How to Be a Team Player — Without Burning Out | The Way We Work, a TED series

Summary

In this video, the speaker explores the growing issue of collaboration overload in the modern workplace. While collaboration is essential for innovation and success, it has escalated to consume up to 85% of many employees' workweeks, leading to burnout. The speaker identifies three key triggers of this overload: the desire to help others, the need for accomplishment, and fear. They offer practical solutions to manage these triggers, including learning to say no, delegating tasks, and being intentional about work-life balance. The goal is to foster productive, meaningful collaboration without succumbing to burnout.

Takeaways

• 😀 Collaboration is central to modern work, but it has become overwhelming due to excessive involvement in meetings, emails, and other communication tools.
• 😀 Collaborative work has increased by 50% over the last decade and now takes up to 85% of people's workweeks, especially post-pandemic.
• 😀 While collaboration can drive innovation and improve happiness, it can also create burnout if overdone.
• 😀 People are often taking on more collaborative work than necessary, even when they have the option to decline, which leads to productivity loss.
• 😀 Overload in collaboration stems from personal beliefs about being a good colleague and productive worker, making it hard to say no.
• 😀 The desire to help others is a key trigger for collaboration overload, as constantly helping can prevent individuals from meeting their own goals.
• 😀 The need for accomplishment can lead to an addiction to solving smaller problems, causing neglect of bigger, more critical tasks.
• 😀 Fear, including fear of missing out, losing control, or what others might think, can drive people to overcommit, leading to unproductive choices and burnout.
• 😀 To combat overload, it's essential to learn to say no and be strategic in prioritizing the tasks that truly align with personal goals.
• 😀 Delegating tasks can help reduce the burden of collaboration and empower others, leading to more efficient teamwork and personal growth.

Q & A

What is the primary concern with collaborative work in modern workplaces?

The primary concern is that collaborative work has increased by 50% over the past decade, leading to overload. This overload is taking up to 85% of people's workweeks, which is causing burnout and inefficiency.

How has the amount of collaborative work changed since the pandemic?

Since the pandemic, studies have shown that people are working 5 to 8 hours more per week, with collaboration extending earlier into the morning and later into the evening.

What was the initial assumption about the cause of collaboration overload, and what was discovered after research?

The initial assumption was that external factors like emails, time zones, and demanding clients were to blame for collaboration overload. However, after conducting research, it was found that people were voluntarily taking on more collaborative work, even when they had the option not to participate.

What is the role of beliefs in the collaboration overload problem?

A significant part of collaboration overload stems from people's beliefs about themselves, such as the belief that being helpful or constantly involved makes them a good colleague or productive person. These beliefs can drive people to take on more than they can handle.

What are the top three triggers for over-collaboration, and how do they affect people?

The top three triggers are: 1) The desire to help others, which leads to being overwhelmed by requests for assistance. 2) The need for accomplishment, which causes people to focus on small wins at the expense of more significant, long-term tasks. 3) Fear, such as fear of missing out on opportunities or losing control, which leads to overcommitment and burnout.

How does the desire to help others contribute to collaboration overload?

While the desire to help is positive, it leads to being constantly asked for help. This results in getting bogged down in assisting others, which prevents individuals from meeting their own goals and eventually causes them to become a bottleneck in the process.

Why is the need for accomplishment a problematic trigger in collaboration overload?

The need for accomplishment can be addictive, causing people to focus on solving small problems for others rather than addressing the more significant tasks that contribute to their long-term success. This cycle leads to neglecting essential responsibilities.

What is the role of fear in driving collaboration overload?

Fear drives people to over-collaborate due to concerns about missing out on better opportunities, losing control, or worrying about what others think. This fear leads to making unproductive decisions and ultimately to burnout.

What are three strategies to combat collaboration overload?

1) Learn to say no and prioritize tasks effectively. 2) Delegate tasks to help others become more self-reliant. 3) Be intentional in crafting your work life by aligning collaborations with your goals and considering the time and energy commitment involved.

Why is saying no an important skill to manage collaboration overload?

Saying no is essential because it helps individuals maintain control over their time and energy. By being clear about existing commitments and prioritizing what matters most, individuals can avoid overcommitting and prevent burnout.