Individuality over Teamwork?

Summary: A recent study by University of Calgary, Faculty of Kinesiology shows that the productivity rate is greater when someone is alone versus in a group. The set up was this: Person A does a computer task alone. Person B comes in and works with them for a while, and then person a works alone again. Based on the amount of work they got done, working alone was the better way to do things because there were fewer distractions. Apparently, watching someone else do the same things made their progress slower for whatever reason. One scientist working on the matter explained that the outcome varies when speed and accuracy are involved, because then people get more competitive.

Impact: Well people usually like to work in groups because they think that more things will get done sand faster. The hard truth of it all is that someone at some point is going to decide that they really don’t feel like doing their part and pass it off to someone else at the last minute. Then the work is done sloppily because the person had gotten it on short notice. Been there, done that.

Critique: Well, I personally find it easier to work alone than in a group, but having other people around you is comforting. A lot of the time I want to do all of the work myself because I can never learn to trust others. Call me paranoid, but I would rather not put my faith in someone who can’t even finish the part I gave them. People sometimes think that I am working by myself because others don’t want to work with me, but unless it’s a small project, I would like to do it alone.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220110323.htm