Final answer:
Synergy is the performance gain from coordinated efforts between departments, leading to increased productivity and efficiency. It is a positive aspect of bureaucracies, different from the team halo effect where teams might seem more effective than they are individually.
Step-by-step explanation:
The performance gain caused by two or more departments coordinating their efforts is known as synergy. This concept is important in the business world as it leads to a situation where the combined effect of the collaboration is greater than the sum of their separate effects. For example, when the marketing and product development teams at a company work closely together, they can create better-targeted marketing campaigns and products that are more likely to meet customer needs, thereby increasing productivity and efficiency.
Some of the intended positive aspects of bureaucracies include increased productivity and increased efficiency. These are often outcomes of structured systems with a defined hierarchy of authority, explicit rules, and division of labor. However, it is important to note that coercion to join is not a characteristic of bureaucracies.
On the topic of teamwork, one effect of the team halo effect is that teams appear to work better than they do, although they can also lead to greater job satisfaction and potentially boost productivity. This stands in contrast to the negative phenomenon known as social loafing, where an individual may exert less effort when working in a group because their performance is not evaluated separately.