This is weird and entirely context related. The best company I've ever worked for,...consists of about 60 people who do nothing but unselfishly help one another. ... This is why they like to work together Joanna
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Yes, it is context dependant. I worked in a highly competive production system where it was each against all, mechnanics competing for production quotas. The product and the production system all supported this environment.
You worked on projects that required team work so all the modules worked together to produce some product.
There are a lot of system studies on these different work systems and which is more appropriate under what kinds of conditions. They are two poles of a spectrum: work as individuals, work as a team. I remember reading an article a long time ago on the US matching EU auto quality of the high end. Some of the EU producers designed their production line for teams. The concept was that workers identified with the quality of their work and skill. With the increased use of robotics (I suspect) the team approach turned into a group of fitters, fit this module, fit that module.
At a guess, studying Lambroghini factory photos, the team approach worked well for modularized proto-type production with several lines composing the modules. Here is a factory tour of mechanic heaven:
http://www.motortrend.com/womt/112_0309_lambo_bts/photo_01.html
It was certainly the preferrable system and I followed it when I could, since custom power chairs with complex seating and controls practically demands it. It was rarely allowed because the boss liked the dog eat dog scene---a much easier system to control and manipulate.
In the last years, me and Calvin decided to slow down and tailor our work output closer to the newer guys to keep the time average closer to what should be reasonable. Sometimes I'd finish a delivery route by 2:00 and then just kill a couple of hours having lunch on the Emeryville Marina---dock of the bay. If stuck in the stall, get through the tough work fast, and taper down to a fiddle with lots of noise. Another technique was to run several jobs simultaneously and trade back and forth, switch time slots, etc. A lot of this required the conspiracy of the dispatch and work schedule woman, who was also the receptionist.
CG