Different credit configurations
When I work with a group that wants to complete a task but spends no time developing a cooperative relationship, I generally find their work product to be merely satisfactory. The product meets minimum standards, but typically the dynamic within teams that spend no time on relationship development is not condusive to innovation or creativity.
The job may get completed, but people do not enjoy the experience or each other. Teams that spend all their time on relationship development seem to enjoy the process of working together, but also find they have trouble staying on task and finishing the assignment on time. I often find their work to be incomplete.
Groups that spend an equal amount of time on tasks and relationships seem to have better outcomes. When a group deliberately moves toward balance, some people who are used to working exclusively on the task or on the relationship may feel awkward. Others in the group can bring them along, however, by acknowledging the importance of both kinds of activities. By balancing time and energy between the two activities, people feel better about what they’ve accomplished together—the group has more pride in what it has produced. The task/relationship model presents three possible group configurations.
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