine, LLC

Each Team Created a Unique Pattern

The Bulls’ chart shows the ball came mostly from one person (the point guard). The Lakers’ graph looks quite different, with more triangles, indicating passing among various players.

Lakers’ Broad Distribution Creates More Opportunity

This Lakers’ organization is designed to distribute players across the floor so that they can be used interchangeably, depending on open lanes and defense. In this strategy, the point guard becomes less central to the decision process, because all players have the ability to make decisions about ball distribution depending on the immediate context.

Lakers’ Team Captains Decentralize and Actively Participate

If you have a centralized team like the Bulls, what happens when the point guard is unable to play? There is a high risk-factor in this structure. However, if the point guard was eliminated from the Lakers’ lineup, the team could more easily absorb the hit and place the responsibility of passing onto other players.

Lakers are More Flexible, Less Predictable and Able to Think Creatively

In the workplace, think of the ball as an idea being passed around. The more hands the “ball” goes through, the more insight is gained, and the greater chance of success.

Parallel Teamwork Structure is More Likely to Win

Based on the analyses from 16 different teams, scientists found that teams with less centralized (more distributed) interactions were more likely to win, because they are more difficult to guard and had less risk factors. The year of this particular analysis, the Bulls didn’t make it past the first round of playoffs, whereas the Lakers won the championship.