As geese flap their wings, they create an uplift for the bird following. By flying in a V formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if any bird were to fly alone.
- Author unknown, quoted by John J. Murphy in Pulling Together
We all know that teamwork is vital for all of us to accomplish our best work. But how powerful is it really? Let’s consider the concept of synergy:
Synergy - the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements, contributions, etc.; synergism (dictionary.com)
While you may not use the word a lot, you are certainly familiar with the idea of synergy – when working together, we often are able to accomplish goals and solve problems we could never handle on our own. Click here to watch a 3 minute video on the concept of synergy and teamwork from the book Pulling Together by John J. Murphy.
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his same concept of the V formation in geese is seen in the peloton or echelon forms you see in cycling road racing. The cyclists in the bunch can save over 40% of the energy they’d have to use cycling on their own. Not only that, but even the leader gets an aerodynamic boost, too, almost as a small thanks for his/her hard work setting the pace.
How does this concept of synergy impact the way we work? What can we change about our work processes to take advantage of this idea?