Talk about a general question! What seems to me to be significant is the sense of accomplishment that stems from effective teamwork in accomplishing a meaningful task. Within what appears to me to be effective teamwork is plenty of room for individual achievement. Nothing beats the feeling, going into a situation, that you can count on your comrades, and they can count on you.

I have seen this from time to time in my career, as well as the negative, but most frequently I have experienced in SAR - all unpaid volunteers, but richly rewarded in more important ways.