What is it called when the collective output of a team is greater than the sum of its individual contributions?

The concept that describes when the collective output of a team exceeds the sum of its individual contributions is known as synergy. Synergy occurs when team members work together in a way that enhances their strengths and compensates for any weaknesses, leading to improved results that could not be achieved individually. This phenomenon highlights the power of teamwork in engineering design, where collaboration, diverse skills, and shared ideas can generate innovative solutions more effectively than if each member worked alone.

Collaboration refers to the act of working together, but it does not inherently guarantee that the group will produce outcomes that are greater than individual efforts. Groupthink describes a situation where the desire for harmony or conformity in a group results in dysfunctional decision-making, and therefore does not contribute positively to performance. Team dynamics involves the psychological and social interactions within a team, but it does not specifically address the enhanced output that defines synergy.