The Bake-Off

While reading Malcolm Gladwell's "The Bake-Off," I recognized many different points that will be important for me to consider while working in teams. Some of them will also help me to become a better individual member. In this post, I will discuss the aspects of Gladwell's article that I found to be the most critical to team performance.

One of these points is that technical skill should not be the only component considered when building a successful team. When we did our interviews to submit to the class employers, our team may have put too much emphasis on the experiences we had. In light of reading Gladwell’s article, I believe we should have explored how each individual functions in a group environment. For example, we could have asked a potential member to describe his or her worst group experience.

In addition, Gladwell touches on the innate thought that more expertise is the best way to solve a problem. Too much expertise means that there may be tension between group members that will create chaos. Many times "we tend to overestimate the importance of expertise and underestimate the problem of friction" (Gladwell, 2005). I thought that this was one of the most important points Gladwell made in this piece. When building teams, the possible friction between members should be considered. How the members relate to one another will be important for the group to succeed.

Another interesting point that Gladwell explores, although not to a significant extent, is the question "Where do ideas come from?" While Gladwell does not provide a definitive answer on whether they are products of teams, committees or individuals it is still an interesting idea to explore. Ideas and innovations are the reason many organizations emphasize the importance of working in groups. Exploring their origins can be beneficial to recognizing how to continue being a productive group member. Learning to make connections between different ideas is a great way to improve group productivity.

Participation within the group is also critical. As one of the Dream Team members commented, "How much true input can any one person have when you are lost in a crowd" (Gladwell, 2005). Extra chaos and confusion diminish the value of additional expertise. Clear procedures can help clarify confusion, but groups may find it difficult to determine one way to operate. Some sort of group consensus will increase productivity.

These are just a few of the points that I found useful in Gladwell’s article. I believe they will help me improve the way I think about teams and the way I analyze my individual participation.