Thelma and Louise. Bonnie and Clyde. James Watson and Francis Crick. Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Serena and Venus Williams.

History, fiction and theology alike are littered with examples of famous partnerships. Many of our greatest leaps forward in science, technology and the creative arts were delivered by duos.

Perhaps some of these examples even sprang to the minds of Tamara Harvey and Daniel Evans as they applied jointly to the position of artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, one of the most renownedFamous or talked about by many people. and historic theatre companies in Britain. They could have been inspired by the widely shared theory that even Shakespeare himself did not write all of his plays alone.

Now, Harvey and Evans have officially won the title. For the first time since the 1980s, the prestigiousHighly respected. mantle will be taken on by a pair. They will also join the ranks of those operating by a system both age-old and, somehow, strikingly modern: the jobshare.

The jobshare has strong historical precedentAn earlier event that is seen as an example or guide to be considered in later similar circumstances.. In Ancient Rome, two consuls were elected on a yearly basis to command the army, preside over the Senate and represent the state. Where modern jobsharers often alternate days in the week, the consuls would alternate their duties monthly.

The notion of an ideal partnership is also long-standing. In PlatoOne of the most important Ancient Greek philosophers. 's Symposium, Aristophanes gives a fantastical account of how humans were born with two faces, four hands, and four legs, but were split in half by Zeus to limit their power. The humans sought desperately for their lost halves, hence the idea of a 'soulmate' - someone with whom you have so much synergyThe combined power of two elements, which is greater than each one individually. that you might almost have been the same person.

Nowadays, such labour partnerships are remarkably rare. Just 0.4% of the UK workforce work in jobshares. Rather than being a universal option for employees, in the past century they have more often been offered to women in the labourforce, allowing them to juggle patriarchalA society in which adult men have a monopoly on power. In these societies, men tend to hold all political positions, and women and children are also expected to obey the men in their families., domestic duties with a profession.

However, others see jobshares as a thoroughly modern phenomenon. In recent years, there has been a trend towards work flexibility, caused by globalisationThe growing interdependence of the world's economies, peoples and cultures., changes in employment trends, a productivity crisis and the pandemic. But few theorists agree on whether this new system is beneficial or detrimentalNegative. to employees.

And not everyone agrees with the idea that "two heads are better than one". Studies suggest that decisions made by one person are more likely to be accurate, considered and pragmaticDealing with things sensibly and realistically, in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations. than those made in groups of two or more. Some cite well-known examples of "crowd think" as further proof of the absences of reason that can occur when people act in groups.¹

For now, practical jobsharing opportunities in the general workforce are still few and far between. Some argue that as a society, we are most comfortable when power has one recognisable, reassuring face.

Yes: As we move towards automation and more flexible work, it makes the most sense to shift people into jobshares. If well-matched, they can lead to labour which is both more personally fulfilling and more productive. Two minds really are better than one.

No: The jobshare can often lead to extra costs for employers, and if the jobsharers are ill-matched, their work will be less productive too. There are other, more effective forms of flexible work - but even so, there is nothing wrong with the traditional 9-5.

Or... Jobshares in positions such as artistic director are viable, but there are many professions in which a jobshare would not work out. Some jobs just need to have one person at the wheel.