CEO Bill Watkins made a realization that “nobody really wants to die for their god. No one wants to die for their country. Absolutely no one wants to die for money. But people put their lives on the line for the respect of their platoon mates.” (Brown, 2011, p. 274) After this realization, he started what’s known as EcoSeagate, where members of the company come together in a foreign environment and take part in team building exercises. Discussed will be the value in the team development process, why something like this would be necessary for high-performing organizations, and finally what my organization has done within the realm of team development.
There are two aspects to the team development process. Brown states “one type of team development, are aimed at identifying group problems.” (Brown, 2011, p. 271) When members of a group don’t get along, it causes issues ranging from time delays, fighting, or even deliberate sabotage. The other type of team development is one where members “are aimed at improving the team’s functioning.” (Brown, 2011, p. 271) What this means is to build the synergistic qualities of the team so that the team itself is greater than the sum of its parts. So what else is there to know about team development then?
Team development is important for a high-performing organization. Yukl mentions that “cooperation and mutual trust are important determinants of performance in groups where member roles are highly interdependent. A high level of cooperation and mutual trust is more likely when members identify with the team or work unit, value their membership, and are very cohesive.” (Yukl, 2013, p. 251) In other words, when people work well together greater benefits occur than if they didn’t. In ever growing complex environments leadership power shifts away from the few and moves onto the many. (Obolensky, 2010, p. 19) So it’s ever more important for members to work well together, especially in polyarchy environments.
From the very beginning my organization has had team development and team building built into the orientation process; we call this Basic Military Training. For two months of our lives, we were taking out of our comfort zones and put into an incredibly intense environment where members of our team are broken down only to be built back up again. While at the beginning of my Basic Military Training experience I noticed we were all strangers and at the end of it, we were family. We performed and united not because of our Military Training Instructors, but because of each other. All throughout the organization team elements come in as well. For example, if one person messes up and makes a mistake (for example get’s a DUI), we all pay the price. This adds an element of accountability and responsibility.
Discussed were values in the team development process, why it’s important to high-performance organizations, and finally what my organization has done to implement this. Bill Watkins came to his realization after spending time within the Army, which translates very well to the civilian sector. I believe taking what I know and what others have learned, I will be able to apply this to where I work when I get out.
References
Brown, D. R. (2011). An experiential approach to organization development (Eight Edition ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Obolensky, N. (2010). Complex adaptive leadership (Second Edition ed.). London, UK: Gower/Ashgate.
Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in Organizations (Eighth Edition ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, United States of America: Prentice Hall.
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