The whole is more than the sum of its parts

"The whole is more than the sum of its parts" said Aristotle. Have you ever thought of how such an approach can be applied at the workplace?

First of all, we need to understand what we mean by this famous sentence. To do so let's have a close look to Gestalt theory, a school of psychology that emerged in the early twentieth century in Austria and Germany. They provided an interpretation of Aristotle’s maxim:

"our reality is not a mere collocation of elemental facts, but consists of units in which no part exists by itself, where each part points beyond itself and implies a larger whole"

This was said by Gestalt psychologist Kurt Koffa in 1935. (Principles of Gestalt Psychology, you can read it here). In other words, the term "whole" is not used to indicate a simple addition of separate components, it rather represents the synergy of individuals working together cooperatively, forming a team, a complete new integrity.

You can think of many examples of this: your phone is not just a piece of hardware with software, it’s your photos, it’s the communication device you use to talk with your friends, it’s the entertainment in the moments of boredom. Or think of your work-team: sometimes working together can unlock solutions and possibilities otherwise unthinkable.

The core of Gestalt theory is that the connection between different parts are as important as the parts itself, like our brains are more than just a cluster of cells, but the connections between our neurons are unique and define our memories, our personalities and our instincts.

At VTX we are strong believers that a team is much more than a sum of individuals! We have created our Experiences around the idea of building up a team, not just providing individuals with a virtual learning environment. Our Experiences allow the team to work together as a whole while having fun!

Who said that team building has to be boring? We definitely believe that a happy team is more productive and motivated, hence we designed games to entertain and encourage team’s interaction.

If you believe that your team is much more than a sum of individuals, check out our virtual team building activities! Visit the rest of our website or contact us directly to find out what we can do for you. We can also design an Experience tailored for your team!