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Most managers have heard the statement ?if you want a job to be done fast, give it to someone who?s busy.? Great perception! Busy people want to get rid of every additional task as rapidly as possible, in order to reduce the stress they?re already under.

But how do you go about a team-project? How do you determine the best combination for an end product that should not only be done rapidly, but excellently as well? Here?s my solution:

Give it to a group of people who are individually known for their no-nonsense attitude and professionalism, AND who can?t stand each other! I?ve experienced it myself. In a process where I was member of a large group, we were divided into teams to produce a list of attention points for project development. To my dismay, I was teamed up with the two individuals in the whole group that I knew I had a problem with for a variety of reasons.

Nevertheless, the problem solved itself surprisingly fast! One team-member discretely left for a bio-break only to return when the job was already done, and the two others (among whom I was), felt so awkward in each other?s presence, that all we wanted was to get the job done fast and good for the obvious reasons:

·         Fast, because we wanted to get rid of the pressure of each other?s presence

·         Good, because we did not want to risk to be teamed up again to revise the project.

By the time we were done, the other teams were not even halfway! The group-leader inspected our work and could do nothing else but express his admiration for the excellence of the outcome. Now, how?s that for a successful work-strategy? It may not be the most spiritually responsible approach, but it works like a charm!

After the event I attempted to evaluate the situation. My only conclusion was, that people are wonderful creatures! Chemistry doesn?t necessarily have to be this overly romanticized phenomenon of a mutual feeling of attraction. It works just as well in the less idealistic way. It?s about passion. And whether that is passion to be together, or passion to get away from each other, it sorts the desired output in a particular situation. In my opinion, this is a helpful piece of knowledge that I will definitely not overlook in future endeavors.